Tag: mindful meditation

Why practice Meditation, Mindfulness?

Just as our bodies require a good circulation of body fluids to eliminate toxins, our conscious minds can benefit from the conscious application of varieties of psychic circulation that stem from mindfulness and meditation practice. (to read more Click on the article Title)

As with our body a knotted muscle comes into your awareness as discomfort. We touch, then rub the area to stimulate circulation. Stimulated circulation removes the toxins causing the pain. Without extra circulation we risk the knotted muscle might stay that way. Maybe forever. If the pain gets bad enough, we do something about it, like going to a Doctor or Massage Therapist. But what about painful memories? What to do?

You are not special, all of us have suffered mental pain, called anguish. Those painful memories, along with the good ones, get stored in the “stored consciousness” section of our conscious memory.

When we revisit painful memories in the stored consciousness- when we see, read, speak or think of a past hurt, even when someone mentions it in conversation- it comes up into our conscious mind. Now it feels real again, ghosting up from the stored memories. We experience the same original hurtful emotions. This can be repeated over and over, causing true distress and illness. This process is also called “hanging on to resentment”.

Practising mindfulness and meditation is like practising massage to a knotted muscle of the body. It works on our stored consciousness of experiences. Mindfulness allows you to “be” with emotional pain without judgment, now, in the present moment.

Without the treatment of mindfulness, a mental knot can crystallize into a lump that is toxic to our larger consciousness. Practising mindfulness allows us to detect and transform the original hurt and, over time, to acknowledge it, then move on.

With mindfulness practice embracing the knots of anger, sadness and regret a bit at a time is like practising massage to a sore body. Mindfulness can create the type of energy that allows psychic pain to eventually dissolve, to be consciously flushed out.

I guide students in “Embracing Powerful Emotions” meditations and mindfulness. Our approach is gradual. If you get uncomfortable or scared in the practice, we pull back a bit. Then we go forward when you are ready. These are powerful things you can do to live better today, which improves your tomorrow.

Peace and Abundance to all.

Buddhist 7’th Element Taught in Canadian Public Schools

Grade six school kids copyI was surprised to hear a CBC radio program (see Links below) December 1, detailing mindfulness (Pali – the seventh element of the Noble Eightfold Path) being taught to grade six schoolchildren in Surrey, British Columbia as classroom behaviour control. Connections to Attention Deficit Disorder and drug therapy elimination through mindfulness are highlighted.

The reporter calls it “self regulation” probably because public opinion on teaching Buddhist principles in school would likely start a sectarian argument among parents and taxpayers funding public education. The program teaches children to spot inner tension, engage mindfulness and become calm and productive to enhance their learning.

Here is the CBC radio 27 minute audio link and here is the 5 minute reading time print article link.

Mindfulness is also being taught at my local health clinic to brain injured patients  having trouble conducting their lives. Again, there is no mention in the clinical program that mindfulness is a spiritual or psychological faculty (indriya) that, according to the teaching of the Buddha, is considered to be of great importance in the path to enlightenment.

Whatever it’s called, it’s good to see the medicine and education communities supporting and practicing centuries-old principles!

Link to sample Mindfulness mediation instruction

Peace and abundance to all.