spearhead a movement that utilizes mindfulness meditation for stress reduction. His methods go back to the late 1970s after he attended a meditation retreat led by Thich Nhat Hahn and began to realize the benefits of meditation for both mental and physical health. Today many HMOs offer meditation groups for patients to learn how to relax into a healthier body.
In 2006, researchers at Harvard, Yale, and MIT released a study on the effects of Vipassana, or mindfulness meditation, on the human brain. They discovered that experienced meditators actually had improved brain function, improved attention, and improved ability to process thought.
Like the medications advertised on television, the practice of meditation may also cause side effects. Some of these may include the following: recognizing love in everything; feeling deep compassion for all sentient beings; experiencing spontaneous joy; being at peace in the moment; wanting only to serve others; listening to the guidance of a still-small voice within; seeing light with eyes closed; having an urge to dance when no one else can hear the music; knowing great peace while moving through a difficult challenge; and generally acting as a fool while playing your part in the cosmic show. These “side effects” sound a lot less harmful than the pharmaceutical side effects we are familiar with from the television ads!
As I said previously, do not stop any medications without checking with your doctor first. But don’t the side effects of meditation sound wonderful?
The practice of Step Eleven is fundamental for the awakening of our spirit, but the ancient practice of meditation is finding its way into the medical and therapeutic communities. And, as mentioned above, research continues to document the physical and mental health benefits of meditation and can be found in numerous scientific journals. Visiting your meditation cushion more frequently could result in improved health and well-being. Excuse me, may I sit with you?
Thoughts That Encourage Enlightenment
Anticipation is a path to the future.
If I step upon it, I’m no longer present.
Practicing the presence is job security for a lifetime.
It was a hot, sunny day. As I bent over to take a drink from a garden hose, the warm sun embracing my shirtless body and the cool water running down my throat and spilling out on my bare feet, a joy suddenly swept over me. I found myself crying uncontrollably—experiencing the simplicity of being caught in the moment.
While breathing in, know you’re breathing in.
While breathing out, know you’re breathing out.
This simple practice can transform lives.
Expectations are the footlights on the path to suffering; acceptance is a guiding light on the path to peace.
Whether an emotional, physical, or other type of roadblock is encountered on our path, we can embrace it, and it can act as a slingshot toward the divine.
Daily and with great intention, return to your inner life.
The path our heart follows is determined by what motivates us. When you awaken each morning, ask yourself, “What can I do for someone else?” This is love put into action, the glue holding the universe together.
The inner drive for perfection is a step on a path that can only lead to pain. Mindfulness will transport us to the sacred path of recovery.
Embracing our imperfections, we give birth to our spirituality.
The simplicity of “lightening up” will spawn our enlightenment.
There are no dharma or meditation police. Your practice is your practice. The way you work your program is the way you work it. Blame becomes obsolete.
The truth that can set us free is simple: What we put into life in this moment determines the next moment.
The material is the spiritual made visible. Everything is light vibrating, and all things have a resonating tone. Listening deeply, we can hear the music emanating from all objects; going even deeper into the silence, we hear the universe singing the primordial sound, OM.
When Darshan turns into Shakti, you’ll know if it happens.
The next breath you take will be filled with joy, so pay attention.
The best way to fulfill one’s karma is to live the dharma.
It’s not that complicated: Just be here now.
Mindful listening is when all sounds become the chant of a monk.
Bliss is a notable experience, but like any, it is not one to become attached to. Just observe, I’m in bliss.
There is a fine line between having expectations and holding great intentions and positive thoughts for things to come. The first surely leads to suffering.
Falling into grace? Okay, I’m always open to that.
Never defend the joy you feel or your gratitude for life. Even while experiencing some great challenges, you have been touched by Spirit.
Something I embrace in this sometimes crazy world is good karma and grace.
Suchness, a term used in Zen, signifies the welcoming of accepting what is. With suchness, all ordinary moments become magical and blissful.
Back by popular demand, The Now; enjoy it!
Take a moment now and say with loving intention, “Send someone to interfere in my life.” You have now set events in motion to have a beautiful day.
Speak the truth; listen deeply; trust emergence; it’s practice.
When practicing mindful listening, you listen not only with your ears but also with your heart.
To know and understand the nature of your mind, you must observe it.
My most memorable travels have been not by plane or train, by bus or car, but rather in meditation when I have journeyed within.
The practice of mindfulness will influence you physically, mentally, and spiritually; living in The Now is living in harmony.
Catch your next breath, and I will meet you within.
Practice mindful smiling as you move through your day; it will serve others.
It is easy to live in a state of waiting for what we hope will bring us fulfillment, but it takes practice to embrace what is right now.
If we all practiced meditation, we would hear the whisper of our soul’s purpose, and it would sound like this: Serve others. This awareness would generate a tidal wave of gratitude across our planet.
Pure contact with the moment is a direct path for encountering enlightenment.
Experience something so beautiful, profound, and magical that no degree, no guru, no secret sect is required. Simply practice being in the present moment.
People become beautiful . . . life experiences transform . . . colors feel vibrant . . . songs seem to
