When I first set on the course of my meditation teacher training in 2014, admittedly, my goals were somewhat self-serving at first. I had been suffering from anxiety for many years, and although I had tried many methods of alternative therapy to heal this anxious tendency, nothing touched it in the way that meditation did. Within a month of daily meditation I was handling challenging situations better and finding it easier to communicate about my stressors. I was sleeping better and generally felt more energy. It was such a relief, that I dove with commitment headlong into my meditation practice, and began to train with international meditation teacher and stress coach davidji (www.davidji.com).
Traditional zen training would say that in order to learn, you first have to empty your cup. Or as Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." Meditation is rather like that...it basically empties the cup, so that we can come to a place of present-moment awareness. And from that place of quiet present-moment awareness the nervous system can re-calibrate. Physiologically all kinds of amazing things happen when we meditate; we decrease the production of cortisol and adrenaline, we thin our blood plateletts, we decrease blood pressure and increase circulation to our digestive system to name just a few. In just a matter of 5 or 6 weeks, studies show that we actually change the grey matter in our brain...so if we can change our actual physical cells, how can meditation not affect every aspect of our lives?
Every person has 60-80,000 thoughts a day, and so many people feel with all of the busyness of their thoughts, that it would be impossible to learn to get still. But when we meditate...it's not that we actually think 'No thing', it's more that we learn how to let those thoughts flow past us without engaging in them. And the more practiced we become with 'sitting' and allowing our thoughts to pass without judgement, the more space there is for stillness and peace to enter. So first, we empty the cup...and from that place of stillness so many positive benefits can evolve. Not only will we change our physiology, meditators including many of my students, experience lower stress, better sleep, more effective problem solving, greater creativity, and an improved sense of Well-Being.
Whether you choose an online guided meditation, a class structure, or simply sitting for 5 minutes per day and breathing, meditation can truly change your life!
Sarah Ritchie, BA, B.Ed., RMT, Reiki Master, Certified davidji Masters of Wisdom Meditation Teacher