It’s common knowledge that a regular meditation practice brings with it many benefits. Reduced stress, better sleep and improved focus are just a few. As a meditator for some six years before discovering Mind Calm, Sandy C.Newbigging’s modern day meditation method, I was well acquainted with these benefits. I knew that taking time to be still before a busy day would help me to stay calm and focussed. I rarely had any problem falling asleep and, as time went on, my mind behaved better and better.
Learning Mind Calm, and then training with Sandy to become a Mind Calm Coach, deepened my practice and my sense of peace and wellbeing increased. My daily practice became something as intrinsic to my schedule as cleaning my teeth. That was, to some extent, to be expected. If you learn to teach something, the most important part of that process should be the development of a deep familiarity with that something, whether it is an academic subject, a skill or something theoretical.
I had to get over – and to be honest sometimes I still do, when my ‘busy mind’ tries to take over – the idea that taking time out would use up space in my schedule and leave me with less time to get things done. I found that, once I began meditating for others and not just for myself (because my obligation to those I teach must be founded on my own practice), there was always time to meditate and it didn’t seem to stop me doing other things. Sometimes I needed to be creative to carve out time but this simply added to my enjoyment. I have meditated on boats, trains, tube trains, aeroplanes, in waiting rooms, in the park half way through my dog walk, in the garden at lunchtime… I made time, and it was easy.
But one of the benefits I gained from learning Mind Calm was more surprising. Not only did I find the time to meditate, but I gradually became more productive. I used to see my busy days as if they were crammed full with things to do. Everything merged into everything else and there was no space to be me. Except perhaps at the end of the day when I was too tired to do any more. But as I practised Mind Calm more and more, I started to see my to do list differently. Each item or project was contained within a thought bubble or cloud, floating through my consciousness, waiting to be done or addressed. All round the bubble was space. My day might be filled with expectant bubbles, containing all manner of things from walking the dog to writing an article or filling in a form, but there was always more space in my day than bubbles.
I now know that this is indeed the case. However much we have to do in a day, the context of that day is always space. There is always more space than stuff. We have time to stop and breathe, if only for a moment. Life is not wall to wall stuff; life is existence and there is a constantly changing and moving flow of stuff through that existence.
And without changing anything about how I worked, other than meditating more and practising Mind Calm techniques, I found I was getting so much more done! A lot of my tasks became effortless, and many of them seemed a lot easier. I would move from one job or project to another, doing what I could and accepting what I could not, and marvel at the amount I had achieved when I got to the end of the day. There was no time management training, no harsh self-discipline and no improved organisation.
I just meditated. The more I incorporate Mind Calm into my life, the more productive I become!
Which meditation benefits are most important to you? I’d love you to share, either here or contact me directly if you prefer.
