Equanimity has become my compass to guide me through life’s array of challenges. It protects me from my own denial system when I want to avoid unpleasant feelings and circumstances. It teaches me to accept praise and rejection equally, with the same attitude of gratitude. Equanimity enables me to observe and embrace anything that is in my life, and to do so without judgment, simply because it’s in my life.
When I had about thirteen years in recovery, I went through a divorce, and the pain of the separation broke my heart wide open. This, of course, turned out to be a gift. I started working the Twelve Steps again with a passion I hadn’t experienced before. The steps seemed more important and revealing than my first time working them. I found myself opening the door to life like never before. Somehow I knew I had to let go of judgment of whom I would let into my life and whom I wouldn’t. Everyone and everything became important. I began to let in whatever and whomever appeared.
My new mantra became “Maybe, maybe not.” The Christian mystic St. Francis of Assisi compelled us all to “wear the world as a loose garment, which touches us in a few places and there lightly.” Wearing life more loosely, in order to keep things simple as they appeared in my life, I became interested in seeing what was to be offered.
The dharma (teachings of the Buddha) has given us equanimity as our defense against suffering. All situations become opportunities to grow spiritually when attended to without judgment or labeling them as “good” or “bad.”
Most of us can recall these two words; we’ve been hearing them from the time we could first understand language. When we reflect back to early childhood and throughout our school days, this spoken phrase stands out. It is also a favorite of the military; the command to “Attention!” is sounded off many times a day.
I had no idea I was being called to spiritual practice in my early childhood. Surely my parents, teachers, and commanding officer had no idea they were uttering words that would be so significant in meditation practice.
Meditation is essentially sustained concentration, and if practiced, it gives us the ability to walk peacefully amid the adversities of life—just by paying attention. Mindfulness is practicing the art of paying attention to what is. Mindfulness seems to be a gentler way of saying “pay attention.” Being present for our every moment is an exercise we can all do. No experience necessary. On-the-job training provided. Start now!
I saw a segment on CNN that said we have become a nation on medication. Let’s become a nation on meditation. Let us become spiritual warriors and help ourselves and others to practice what we have been called on to do since childhood: pay attention and be mindful.
I greet the early-morning darkness with a yawn and, focusing only on the sacredness of the moment, I prepare myself for practice. When you wake each day, even without a regular meditation practice, take a few breaths with the sole intention of paying attention. Try a ten-minute practice. With twenty-four hours in each day, taking this short time to sit and be mindful of your breath can be a game changer.
The simplicity of breathing in and being with that breath, then breathing out and knowing you are doing so, is the portal into the present moment. Let the breath become a personal mantra; when your attention is on the breath, you are being present.
While heart rate is a constant presence of the human life, it can deceive us in moments of fear or doubt as our blood flow increases and adrenaline surges through our bodies. Yet we can control our breathing; coming back to the moment naturally calms us, allowing the heart to follow our breath into the moment of now. Be mindful, as the next breath could contain the greatest joy you have ever experienced.
The practice of mindfulness brings great significance to the most mundane actions. The simple walk from one room to another, done with complete attention, can be like surfing a perfect wave. The present moment contains everything we are seeking. Practicing presence with all we do opens the door to joy, and being truly present for others is an offer of humble holiness and service. We are of service to others by giving our personal attention to each individual we encounter on our journey through life.
The occupation of mindfulness has my complete attention. For all those who practice, it is job security for a lifetime. Each moment we begin anew, returning to the breath, to the moment we are involved in now.
“When the flower blooms, the bees come uninvited” was one of many realizations by the nineteenth-century Hindu mystic Sri Ramakrishna. Our own blossoming occurs in meditation, and we experience peace as we begin to unfold like Ramakrishna’s proverbial flower. The simplicity of paying attention to our breath finds its way into all areas of life. Practicing mindfulness turns our daily routines into both a sacred and practical path; we find magic while embracing each moment and each other. The next time someone says “Pay attention,” let it be your reminder to become mindful of the present, beautiful moment.
Television shows are inundated with advertisements promoting some new drug or other to combat illness of the body or mind. Commercials show people waltzing through green fields, basking in sunlight, smiling, and enjoying their new lease on life because of yet another magic pill. These ads are followed by the warning of menacing side effects, such as diarrhea, sleepiness, sexual dysfunction, restlessness, and depression that may even cause suicidal thoughts—oh, and be sure not to drive heavy equipment.
The viewer must consider if the harmful side effects outweigh any potential benefits. And, of course, there is the ever-present fine print at the bottom of the screen that is too small and too lengthy to read, and appears for too few seconds to comprehend. Yes, at certain times and in certain circumstances, some people need to take medication. But I wonder how many aches and pains and even illnesses could be eliminated or reduced if simple meditation were prescribed rather than an arsenal of medications.
I don’t recommend that you stop taking any medications without first consulting with your doctor or medical provider.
I do recommend that you let your doctor know that you meditate or are considering it, and explain the benefits of doing so. Practitioners of Western medicine do good work; science has given them many tools to treat the sick or injured. Maybe your medical provider will share your insights about meditation with others. Another opportunity for you to serve others.
Since the late sixties and early seventies, meditation’s ability to help with stress reduction has been explored. The scientific community’s research has proven that this simple, daily practice can improve one’s overall health and quality of living. Meditation had its coming-out party on the world stage in the 1960s with the book Autobiography of a Yogi. This book and The Beatles’ visit to Maharishi’s ashram in India gave Transcendental Meditation (TM) its wider exposure and its vehicle to spread through the United States.
One of the first studies on the physiology of meditation was the dissertation of UCLA graduate student Robert Keith Wallace. In 1970, part of this study was published in a science magazine. Since then Dr. Wallace has contributed to the increasing body of research into the physical benefits of meditation and consciousness.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, also a pioneer in the study of
