Meditation. What’s all the fuss about?

QUESTION?

Meditation?  What’s all the fuss about?

ANSWER

It works!

• Stressed or depressed?
• Rushed or crushed?
• Fed up with feeling fed up?
• Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired?

I could go on!

• It seems that many of us feel some, if not all of the above, and for some if not most of the time!!  What’s going on?
• People turn to meditation for a host of reasons, including some, if not all of the above.  And that’s fine.
• People may turn to meditation as a first or a last resort.  And that’s fine too.

The thing is that whatever brings you to meditation doesn’t matter.  What matters is that if you do commit to giving it a go it will bring benefits, both mental and physical.

It’s official.  Meditation works!

I wrote “MINDFULNESS” to remind myself that I can find relief and release from my troubles.  There is a pathway to peace.

POEM FOR TODAY

MINDFULNESS

What is this thing called Mindfulness, a sudden all the rage?

What is this thing heretical now written on the page

That purports that all our thinking up to now has come to nought,

And it’s time to heed the Ancients and the wisdom that they taught.

It’s a blow to know our strategies have led us quick to sink

In the quick-sands of our struggles that have brought us to the brink

Of a never-ending spiral of despair and misery,

Now we’re told to stop our Doing and sit down and simply Be

In the presence of the present, turn attention to the Breath,

Concentrate on what is keeping us each moment from our Death,

What could be of more importance, took for granted for too long,

Being mindful we are promised is the path to make us strong.

So let’s put away our struggles, and at least just for today

Let’s commit to something different, let us take the mindful way

For we’re promised it’s a practice which can bring us peace, and so

Let’s stop DOING for a moment, and give Mindfulness a go!!

© Corinne Shields, 2012

If you enjoyed “MINDFULNESS” please pass it on.

You can find more inspirational poetry in “A String of Pearls, a Yearbook of Daily Inspiration to Soothe the Soul and Rekindle the Spirit”

Click on the book to find out more

And no retreat would be complete without something lovely to look at, so here’s the

PICTURE FOR TODAY

Every seat taken!

And for something really lovely to look at here is a beautiful photograph from one of my favourite photographers, Michael Lai at Retiree’s Diary.

If you haven’t visited Michael before then I urge you to do so.  He is always going somewhere remarkable and sharing his wonderful visual images with us.  This photograph is just one of a wonderful series showing us the beauty of one of Japan’s most lovely lakes.

Autumn by the Lake in Hokkaido, Japan

Stunning isn’t it? What a perfect place for meditation.

And just before you go ……..

Take what you like and leave the rest!!!

I have written about Mindfulness Meditation before and I commend it to you again.

If you are interested there is plenty of information out there on the web and there will likely be a group near you if you want to learn and practice with others and with the support of a teacher.

Most people will have heard of the Dalai Lama, but if you have never met him then through the wonders of the web you can meet him at You Tube where he explains the benefits of meditation in a short one minute clip.

For a spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is surprisingly down to earth.  He is keen to point out that the benefits of meditation are,

“not for the next life, not for heaven, but for the day to day’s well being.”

So how can meditation improve our day to day’s well being? Well, for starters, meditation:

• Reduces stress
• Reduced stress leads to Health Benefits
• Health benefits can include reduced heart disease, increased pain relief and feelings of well being
• Feelings of well being enable us to enjoy more concentration, spontaneity and detachment from irritations ….

Perhaps one of the most significant benefits of meditation is learning that we can control our unruly minds.  We can free ourselves from the automatic negative thoughts that can lead to downward spirals that ruin a life.  We don’t have to go there!!  There is another way

If you have read this far, please do leave me a comment, share an opinion, join in the conversation or leave a favourite quote at the Inspirational Quotes page.

May we all be peaceful and at ease.

Have a good day.

Corinne