10-05-03I don't know
about you, but most mornings I read the news
over my bowl of Koala Crisps and unsweetened
almond milk (yum!), and less than three swallows
into it, I'm saying, "Oh my God!"
The oil spill disaster in the Gulf! The
anti-immigration law disaster in Arizona! The
technology disaster — 50 to 100 text messages a
day for the average American teen!
I know that last stress point isn't
everyone's concern, but that's because they
didn't cover the early days of TV. It was just
entertainment, the men in charge said. Imagine
your world today without TV. The way we receive
information shapes who we are, how we spend our
time, what we care about. Marshall McLuhan
rocks.
So when I read in the paper this morning that
recent Kaiser Family Foundation research shows
U.S. kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an
average of 7-and-a-half hours a day using some
sort of electronic device, I went ballistic.
It's a healthy lifestyle disaster in the making.
And then I take a breath and calm down, and
that's the point of today's column: The zen of
fitness is all about learning to calm your mind,
deal with anxiety, relax more deeply.
It doesn't matter where your stress comes
from — bad news, unsatisfying job, no job,
technology-abused kids. What does matter is your
plan for how to deal with stress in a way that
melts it, releases it, prevents it from damaging
your heart, raising your blood pressure,
stiffening arteries, suppressing your immune
system, frying your brain.
Meditation is one way — an ancient and
honored way — and now is a good time to honor it
here. From swamis to mommies, from zen centers
to public schools to mainstream hospitals,
meditation has proven to be a wonderful tool for
developing a mind that takes your body where you
want to go. Calmer. Clearer. Reset and
revitalized.
Anyone Can Do It. There's no wrong way
to meditate. You can do it sitting, standing,
eyes open or closed, in a silent retreat or on a
crowded bus. You can repeat a mantra or not; you
can begin with a candle or not; you can inhale
and exhale through one nostril or two, your nose
or your mouth, and even through the crown of
your head, once you get the hang of it.
Learning to meditate isn't the hard part.
Finding the time to do it is. So don't
overcomplicate it. Take a little instruction,
and then just sit down — first thing in the
morning, just before lunch, whenever you can —
and begin to focus inward, the best way you know
how. Start where you are, and when you lose
focus — and you will — keep nudging your mind
back to the present moment. ("Oh no, I've just
lost focus" is not a mantra.) Even 10-15 minutes
a day of rookie meditation can produce
profoundly positive results, mentally and
physically.
To Go Inside, Step Outside. How you
learn to meditate is up to you. Read a book,
take a course, find a teacher or just step out
into nature. Gaze softly at a pretty leaf, the
perfect stone or a cool-looking cloud, focusing
on your breath, waiting for the dust that is
your chattering mind to settle. Expect to be
jerked back to your thoughts, your plans for the
day, your problems. It happens to everyone. New
habits can be hard to develop, but everyone I
know who has developed the meditation habit is
very happy to have it. So are their doctors.
Try This. There are many ways to drop
into that highly desirable meditative state, and
one cherished one involves the Ham' Sa mantra.
Ham Sa is Sanskrit for "I am That" — I am not
separate from anything or anyone. Sit
comfortably. Close your eyes, adjust your spine
upright, and settle into your breath. Repeat the
mantra silently to yourself: "ham" on the
inhale, "sa" on the exhale.
Stick with it for 10 to 15 minutes, watching
thoughts arise and letting them go. Keep gently
returning to the mantra. World peace may not
arise from your first attempt, but a measure of
personal tranquility will. Don't be afraid — you
won't open your eyes and find yourself in New
Delhi.
ENERGY EXPRESS-O! WHAT YOGA AND THE
GULF DISASTER HAVE IN COMMON
"In deep meditation the flow of concentration
is continuous like the flow of oil." — Patanjali
Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal
trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues
— is the creator of Energy Express, the
longest-running syndicated fitness column in the
country. She has a website,
http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader
questions, which can be sent to
MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about
Preston and read features by other Creators
Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the
Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 ENERGY EXPRESS, LTD.
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