A little while ago I wrote this post about my own meditation journey. I described where I am now, training and qualifying to coach Mind Calm Meditation. Mind Calm is a method created by Sandy Newbigging and you can find out more directly from him via the website or this book.
Studying and practising Mind Calm has been a life changing experience for me. The theory, which is simply delivered and easy to grasp, has helped me to understand in concrete terms ideas and concepts which had seemed true to me for some time, but which I had been unable to articulate all by myself.
And learning to practise Mind Calm has given me what I always suspected regular meditators had in their lives, but couldn’t seem to find for myself: an assurance of peace and stillness on a daily basis, when and where I want it.
One of the most important aspects of Mind Calm is that it helps us to have Peace With Mind, rather than the Peace Of Mind that we tend to believe we should be aiming for. We learn how to be at peace with the thoughts and emotions that will always occur, because we are human beings. We no longer need to search for peace in the future, at some time and place where we have finally managed to clear our busy minds of thoughts. Peace is available to us here and now, alongside the thoughts and emotions that arise and all the stuff of our lives.
It’s all about where we place our attention. If I have a problem, or an upset, and I focus on it, what happens? It gets bigger, more painful, more troubling. And somehow there is a compulsion to focus on that problem, not to let it go. If I have learned how to place my attention elsewhere, even if just for a moment, the problem won’t go away, but I will find I have the ability to experience peace despite the problem. What a gift that is!
And of course all of this sounds great, but I hear you say, ‘easier said than done!’ Indeed, theory is all very well but it avails us nothing unless we know how to put it into practice. The great thing about Mind Calm is that it teaches us how to do this. There are simple techniques for becoming present and peaceful throughout the day, and we learn how to sit with closed eyes regularly, experiencing peace and allowing thoughts to be there too, if they arise.
One of the things people say to me most often about meditation is that they can’t do it because their minds are too busy. Because they can’t stop the thoughts. With Mind Calm, there is no need to try and stop our thoughts. They do slow down after a while because we are placing our attention elsewhere, but even when they do arise, we can just allow them to be, gently and calmly, refrain from judging the thoughts or ourselves, and experience the peace with mind that results from this approach.
Do you have questions? Post them in the comments below or feel free to contact me. Have a wonderful day xxx
When I first started meditating I nearly gave up because of the sheer number of thoughts, and the nonsense those thoughts were too…well I did seriously wonder if I had some sort of mental illness. Anyway, luckily I persevered and had a good teacher at the time, who pointed out that actually to try and get rid of our thoughts was impossible. She was right; the only time I have successfully not have any thoughts was when I was under general anesthetic. I love meditation! it teaches us many valuable experiences, like changing the focus of your attention, being more present as to what’s happening right now, being more in tune with yourself, love and forgiveness, and all the peace that brings. What’s not to like?! thank you for sharing a bit of your meditation technique and practice with us.
Thank you for sharing too! I feel it is so important that people realise this ‘getting rid of thoughts’ business is a misunderstanding. So many people must be telling themselves it’s not worth trying, or it’s not working if they do try. I love what you say about being under GA!
I personally think that meditation has allowed me to focus better on my projects and that is why i get them done.
Yes, my experience is that I am more productive and efficient. Great isn’t it?