Meditation

[MartyT]

At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, doctor's orders can include an unlikely prescription: meditation:

Doctor's Orders: 20 Minutes of Meditation, Twice a Day

[mfh]

Excellent. I KNOW that if I had not let go of my twice a day almost lifelong (adult years) practice of meditation when Bill was no longer able to meditate...that I would have been better able to deal with the most difficult of the caregiving years.

This line in the piece is so relevant to emotional as well as physical pain.

"Once I started the class (meditation classes) I saw the benefits of it," she said. Now, Ms. O'Boyle meditates every day for 20 to 45 minutes. "The pain is not gone, but it helps me cope with it," she said.

I am so glad that MDs are catching on and actually prescribing. If I could scream something from the rooftops to caregivers and to those in grief it would be to sit still in meditation every day, twice a day. It works.

[mfh]

http://kripalu.org/blog/thrive/2013/04/17/finding-peace-in-lifes-most-difficult-moments/?utm_source=Thrive&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=041713Tara

Tara Brach speaks about her own health concerns and how meditation plays a role in her life. Tara is an author of several books-latest is True Refuge, a meditation instructor, clinical psychologist, founder of the Insight Meditation Center.

[enna]

This was an excellent video with Tara Brach telling her story of how she copes with a genetic illness. I so hope that I can really learn to meditate. It is not easy. It is hard to train yourself to BE STILL...perhaps if I had had the prescription that was mentioned in Marty's post above I wouldn't be in the situation I'm in with my health right now! I'm not blaming - only thinking about the things dotors could be focusing on in their practices.

[mfh]

Left here and saw these apps..for your cell phone....all on meditating. I disagree with the author who says it is not necessary to sit for 20 or so minutes twice a day. I think that is ultimately the best but there are times when that is difficult and meditating on the go works. Anne, you might try some of these if you have a smart phone. If your phone is not smart well I do not know what someone does with a non-smart phone???? Tech junkie that I am.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/19/meditation-apps-inner-peace_n_2900544.html?ir=GPS+for+the+Soul#slide=2231988

[enna]

I am and have always been a MAC person - however, since I retired I have not felt the need to purchase updated smart phones or kindles or nooks. I prefer to turn pages in a real book whether I'm sitting in a lounge chair with Benji at my side or sitting in a pontoon boat at Lake Pleasant here in sunny AZ. I was a media specialist for over a decade before I retired and my idea of contact is to be in the presence of someone I really like and visit over tea or walk in a garden or sit and watch sunsets. Right now, the internet provides all that I need. I seem to be getting along just fine. Now, if I were working that would be a different story. My smart phone is a walk up Camel Back Mt. and ride down the Salt river on an inner tube (which we did in 1999)! A trip to Saguaro National Park or a hike down angel falls at the Grand Canyon. I could sit in the desert and watch the wild flowers spring open as they do - yes, in a desert. When you come to visit AZ I drive you through the painted desert - a sight to take your breath away. Red Rocks in Sedona provide a place for me meditate (yes, I did say meditate) as I remember just how much Jim and I loved spending time just looking at the colors during a sunset. Where did all these thoughts come from? I guess they came out just because I don't have a smart phone and I don't really care since I am getting along just fine with my non-smart phone. Thank you for the link, Mary. You know I love you and my bad just came out about the smart phone. Anne

[mfh]

I deserved that, Anne! but I was just teasing. I think what people do with non-smart phones is make phone calls...which is I think the 3rd use for a smart phone. I have sat in that Sedona chapel, wandered the red rocks, watched the sunset up at the airport, hiked oak creek canyon, seen the desert painted with color, and melted in the heat see, I am no stranger to AZ but I would miss the seasons so much...the cycles of life and driving to Flagstaff would just not be enough. I even did a sweat lodge in Sedona at a private home, walked a labyrinth out in the midst of those red rocks some where. Right now I am awaiting snow in April...a fluke. Last March we were in the 80s. I wonder with climate change if AZWill get hotter? And will we get down to 2. Seasons?

[kayc]

You guys are so funny! I have a smart phone and do non-smart things with it. I don't use half the stuff on it but do like to check my email, weather, and of course, make phone calls with it.

[feralfae]

Dear Anne,

Ah, you are healing in nature, which I plan to do once I am out of the bondage of PT people. They are sooooo picky!

I, too, prefer to meditate in nature, where I find my peace and center since I was a bit of a girl. My archaeology career began at 5. My first climb at 3, which was up a cherry tree i was not allowed to climb. My Father scowled for days! But I have a wild bitterroot garden here, which we will not allow anyone to disturb, and Doug would pick one every year for his hat band on the first day one opened. And we have prickly pear cactus, with its beautiful blooms. I desert blooms are so lush and fabulous, surrounded by aridity, flaunting their color and fragrances, looking moist and inviting to all the pollinators. I think cacti are so neat.

Well, if you want to perhaps play a meditation while you are online, and you cannot sit still for 20 minutes, maybe you'd like try it for five. There is a "Soft Belly" meditation on Sounds True that is a free download. I think your docs would totally approve, but you might check with them. I am not sure how long it is, not long, but you can always stop when you desire. You own you, after all.

If you are inclined, you could just try for five minutes twice a day, and see how you do. Don't worry if your mind wanders, just gently herd it back to our breath. Meditation on breath is easy, so the "Soft Belly" one is a very nice one to begin. And very peace-creating.

Disclaimer: all of the above after cacti has been posted around this fire probably myriad times over the eons. I was just nattering, but it is a good meditation, and I think healthful for anyone.

I have had a good day, and I am going to bed early, in hopes of enjoying an extra hour or two of sleep this night.

*<twinkles>*

fae

[mfh]

I LOVE my smart phone and am getting a new one soon. I am on the list for a 4G. Apparently one does not scroll on it. It follows your eyes...now that is a trick. We shall see. I just had the software in this one upgraded to accommodate my hearing aid software and now when a call comes in a female voice announces who it is. I have to figure how how to put a rag in her mouth.

I do love the technology. I own an iPod, iPad ( a gift from my brother), laptop, Kindle, smart phone...help I am an addict. I am sitting in the dark watching the news. The lamps are stored. The windows covered only in plastic. Two more days and the living room dining room is mine again.

[enna]

I really do not like the time changes!! Those I know and love to communicate with are either two or three or seven hours later than I am. It's not even 8:30 here and most I communicate with are already in bed or close to it!

I have done 'soft belly' meditation, Fae. And you are correct - I love nature even mud - when my father was alive I used to go fishing with him in the Missouri River and I would get the worms - where did that come from?!!

Be well. I think I might need to go to sleep early...

[mfh]

We go to bed early because we are old:)

[enna]

Mary - I just saw this - we must have been typing at the same time -

You are too funny - I will not say anything more about technology - everything is fine as long as we remember that they are TOOLS -

I still love to hear someone's voice over the phone rather than texting or e-mailing - Can't you plug a light in so you can read? Opps - I for got - you have a kindle.

[enna]

'old' - I don't believe it...

[mfh]

Mary - I just saw this - we must have been typing at the same time -

You are too funny - I will not say anything more about technology - everything is fine as long as we remember that they are TOOLS -

I still love to hear someone's voice over the phone rather than texting or e-mailing - Can't you plug a light in so you can read? Opps - I for got - you have a kindle.

You are being bad again. I read books on my iPad. My Kindle is pretty old....one of the first ones. And I could get a lamp but the windows are all bare and I feel like I am sitting out on the street. Besides it is bedtime now. Sleep well Mary

[Wifflesnook]

I am a technophile too. I have a PC (mine) and Pete's (which I can't use because he was one too and its too full of him), he had a BB, I have an iPhone which I'm thinking I may have to update as the button is sticky, an ipad, a Kindle, lots of MP3s which I can't use as I can't listen to music. If I didn't have these connections with people I wold be lost. I'm on FB and Twitter, read the London Times every morning on the ipad. Have 6 different email accounts etc etc. and in an hour an half we are losing electricity all day so I have to quickly get up, eat porridge, shower etc before it goes.

[mfh]

Jan, you are loaded with techie toys...wow. Someday you will be able to listen to music. I have CDs in my car (a version of the prayer of St. Francis, Neil Diamond, Leonard Bernstein, and other classical) that I can frequently listen to. I listen to the St. Francis one every time I drive anywhere. It calms my innards. You will get there. I am not certain about Mahler. I did listen to one movement of the 5th one day but it was not a pretty picture. Maybe down the road...but never without the memory of Bill and me listening together...frequently on the floor with our heads between speakers and later on headphones connect to a common wire to the stereo-to get pure sound but compressed as CDs are....hence nothing like live. Best sound is LPs except they are so scratchy but they caught every sound.

6 email accounts...well, let's see. I have about 4 perhaps but use only 2 right now. I will start using the clinic email in the fall when I set up a new website for the clinic even though I plan to take one more year with minimal but yes, some professional involvement.

Yes, Jan, they connect us. I hope you are back on line by now. It is 2pm there and 8am here. Mary

[enna]

Today I found tip number 6 from Marty's post above in the link: 10 Tips for Establishing a Daily Meditation Practice to be of interest to me.

6) Avoid judging your meditation. It is tempting to think you are "good" or "bad" at meditation. In truth, there is no such thing. There is only distraction or non-distraction. If you tell yourself you are bad at something you will lose all motivation and are unlikely to do it. If you understand the purpose, this will never be a problem.

Anne

[kayc]

Jan, looks like the right person to ask...I've often wondered what's the purpose of a tablet. I have a reg. computer, a laptop, and an iPhone. Love the iPhone but it's a pain going on line w/it to do anything, it's so small. Do you use a tablet for that purpose? I should be able to connect through my data plan (iPhone), right? Do you have to have a separate data plan when you buy a tablet? I don't like carrying a laptop around, too cumbersome, but a tablet might be just the ticket for my commute (don't worry, wouldn't access while driving), sometimes I like to take a break before/after work. A tablet is by touch, like the iPhone, right? So you wouldn't need a keyboard or mouse? Forgive my ignorance...

I have five email accounts...

My regular gmail one I use for nearly everything

My yahoo account I use for FB and anything else I don't want cluttering up my gmail account

My old NetZero account I used with George

a new Outlook account I reserved with my username in case I want to switch to that at some point

An old yahoo account I used to use when I was dating, am not sure it's even still there

Mostly I just use two accounts though.

[MartyT]

"In their paper . . . researchers proposed that mindfulness meditation works by enabling a person to have better control over brain processing of pain and emotions." Mindfulness Meditation: How It Works in the Brain

[mfh]

Kay, I use my iPad for on line and email when I do not want to bother with my laptop. I log on using my home wifi or other places that allow wifi. One can't use it for phone calls however.

[mfh]

The MD at Mayo explained to us that when we think a thought (as in lovingkindness meditation)

May I be filled with lovingkindness.

May I be safe from inner and outer dangers.

May I be well in body and mind.

May I be at ease and happy.

Then

May (name of person) be filled with lovingkindness....be safe....be well...be at ease and happy

When we do this on a regular basis, neurons are created and ultimately form a pathway to that thought making it easier and easier for us to think this way.

i.e. replacing "I am afraid" with "May I be safe" means that the first (I am afraid) neural pathway dies out eventually because it is not used and the second one is more and more easily accessed and becomes spontaneous and then becomes a way of life....

We (in the 60s +) never believed in the brain's plasticity. I was taught back then that the brain cells could not change and once dead...no more were created. That is all old school now. We do have control over the brain to a huge degree. And as Marty said...this makes it easier to process and deal with pain, grief, anxiety...all of it. BUT this means devoting time and energy and presence to this i.e. meditating and also catching ourselves when we repeat thoughts automatically that we do not want to reinforce. This does NOT mean that we should ignore our feelings...not at all...but it does mean that we can deal with them in a variety of ways...one of them being reinforcing thoughts we want to have and firmly believe deep down.

Is this pretty much how you see it, Marty? I do not want to put out things that are unclear or not sound.

[kayc]

I realize that, I meant use my data from my cell phone for my iPad, like I have my laptop when my other carrier was down.

[kayc]

Mary,

This concurs with what I have read, that even Alzheimer's patients can see some improvement if worked with...am not sure their gains keep up with their decline, but if someone works with them it can have positive effect on how they feel. I've gone back and read all of the links in this thread and it seems even they can benefit from meditation. Somehow I can't picture my mom taking it up at age 91 though! Trying to get her to see anything other than her usual negativity, well that'd be quite a feat!

I am wanting to practice it more though, I think it'd be very beneficial.

[mfh]

If Bill is representative, we did work on this many many times a day for months...like every hour for 5 minutes and it helped him a lot but the decline got ahead of him and he could no longer do it...at that point I also abandoned my life long practice and am just in the past months getting it back as a part of my life and being. I just gave up in sorrow and exhaustion.