Now and Zen: Confessions of a Lazy Meditator

Beyond traditional treatment trial #3: Pause, breath, relax

12 months ago I never would have believed that I would be writing about meditation. Even my inner hippie, who loves a crystal or an incense candle or two, would have heard “mediation” and thought “yawn”! However, in the spirit of opening up myself to new experiences, I followed up on a story in my local paper about meditation sessions being held specifically for cancer patients not far from where I live I decided to give it a try. Far from wanting to just get through the session, I actually found it incredibly relaxing and refreshing. It might be the beachside location or our lovely teacher, but I really feel that after our weekly sessions my mind is clearer.

So, I did some research…

Scientific studies show that the regular practice of meditation can be a powerful healing tool. In fact, there is now clear evidence from studies of long-term meditators that meditation produces profound changes in the brain. During meditation, the brain’s alpha waves, those that accompany relaxation of the nervous system, alter significantly; so regular meditation can help with dealing with anxiety and building resilience as well as retraining the neural pathways by affecting brain plasticity to help improve memory and focus.

Now I understand what meditation is I think that I have always meditated in different ways. One of my favourite things to do is to float on my back on the water and listen to the sound of the water in my ears and the sound of my breath. If you have never done this try it immediately (it works best in salt water). If only I could do that for an hour a day I think I would be on cloud nine! Meditation is also what I think you experience when you have a massage, go for a jog or indulge in a facial where you let your mind drift in and out of conscious thought. D uses surfing as a form of meditation.

I have since had a couple of different types of sessions with different teachers and I prefer the mindfulness sessions where you can lie down and let your mind wander – lazy meditation. I am not alone; often people fall asleep in our sessions. I am very undisciplined and mostly let my mind drift off and listen in to sounds around me and then towards the end I veer back onto the path of the guide.

As well as the weekly sessions, I now meditate most nights to help get a more sound sleep. If you want some help in how to get started I recommend getting a copy of this free CD from the NSW Cancer Council. Plug it in, relax and get your “ommmmmm” on!