Meditation is good for your heart. This is the message recently (in the year of 2006) conveyed by the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study reported that transcendental meditation (TM), a relaxation technique, reduced the risk factors of coronary heart disease in a 4-month clinical trial. Significantly reduced insulin resistance and lower blood pressure were found for patients who meditated. These patients also had more stable functioning of the autonomic nervous system that controls heart and other involuntary muscles.
There is closed relationship between stress, meditation, and heart health. It is evident that severe emotional and physical stress raises adrenalin levels or sympathetic drive, which in turn can lead to higher blood pressure or in worst case, may even transiently impair the ability of the heart to contract well. Stress can also cause the body to become less responsive to insulin, which is a hormone that controls the amount of sugar in the body. If you are already pre-diabetic or have metabolic syndrome, risk factors for heart disease, this condition will worsen. Meditation or any activity that can reduce stress levels is useful to improve blood pressure or metabolic syndrome.
What affect your brain is connected to what your heart functions. Emotional distress affects part of the brain function, which affects the sympathetic drive and so, the heart. The happier your brain is, the better your heart functions.
What is meditation? This is simply the practice of closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing as you go into a state of deep rest. It is a technique that can benefit not only your mind but also your body. It can actually reduce your risk of collapsing from heart problems by modulating your body's response to stress. In short, meditation is a practice that involves calming your mind and body.
TM is an effortless technique practiced for about 15 to 20 minutes twice daily. It allows a person to attain deep rest for the body and mind. A suitable time to meditate is when the person is not feeling tired, hungry, or irritated. He or she should feel comfortable and be in a positive frame of mind.
Drugs cannot effectively reduce stress levels and should not be considered as the primary approach. A happy, spiritual or emotional heart is basically good medicine. This is an advice from a friend of mine who is also a consultant cardiologist. So, perhaps you may wish to consider meditation as one of the alternatives to help you reduce your stress level.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Winter Solstice Celebrations With Meditations, Decorations & Incense
Winter Solstice or Mid Winter comes around in the Northern hemisphere, or much of the Western World, on December 21st.
This is a magical time of the year and throughout the ages of mankind religions have gravitated toward this date to hold major ceremonies, celebrations and sacred observations.
Our modern age strangely sees us returning to the age-old customs of noting and paying respect to the sacred cycles of nature and the part we play in it, for we are intrinsically tied to these cycles of nature whether we like to admit it or not, influenced by the stages of the moon with its ebb and flow of energy. The sun ' the life giver ' marks the days of death and decay back into regeneration and growth. None of us that live on this planet can escape Mother Nature, the Goddess and her womb, or Father Time, the God and his creation of all life from the elements. Light and dark, all is one, all religion, all life blessed be!
RETURN OF THE SUN/SON!
Winter Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It marks the gradual return of the sun and signifies birth when new seeds of life will spring forth. Similarly, Christianity uses this time of year to mark the birth of the son, signifying life eternal for all who partake of the light and become the body of Christ.
A good way to remember this special Solstice is, as the hours of daylight grow, so too, we can let our inner light of understanding, love and intuitions grow. Allowing both the dark and the light to resonate within us, for it is part of us and we can practice new beginnings of unity, compassion, empathy and global love.
PREPARE FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE
Spend the Solstice in candlelight, meditation, reflection and look forward to new dawn. Prepare some seasonal incense and an appropriate meditation for the magical night of dreams ahead. Decorate your home with the colors of winter; white to represent the winter snow, dark green winter foliage, red winter berries and fruits, gold to represent the returning energy of the sun and silver for the delicate frost that settles all around at this cold time of year. A Winter Solstice incense blend:
Fill A heatproof bowl with about an inch of sand or salt. Metals, stone & ceramics are ideal that have feet to hold them safely above a surface, or you can buy purpose made incense burners. Beware of hot ash falling when the incense burns, keep safe. Prepare by crushing the ingredients together.
CITRUS SOLSTICE
1 tbsp dried Orange Peel, 1 tbsp dried Grapefruit Peel, 1 tbsp dried Lemon Peel, 1 tbsp dried Tangerine Peel, 1 tsp Orange extract, 1 tsp Lemon extract.
WINTER SOLSTICE
One part Pine Needles, One part Cinnamon, One part Apple Rine, One part Myrrh, One part Frankincense
Experiment and find a blend you like!
SEVEN REFLECTIONS WINTER SOLSTICE MEDITATION;
There is an Old Russian divination that took place on the evening of Winter Solstice where - usually a young lady - would set up two mirrors and two candles into a position that they would reflect each other. One should then peer into one of the mirrors and seek the seventh reflection, where she would catch a glimpse of her future or her one true love!
Find a comfortable place where you are least likely to be disturbed. Get your mirrors and candles ready, be sure to position them facing each other with the candles reflecting in each - use a stable, fireproof surface. Please take care that you cannot fall into the mirrors or candles as meditation can have a very hypnotic effect! Position them safely & far enough away.
You should sit facing the mirrors so that you can see into either mirror with the reflection of the other, if in a chair sit with your feet flat on the floor or sit in your usual meditation position. Sit upright but comfortable. Try not to hunch as this is not a relaxing position. Rest your hands lightly on your lap. Start the sound session.
First, concentrate yourself fully on the following breathing technique (do this about five - ten times, you don't have to count ' do what feels right);
Take in a deep, slow breath, fill your lungs, expand your abdomen, hold for a few seconds then very slowly breathe out, try to take about twice as long to breathe out.
Now begin to look into one of the mirrors, whichever one is up to you, search for the seventh reflection. After a while the image may change in the mirror, other faces may be seen or other images. Allow your mind to go along with the experience and always write the details in a diary immediately afterwards - this is for later reflection and things may make sense later that were not obvious at the time.
THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION MEDITATION
Before beginning the meditation, read the following reading I personally got during meditation regarding 'THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION' and try to understand the message contained within.
"Every negative word, deed, glance, thought, and action will come back to you. It is the indisputable law, the law of attraction. If you play with it, study this in earnest, you will find it, without doubt, to be true.
Imaging you are communicating with the physical world via a mirror. The person who stares back at you is the equivalent of every other person in the world. Frown at the person in the mirror, the person frowns back at you. Become angry at the person, see what comes back to you, look at the anger on that face and look into the eyes. How does that make you feel ' good? Bad? Imagine a child being confronted with that face, those eyes, that anger. Imagine if that small child was you!
Smile and you receive the same, laugh and the image laughs with you. This is how we create our world, by reflection. This is a warning so don't discard it. Keep it with you and discover it!
But what if you are a child? You didn't yet throw anything into the water to cause a ripple. You were born in innocence! No! You chose to be a victim for a short time. You agreed in your ancient wisdom to become the effect of a cause and those who peer into the mirror will see you. Your reflection will call to action better judgment, better discernment and a better future for all."
NOW, get your mirror ready and find a comfortable place where you are least likely to be disturbed. You should sit in a chair facing the mirror with your feet flat on the floor. Sit upright but comfortable. Try not to hunch as this is not a relaxing position. Rest your hands lightly on your lap. Start the sound session.
First, concentrate yourself fully on the following breathing technique (do this about five - ten times, you don't have to count ' do what feels right);
Take in a deep, slow breath, fill your lungs, expand your abdomen, hold for a few seconds then very slowly breathe out, try to take about twice as long to breathe out. Keep your breathing deep and regular and begin to stare at your reflection in the mirror, focusing on your eyes. Imagine that every other person in the world reflects the image that stares back at you.
Notice the expression, smiles, frowns, anger, study what comes back at you through the mirror.
Now allow yourself to absorb the powerful sounds and simply stare at the mirror. After a while the image may change, other faces may be seen or other images. Allow your mind to go along with the experience and write the details in a diary immediately afterwards Allow yourself to adjust when your meditation finishes and drink a fresh glass of water.
This is a magical time of the year and throughout the ages of mankind religions have gravitated toward this date to hold major ceremonies, celebrations and sacred observations.
Our modern age strangely sees us returning to the age-old customs of noting and paying respect to the sacred cycles of nature and the part we play in it, for we are intrinsically tied to these cycles of nature whether we like to admit it or not, influenced by the stages of the moon with its ebb and flow of energy. The sun ' the life giver ' marks the days of death and decay back into regeneration and growth. None of us that live on this planet can escape Mother Nature, the Goddess and her womb, or Father Time, the God and his creation of all life from the elements. Light and dark, all is one, all religion, all life blessed be!
RETURN OF THE SUN/SON!
Winter Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It marks the gradual return of the sun and signifies birth when new seeds of life will spring forth. Similarly, Christianity uses this time of year to mark the birth of the son, signifying life eternal for all who partake of the light and become the body of Christ.
A good way to remember this special Solstice is, as the hours of daylight grow, so too, we can let our inner light of understanding, love and intuitions grow. Allowing both the dark and the light to resonate within us, for it is part of us and we can practice new beginnings of unity, compassion, empathy and global love.
PREPARE FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE
Spend the Solstice in candlelight, meditation, reflection and look forward to new dawn. Prepare some seasonal incense and an appropriate meditation for the magical night of dreams ahead. Decorate your home with the colors of winter; white to represent the winter snow, dark green winter foliage, red winter berries and fruits, gold to represent the returning energy of the sun and silver for the delicate frost that settles all around at this cold time of year. A Winter Solstice incense blend:
Fill A heatproof bowl with about an inch of sand or salt. Metals, stone & ceramics are ideal that have feet to hold them safely above a surface, or you can buy purpose made incense burners. Beware of hot ash falling when the incense burns, keep safe. Prepare by crushing the ingredients together.
CITRUS SOLSTICE
1 tbsp dried Orange Peel, 1 tbsp dried Grapefruit Peel, 1 tbsp dried Lemon Peel, 1 tbsp dried Tangerine Peel, 1 tsp Orange extract, 1 tsp Lemon extract.
WINTER SOLSTICE
One part Pine Needles, One part Cinnamon, One part Apple Rine, One part Myrrh, One part Frankincense
Experiment and find a blend you like!
SEVEN REFLECTIONS WINTER SOLSTICE MEDITATION;
There is an Old Russian divination that took place on the evening of Winter Solstice where - usually a young lady - would set up two mirrors and two candles into a position that they would reflect each other. One should then peer into one of the mirrors and seek the seventh reflection, where she would catch a glimpse of her future or her one true love!
Find a comfortable place where you are least likely to be disturbed. Get your mirrors and candles ready, be sure to position them facing each other with the candles reflecting in each - use a stable, fireproof surface. Please take care that you cannot fall into the mirrors or candles as meditation can have a very hypnotic effect! Position them safely & far enough away.
You should sit facing the mirrors so that you can see into either mirror with the reflection of the other, if in a chair sit with your feet flat on the floor or sit in your usual meditation position. Sit upright but comfortable. Try not to hunch as this is not a relaxing position. Rest your hands lightly on your lap. Start the sound session.
First, concentrate yourself fully on the following breathing technique (do this about five - ten times, you don't have to count ' do what feels right);
Take in a deep, slow breath, fill your lungs, expand your abdomen, hold for a few seconds then very slowly breathe out, try to take about twice as long to breathe out.
Now begin to look into one of the mirrors, whichever one is up to you, search for the seventh reflection. After a while the image may change in the mirror, other faces may be seen or other images. Allow your mind to go along with the experience and always write the details in a diary immediately afterwards - this is for later reflection and things may make sense later that were not obvious at the time.
THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION MEDITATION
Before beginning the meditation, read the following reading I personally got during meditation regarding 'THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION' and try to understand the message contained within.
"Every negative word, deed, glance, thought, and action will come back to you. It is the indisputable law, the law of attraction. If you play with it, study this in earnest, you will find it, without doubt, to be true.
Imaging you are communicating with the physical world via a mirror. The person who stares back at you is the equivalent of every other person in the world. Frown at the person in the mirror, the person frowns back at you. Become angry at the person, see what comes back to you, look at the anger on that face and look into the eyes. How does that make you feel ' good? Bad? Imagine a child being confronted with that face, those eyes, that anger. Imagine if that small child was you!
Smile and you receive the same, laugh and the image laughs with you. This is how we create our world, by reflection. This is a warning so don't discard it. Keep it with you and discover it!
But what if you are a child? You didn't yet throw anything into the water to cause a ripple. You were born in innocence! No! You chose to be a victim for a short time. You agreed in your ancient wisdom to become the effect of a cause and those who peer into the mirror will see you. Your reflection will call to action better judgment, better discernment and a better future for all."
NOW, get your mirror ready and find a comfortable place where you are least likely to be disturbed. You should sit in a chair facing the mirror with your feet flat on the floor. Sit upright but comfortable. Try not to hunch as this is not a relaxing position. Rest your hands lightly on your lap. Start the sound session.
First, concentrate yourself fully on the following breathing technique (do this about five - ten times, you don't have to count ' do what feels right);
Take in a deep, slow breath, fill your lungs, expand your abdomen, hold for a few seconds then very slowly breathe out, try to take about twice as long to breathe out. Keep your breathing deep and regular and begin to stare at your reflection in the mirror, focusing on your eyes. Imagine that every other person in the world reflects the image that stares back at you.
Notice the expression, smiles, frowns, anger, study what comes back at you through the mirror.
Now allow yourself to absorb the powerful sounds and simply stare at the mirror. After a while the image may change, other faces may be seen or other images. Allow your mind to go along with the experience and write the details in a diary immediately afterwards Allow yourself to adjust when your meditation finishes and drink a fresh glass of water.
Meditation Technique: The Basics Of Good Meditation Practice
Ross Storey explain about Basic Good for meditation. Please see...
by: Ross O. Storey
Meditation is a conscious mental state where our body and mind are purposefully focused and relaxed. Expert meditators swear that doing it regularly, using the right meditation technique, leads to a higher state of consciousness. They say meditation gives you better focus,sharper concentration, and increased awareness, plus a healthier positive outlook.
You don’t have to be mystic, or a 'guru' to enjoy the acclaimed benefits of meditation and you can literally meditate anywhere, but preferably where you don't have to concentrate on driving a car or machinery.
Meditation has many different disciplines and approaches, but the basic fundamentals remain common to all. The ultimate focus is getting rid of negative, wandering, and obstructive thoughts by disciplining the mind to become accustomed to a higher plane of activity. Meditation seeks to get rid of the the 'flak' and 'junk' that fills your mind, replacing it with more meaningful ideas and thoughts.
Reigning in the mind through meditation, seeks to tune your thoughts to a better purpose; to clean it of rubbish and self-defeating thinking.
One school of meditation requires the removal of all outside sensory stimulation so that exterioir noises and sights are phased out.
Other meditators deliberately focus their mind on some meaningful and important thought. This is not easy because we are all very accustomed to sensory overload in our daily lives. The paradox is that by settling the mind and training it through meditation, practitioners become much more aware of what's going on around them.
Traditionally, we are familiar with mystics contorting themselves into all sorts of weird positions when they meditate, but rather than jumping in to try yoga meditation, those starting out should simply find a comfortable position to calm the body and the mind. You could lie down, sit cross legged, or even be walking as you meditate; anything that induces an atmosphere where you can both relax and concentrate.
Ensure that your back is straight and that your muscles are not tense or uncomfortable. But, don't become so relaxed that you fall asleep, because this is a different mind state.
You should dress in very loose, comfortable, baggy clothing that does not constrict you in any way. Many expert meditators barely cover themselves at all; maybe just with a loin cloth.
The environment for your meditation should also be peaceful, pleasant, soothing and relaxing. It could be your favourite room in the house, or in your garden, or even in a warm bath.
Should you be a bit more advanced in your meditation journey, you could consider using an exercise mat. Some people even have a favourite meditation chair. Try some of the challenging positions you might have learned from your yoga or even Pilates class. But, don't be too hard on yourself. Practice easy positions first and build your meditation approach as you become more confident.
Some people prefer a silent atmosphere when meditating; others like some appropriate relaxing meditation music or recorded natural sounds, like whales singing, birds quitely chirping or water flowing. There are even good recorded guided medition CDs you can use to enhace your practice.
You might also like to have some pleasant incense burning, or even some nice smelling candles, to add to your peaceful meditation environment.
You will need to get instruction about this, but one school of meditation involves chanting, or humming what sounds like a monotonous noise. This is actually a mantra which has a mystic value to the person using it. Meditation chanting is a more advanced technique.
Breathing is an important part of meditation. Yoga teaches us to breath in through our nose to the count of five, then out through our mouth, to the countr of 10. You can use this tecnique to become calm in stressful situations.
The whole purpose of all these techniques; breathing, chanting, relaxing; is to focus and discipline the mind. Another meditation technique is to singularly focus on a particular object or idea.
A good meditation technique is to calm your mind and then to quietly, without speaking, only thinking it, name each part of your body, progressively focussing your consciousness on them in succession. You'll find it works very well to mentally visualise each body part as becoming completely relaxed, and without any tension. Some people visualise the tension flowing out of them like a soft flowing stream.
IF you are interested in taking up meditation, it's definitely worth getting some lessons from the experts. Researchers have discovered that meditation has a beneficial impact on the mind and body, but it takes practice.
Even medical doctors are coming around to the view that a healthy mind leads to a healthy body. Meditation, or disciplined relaxation of the mind, has spin-off benefits to the body's biochemical processes and organ health.
After all, practitioners have been advocating meditation for many thousands of years and, in today's frenetic world, deliberate and regular 'calming of the mind', through meditation, should be a daily practice for better mental and physical health.
by: Ross O. Storey
Meditation is a conscious mental state where our body and mind are purposefully focused and relaxed. Expert meditators swear that doing it regularly, using the right meditation technique, leads to a higher state of consciousness. They say meditation gives you better focus,sharper concentration, and increased awareness, plus a healthier positive outlook.
You don’t have to be mystic, or a 'guru' to enjoy the acclaimed benefits of meditation and you can literally meditate anywhere, but preferably where you don't have to concentrate on driving a car or machinery.
Meditation has many different disciplines and approaches, but the basic fundamentals remain common to all. The ultimate focus is getting rid of negative, wandering, and obstructive thoughts by disciplining the mind to become accustomed to a higher plane of activity. Meditation seeks to get rid of the the 'flak' and 'junk' that fills your mind, replacing it with more meaningful ideas and thoughts.
Reigning in the mind through meditation, seeks to tune your thoughts to a better purpose; to clean it of rubbish and self-defeating thinking.
One school of meditation requires the removal of all outside sensory stimulation so that exterioir noises and sights are phased out.
Other meditators deliberately focus their mind on some meaningful and important thought. This is not easy because we are all very accustomed to sensory overload in our daily lives. The paradox is that by settling the mind and training it through meditation, practitioners become much more aware of what's going on around them.
Traditionally, we are familiar with mystics contorting themselves into all sorts of weird positions when they meditate, but rather than jumping in to try yoga meditation, those starting out should simply find a comfortable position to calm the body and the mind. You could lie down, sit cross legged, or even be walking as you meditate; anything that induces an atmosphere where you can both relax and concentrate.
Ensure that your back is straight and that your muscles are not tense or uncomfortable. But, don't become so relaxed that you fall asleep, because this is a different mind state.
You should dress in very loose, comfortable, baggy clothing that does not constrict you in any way. Many expert meditators barely cover themselves at all; maybe just with a loin cloth.
The environment for your meditation should also be peaceful, pleasant, soothing and relaxing. It could be your favourite room in the house, or in your garden, or even in a warm bath.
Should you be a bit more advanced in your meditation journey, you could consider using an exercise mat. Some people even have a favourite meditation chair. Try some of the challenging positions you might have learned from your yoga or even Pilates class. But, don't be too hard on yourself. Practice easy positions first and build your meditation approach as you become more confident.
Some people prefer a silent atmosphere when meditating; others like some appropriate relaxing meditation music or recorded natural sounds, like whales singing, birds quitely chirping or water flowing. There are even good recorded guided medition CDs you can use to enhace your practice.
You might also like to have some pleasant incense burning, or even some nice smelling candles, to add to your peaceful meditation environment.
You will need to get instruction about this, but one school of meditation involves chanting, or humming what sounds like a monotonous noise. This is actually a mantra which has a mystic value to the person using it. Meditation chanting is a more advanced technique.
Breathing is an important part of meditation. Yoga teaches us to breath in through our nose to the count of five, then out through our mouth, to the countr of 10. You can use this tecnique to become calm in stressful situations.
The whole purpose of all these techniques; breathing, chanting, relaxing; is to focus and discipline the mind. Another meditation technique is to singularly focus on a particular object or idea.
A good meditation technique is to calm your mind and then to quietly, without speaking, only thinking it, name each part of your body, progressively focussing your consciousness on them in succession. You'll find it works very well to mentally visualise each body part as becoming completely relaxed, and without any tension. Some people visualise the tension flowing out of them like a soft flowing stream.
IF you are interested in taking up meditation, it's definitely worth getting some lessons from the experts. Researchers have discovered that meditation has a beneficial impact on the mind and body, but it takes practice.
Even medical doctors are coming around to the view that a healthy mind leads to a healthy body. Meditation, or disciplined relaxation of the mind, has spin-off benefits to the body's biochemical processes and organ health.
After all, practitioners have been advocating meditation for many thousands of years and, in today's frenetic world, deliberate and regular 'calming of the mind', through meditation, should be a daily practice for better mental and physical health.
The Benefits of Sports and Meditation
This article about meditation and sport. Please see...
by: John Kortex
by: John Kortex
So your looking at a big at bat or a long field goal and the team is depending on you. If you hit the ball and get on base, your team will win. If you miss the kick, your team will lose. Do you think taking a few seconds before the game and meditating will do anything for you? Some people may laugh at you when you do this. Those people would be wrong because it’s no different than concentrating. Matter of fact the two tend to cross over and you do not even know it.
People meditate for several reasons. Mostly people meditate for inner strength and to gain some kind of peace with whatever they are trying to focus on. Sports are no different in this respect. If you take time to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses you will find yourself succeeding more often than not.
Meditating is a good method to get rid of all your bad habits, including slumps. I am not saying you will bat 1.000 in your church’s softball league, but I am saying it will make you more confident and self assured.
You will find yourself returning to meditate time and again because chances are you will never find the perfect game we all strive for. That is ok because you will find out so many other things about yourself. Most of the time you will find your eating and sleeping habits become more rounded which in turn will prepare you for whatever sport you so desire, and when you are prepared you will excel.
Success in Golf and meditation. The Same Skills?
This article explain about meditation in field golf. Please see...
by: Graham and Julie
by: Graham and Julie
When we say to people that you need the same skills to be a successful golfer as you do meditator it usually raises a huge laugh. Golf and meditation are miles apart. Some often suggest that in hitting the perfect Golf shot you need to be in a focussed meditative state, but that’s as far as it gets.
What do you think?
I know. You think we’re crazy. But let’s look at the evidence. Let’s just look at what’s needed to be a successful meditator and you can decide whether the same skills and behaviour patterns are needed to be successful in golf.
Meditation, at least in our experience is very rewarding but extremely frustrating. We often feel that everything is great. Our concentration is high and we feel really peaceful and happy only to find the next day that we are back to square one and cannot focus at all. Our thoughts are all over the place.
During meditation we invest many hours thinking about our strengths and how we may improve.
We know that in order to be successful we must sit down and practice every day. In fact, at least twice a day. We know, to our cost, that we cannot afford to miss a practice session. After all the more you practice the less surprises you get.
The key to success is our thoughts. If we can get our thoughts right the rest will follow. If we can keep focussed on our strengths and positive thoughts then we can access our naturally peaceful and happy selves. To us negative thoughts are no more, no less than waste thoughts. They are a waste of our time and effort because they don’t produce anything they just take away from us.
The feelings you get from meditation is so addictive that before you realise it meditation becomes the key to your life and you can’t manage a day without it.
Food is so important to maintaining concentration. When we eat the correct food, food that is high in nutrients and vitamins we perform better.
At the same time we must ensure that we drink enough water because if we become dehydrated then our performance is impaired. In other words instead of meditating we fall asleep.
The correct amount of Rest and Sleep are important because if you skimp on either then you don’t perform. You cannot concentrate. You cannot focus the mind. If your concentration is high then you reap the reward. If your concentration is low your mind wanders and sleep invades the space.
Meditation is a solo sport. Although, we can and do sometimes meditate with a group. Although we can sometimes feel we perform better when meditating with others. The bottom line is it is me and my connection, me and my thoughts. It is not a team game even though others appear to be doing the same thing.
But perhaps the most interesting of all is what makes us and other mediators keep returning time after time.
WE LOVE THE CHALLENGE
People who meditate love the challenge of calming their minds. We love the thought that it is possible to rid the mind of all the rubbish and concentrate on our strengths. We love doing things that test our skills. We love questioning our ability. Meditation like Golf is the ultimate challenge because it has not been beaten. There is no one who has completed the perfect round. Although we all strive to be perfect, we are involved in pursuing an activity where perfection is impossible. Therefore it is the ultimate Zeigarnik effect.
The Zeigarnik effect: named after Bluma Zeigarnik, a Russian psychologist is the drive within us to complete tasks. That part of us that cannot stand the fact that something is incomplete. Hasn’t been finished.
Both meditation and Golf are tasks that are, by their very nature, incomplete tasks. They cannot be completed. There is no perfect round. No one alive has reached that perfect state of being. Thus people who follow Golf and meditation are drawn by the fact that it cannot be completed. If it was possible to complete then we would leave them and try something new.
Therefore we are addicted to meditation because we are addicted to completion. The fact that we always leave our meditation without reaching that perfect state of love, peace and happiness makes us return to try again. To move towards “completion”.
Is it the same for Golf? Are you addicted to that perfect round? Do you constantly return to the course to improve your handicap. Are you in search of the “completion”.
We have many friends who have retired to perfect their golf. Many of them now see their job as playing golf. Everything else is secondary.
They like us want to learn. We all want to complete the task. We want to be able to say we have completed the ultimate challenge.
Good Luck
Graham and Julie
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