Meditation and the art of sitting

In traditional meditation circles it is said “if the posture is correct, meditation occurs spontaneously”. Really? Many of us may well be experiencing difficulty in the sitting. We go to meditate, sit - and encounter restlessness, discomfort, maybe even pain.

How then to simply sit and find the posture we take up for our meditation truly helpful?

Enter an old friend and colleague, David McRae. David and I worked together for many years back in the eighties, leading cancer groups and meditation programs.

So this week, in a guest blog with some great photos, David addresses “Meditation and the art of sitting”, but first



      Thought for the week


All of humanity's problems 
Stem from man's inability 
To sit quietly in a room alone

         Blaise Pascal 
         – 17th century French Philosopher



"Do you know what you are doing?" It's a common enough question in just about all fields of endeavour. While sometimes it can be an insulting question, and others it can be very helpful.

So lets be bold. When it comes to embarking upon meditation practice do we know what we are doing? Through some decades of teaching and personal practice I have found that it greatly helps learners if I discuss with them "what are we doing?", or in other words, what is meditation?

Here I am not talking about definitions of meditation; they can be unwieldy and dry. Let us be more practical and without any academic psychological or philosophical terms, examine what is meditation?

A starting point in some traditions is that the heart of meditation is SITTING. Zen teaching emphasizes that meditation is really just sitting, and then sitting some more.


By sitting we do not necessarily mean a special way of sitting, though a fairly straight upright spine is helpful, as is a posture that is quite balanced so that a good degree of relaxation is possible.


Otherwise, kneeling, being on a chair or special stool, or even lying down if your physical condition demands it are all okay. They can all qualify as 'sitting' for the purpose of meditation.


Why is an emphasis on 'just SITTING', or 'simply SITTING' so useful? Look at it this way. Often when something is tiring or stressing us we decide we need a break (providing we are self-aware enough to feel that).

So we take a break; a 'smoko' or a coffee break. Quite literally we go outside and have a cigarette, or we make a cup of tea or coffee. We might be sitting, but we are also sipping coffee or tea. Or we pick up a magazine, a bill or piece of mail or whatever might be on the table. Perhaps we have the radio on, or the TV; or we may be chatting to whoever else is in the room. There is nothing wrong with any of this and it may be somewhat restful.

But are we also capable of just SITTING without any of these preoccupations? Many people seem to find it pretty hard to “just sit” after thirty seconds or so.

Meditation is the art of having a 'smoko' break without the smoke, tea, coffee, magazine or anything else. It is the bare bones of having a break; it is simply SITTING.

The second element of the zen-like description 'simply SITTING' is that we find a way to stay with the sitting for a period of time. There are various suggested techniques, but in the end it is YOU finding a way that YOU can employ. And the simpler the technique the better.

Finding a way to do what, exactly? A way to stay physically and mentally with 'simply SITTING' beyond the first, second and third impulses to have a coffee, browse a magazine, turn on the radio or go to the fridge. And that means a way through the distractedness or restlessness that underlies all those impulses.


And there you have it - that's meditation.



Whether you are attending to your breath, to your body relaxing, to repetition of a mantra or something else it is in the service of encountering the mental impulses that would move you out of 'simply SITTING'.

Encountering your impulses and mental distractedness also has to be YOUR own way.



It may be a head on confrontation like an arm wrestle, but generally confrontation is not sustainable. More likely it will develop characteristics of witnessing your mental activity and busyness, flowing with it and allowing it to settle naturally. Something like surfing the waves, or a more subtle and responsive martial art like judo or aikido. It is your discovery and it will be your way.

So where have we come to with this enquiry into "what are we doing"? It seems we are sitting and surfing the waves of all that would pull us away from 'simply SITTING'. Hopefully this involves relaxing, and just possibly some moments of freedom from the tyranny of excessive thinking. Until of course we do choose to move out of sitting and into the rest of our day's activities. Having a coffee perhaps. Where's that bill I have to pay?

Guest blog by David McRae. Want to visit David's website? These days David lives and works in Coff's Harbour where he runs meditation groups and provides counselling. CLICK HERE


NOTICEBOARD

Winter Solstice Chanting and Meditation with Jarek Czechowicz

Saturday, June 20th, 8-11pm, Augustine Centre, Hawthorn

Another highly recommended opportunity to sing universal chants that facilitate natural meditation:



The light reveals our blessed way. 

The night is longing for the day. 
Awakening we pray: 
May these days be filled with love.  


Come for a comfortable and heart-warming celebration.



Buy tickets at: http://www.trybooking.com/hmon

Get more information at: http://www.jarekc.com/winter-solstice/

Join the event and Share it on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/466410683510863/

COMING EVENTS with RUTH and MYSELF

MEDITATION RETREAT

Meditation and the Inner Journey        8th  – 12th  June     Yarra Valley
This retreat brings together 2 powerful experiences - the deep natural peace of meditation, and a gentle process of introspection that will help you reconnect with your own inner wisdom.

For thousands of years, people have removed themselves from the busyness of daily life and entered into a retreat situation to meditate. Come, join like-minded people, be inspired, be renewed. Immerse yourself in meditation. Be guided, be nurtured. Take the opportunity to reconnect with your own inner wisdom and the essence of who you really are.

FULL DETAILS  -  Click here

SPECIFIC CANCER PROGRAMS for 2015

Ruth and I have committed to presenting a series of ongoing, regular 5 day follow-up residential cancer programs for the Gawler Foundation. The first of these begins in the Yarra Valley this week, the next will be from 12th - 16th October. We will also present a similar 5 day follow up cancer program in New Zealand for Canlive - 9th - 13th November.

We will also present one comprehensive 8 day program (also in New Zealand for Canlive) CANCER, HEALING and WELLBEING, that will be well suited to anyone who has not done a program with us before. This program is on in mid May - see below.

CANCER, HEALING and WELLBEING

Eight day residential program in New Zealand   May 15th  –  22nd , 2015

All welcome; attendance with a partner/ support person is ideal but not essential.

This program will lead you through all the self-healing options:
. Therapeutic nutrition
. Practical positive thinking
. Therapeutic meditation, plus the healing power of imagery and contemplation
. Accelerated healing
. Healthy, healing emotions
. How to get the most out of mainstream treatments and minimize side-effects
. How to be most effective as a support person/carer, and to look after yourself in the process.

I actually lead most of the main sessions, with support from Ruth and 2 exceptional New Zealanders. We live in for the full program so there is plenty of time for questions and personal interaction.

This program is organized and supported by Canlive New Zealand.

FULL DETAILS Click here

Has Ian Gawler retired?

This is going to be a somewhat personal blog. Fairly regularly I’m being asked - “Are you retired?” The short answer is no, but maybe the question is coming as I recently passed 65 ? Maybe some people know it is now over 5 years since I did retire from my full-time job at the Gawler Foundation.

And yes, I did stand back for a year after leaving the Foundation and did very little but speak with people who had good ideas, reflected, contemplated, meditated and worked in the garden.

Now, with some new clarity and vigor, I am back doing many things, several of which are pretty extra-ordinary (as in : out of the ordinary). Definitely not retired but doing some different things to years ago, so thought it time for an update.

Also, following on from Paul Kraus’ story last week of surviving mesothelioma comes more good news with a great article in the Melbourne Age recounting Scott Stephens’ recovery from melanoma. Check it out below.

I first met Scott at a Foundation cancer residential program 8 years ago. Now, after a couple of early relapses and perseverance and sustained meditation, good food and smart thinking, Scott has been cancer-free for 6 years and he regularly meets with and inspires cancer groups at the Foundation and elsewhere.  Did you see him on that excellent Mind-Body Medicine documentary called The Connection???

Good news to share, but first




            Thought for the day

              I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

              I awoke and saw that life was service.

              I acted and behold, service was joy.


                                Rabindranath Tagore









In stepping down from the Foundation I had worked in for nearly 30 years, the intention was to make way so that the Foundation could establish itself in its own right, free of this founder; and to give me space to re-think what I had been doing for so long and to consider whether there were other ways to be more helpful.

Retiring from the Foundation when all was going well was a huge personal step, but being very conscious of the limitations of habitual thinking, the retirement was actually more an act of principle than of any necessity.

It would have been easy, comfortable and hopefully worthwhile for me to continue working for the Foundation. But when you have worked in one area of expertise, with one group in a similar way for nearly 30 years, there is a danger of a rut developing.

Personally, I like the idea of keeping the “beginners mind” active, stepping back from the norm regularly and considering what can be done to be most effective, most useful.

Also, sooner or later I was bound to leave the Foundation; either because I was too old, or the proverbial bus came to visit. So there seemed real value in having a new association with it in a well-planned, measured way.

So what is the current state of play?


Speaking personally
Ruth and I have been married 15 years now. Wow! What a treat that is being. Just held my fifth
grandchild, Tucker, son of Peter and Kerrielee. The garden is thriving and abundant and we are currently resurrecting the cottage on our property - countering old termite and water damage.

I am planning to go to France for a secluded 12 week meditation based retreat in July this year. It feels like the right time to do something more personal and intense.





1. The  Gawler Foundation
Ruth and I have a great relationship with all at the Foundation and we are really impressed with the services they provide and the manner in which they provide them.

Actually, I rather do hope they will change the name of the organisation to better represent the actual work they do, rather than their origins, but I am no longer involved with their management, so that stuff is all up to them.

Ruth and I presently lead the residential cancer follow-up programs at the Yarra Valley centre. Targeted for people who have done an initial “Gawler” program, either at the Foundation or elsewhere, and it is good for us to be doing a few less retreats each year so we can prepare extra thoroughly for these programs.

2. Working with Ruth – the retreats we present together
It is such good fortune to be able to work creatively and closely with your partner. Ruth being a doctor, with her special interests in Integrative Medicine, psychotherapy, meditation and yoga is such an asset to our groups. And there is always the feminine perspective……. We balance each other well. What a delight!

We do 2 types of retreats

a) Meditation retreats
For those becoming more serious about their meditation, or for those who already are, there is
nothing that deepens the experience of meditation more than going on retreat. So it is a pleasure to lead retreats regularly!

Our retreats are very much styled along the lines of what we would ideally like to attend ourselves. Middle intensity – enough meditation to have real effect, but not too much that you need a holiday when you get home. Enough stimulation via teachings to satisfy the intellect, but the emphasis is on the experience of meditation itself.

Then plenty of free space to contemplate, reflect, do some yoga or Chi Gong, go for a walk, rest and regenerate. Add in good company, great locations and excellent food. Bloody good combination really!!!

Each retreat has the recurring elements of  lots of practise and time for discussing personal meditation experiences/questions; but then each retreat also focuses on a particular theme.

For example Meditation in the Forest is the annual Pre-Easter meditation retreat we hold at the Foundation, and this year the focus is on understanding just what the stillness of meditation really is and how to experience it more directly and more reliably.

Later, in November, Meditation Under the Long White Cloud in New Zealand will focus on contemplation where we learn how to think things through more completely, to overcome confusion, develop clarity and certainty in decision making; and more – how to access insight, intuition and inner wisdom.

I must say contemplation is probably the most important “add-on” to basic meditation and we particularly love doing this presentation! Actually, we really love doing all the retreats.

b) Specific cancer programs

There are 2 types of these
i) The complete, integrated program for anyone affected by cancer and their partners. We call this Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing. Here we give good attention to living well with cancer, but there is a big focus on Accelerated Healing and what helps recovery – along with minimizing treatment side-effects and getting the best results from any medical or other treatments.

We will only lead one of these programs in 2015 and it is in New Zealand in May, organised and supported by Stew Burt and Canlive.

ii) The cancer follow-up programs. As explained, these are for those who are further down the track and we present them either at the Gawler Foundation Yarra Valley centre, or in Wanaka in New Zealand for Canlive. These too have their own specific themes and are designed so that people can attend them regularly and maintain their momentum.

3. Seminars, workshops, conferences
We have presented many of these in the last couple of years, but just for 2015, we decided to limit them. Aimed for zero, but saying no to some people is not easy, so the day or evening seminars we are presenting this year are for an inspiring and diverse bunch of people.

It occurred to me that if we could get our hosts together for a meal, it would lead to quite some conversations. There is Lionel Fifield - founder of the Relaxation Centre of Queensland and while well into his 70s, still totally dedicated to providing access to, and support for personal growth. Then Ani Rinchen Wangmo - a Tibetan nun working for a Buddhist centre in Cairns; Greg and Dawn Fitzgerald – passionate South Sydney naturopaths intent on curing all people of all things; and Rabbi Laibl Wolf – who supports Spiritgrow a Jewish community centre in Caufield that has a major charter to foster good physical and mental health and wellbeing. Would be some dinner!

4. The net and IT
Some know when I left the Foundation that my computer skills made IT troglodytes seem nerdy. So learning about all this stuff has been the big personal step forward. Blog. Facebook. Webstore. I even own and can use (to some degree) a computer. Still keep the old mobile phone – no Smart phone distracts me as yet!

But also there has been development of the high tech online meditation program, Mindbody Mastery that goes way beyond simply providing meditation instruction online; it provides on-going support via daily emails, weekly SMS and comes with a whole range of other fancy features.

Putting that together with my business partner in the IT adventures, Saurabh Mishra, has been such fun. So much to learn. So much benefit from the “beginner’s mind”. I ask all the dumb questions, and if it can be explained to me and if it works for me, then anyone can do it!

Now Saurabh and I are near to completing the development of a meditation app that will do way more than “just” run Mindbody Mastery (MBM), as many people these days tell us they want all the MBM features via app.

Also we recognized that students at many meditation schools would benefit from having direct access via an app to the specific teaching, practices and support of their own group. Problem is that developing an app that can do all that is a big deal. That we do know!

So, we have developed an app that makes it easy for individual meditation schools to upload their own material and provide their students with all the benefits of a very high tech app for little cost. No doubt there will be more on this soon as it comes to complete fruition – not far away.





And of course there has been development of the Pearl range that provides meditation for stress relief, better sleep and pain control via a mini MP3 player - ideal for personal use or a meaningful gift.







5. Corporate mindfulness and meditation
Recently there has been the opportunity to get to know Rasmus Horgaard from Denmark who runs the Potential Project. In my view this is by far the best corporate program of its type and yes, sharing more on that too soon; also having a small role around the edges of some corporate mindfulness projects has been very rewarding. The response has been very gratifying.

6. Writing
To be direct, with all else going on I have been doing my best to resist committing to another book, but I suspect this will not last much longer. There is one very exciting idea that has been brewing for some time and maybe more on this soon.

So if anyone is still reading after this particular diatribe, it has at least helped to sort out what is going on in my own mind, and no, I am not retired.




RELATED ARTICLE


Scott Stephens story of overcoming melanoma in the Melbourne Age, written back in November 2012 by Sarah Berry, LINK HERE





2015 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Full details are on the website, click here

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT
Meditation in the Forest        March 27th to April 2nd  2015

During this meditation retreat, we will be focusing upon the deeper stillness of meditation. We will explore the theory, but moreso, the actual practices that help us to go beyond the activity of the thinking mind into a more direct and profound experience of the still mind.

Deep, natural peace. A calm and clear mind. So many possibilities follow…..

FULL DETAILS Click here

NEXT SPECIFIC CANCER PROGRAMS
CANCER and BEYOND  May 2015   Monday 4th at 11am to Friday 8th at 2pm

Five Day Residential Follow-up Program at the Gawler Foundation in the Yarra Valley

This program is specifically designed for those with cancer along with their support people who have attended a previous Gawler Foundation program or equivalent such as with Sabina Rabold, CSWA, Cancer Care SA, CanLive NZ, or with the Gawlers

A unique opportunity to meet with like-minded people once again, to consolidate what you already know, to learn more from the combined knowledge, experience and wisdom of Ian and Ruth, to reaffirm your good intentions, and to go home refreshed and revitalised.

FULL DETAILS Click here 

CANCER, HEALING and WELLBEING
Eight day residential program in New Zealand   May 15th  –  22nd , 2015

All welcome; attendance with a partner/ support person is ideal but not essential.

This program will lead you through all the self-healing options:
. Therapeutic nutrition
. Practical positive thinking
. Therapeutic meditation, plus the healing power of imagery and contemplation
. Accelerated healing
. Healthy, healing emotions
. How to get the most out of mainstream treatments and minimize side-effects
. How to be most effective as a support person/carer, and to look after yourself in the process.

I actually lead most of the main sessions, with support from Ruth and 2 exceptional New Zealanders. We live in for the full program so there is plenty of time for questions and personal interaction.

This program is organized and supported by Canlive New Zealand.

FULL DETAILS Click here

What are you part of ???

A couple of big milestones. This blog has been running for just on 4 years and has had over half a million pageviews. Ever wonder who else is reading it? This week, interesting details and feedback, one great personal story and then news of the upcoming retreats in New Zealand, Meditation Under the Long White Cloud and Mind, Meditation and Healing, but first



Thought for the day

Helping, fixing, and serving 
Represent three different ways of seeing life. 

When you help, you see life as weak. 
When you fix, you see life as broken. 

When you serve, you see life as whole. 

Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, 
And service the work of the soul. 

Rachel Naomi Remen


The older I become, the more service seems to be what gives life meaning. How fortunate am I then to be able to work in a field of service.

It has often seemed to me that some people have really tough jobs where it is almost as if they need to compromise their ethics and life values at the door on their way in to work; and pick up what is left on the way out.

My work has always demanded the best of me. It is a blessing.

So writing the blog is a regular delight – even when the need to write the one for next Monday comes late on Sunday night. Also, it is a discipline – a writing discipline that has me writing regularly and exercising one of the arts I am passionate about – writing!

Anyway, much gratitude to all of you who made the time and effort to reply to the recent survey. Hundreds of people provided feedback and the general comments were very gratifying. It seems worth persisting to pen something regularly :)

It also seems that of those who responded, over 70% have been reading the blog for more than 6 mths, over half read it weekly, over half would like to receive it weekly in future, but 40% would be happy with fortnightly – so when I am on a personal retreat I may spread it out a little!

Guest bloggers are welcome equally monthly and occasionally, 20% of you share posts regularly, but over 50% have only shared once or twice.

All the current topics on the blog record a good level of interest, with meditation, nutrition, healing and mind training scoring highest. As for age – the older we get the more people who are reading – the 50+ group being the largest, while most have good health and a significant number face major health challenges. Well over half are in full or part time work and about a third are retired – quite a diverse bunch really, but all interested in their own health and wellbeing, and what they can do for others.

The range of suggestions for new blogs was very interesting and great food for thought. Finding peace amidst diversity, simplifying life, why some recover, others not, dealing with legal addictions, mind training, remission as a limiting word, how do you know when your meditation is “working” … and on …

A few of the nice comments
I love the quotes. Sometimes it's great when you are busy to glance at something that can help keep you anchored, it can be like a herb that adds a lot to the soup.

Your Monday blog is always very welcome - solid ground to start the week off and it re-connects me with the world within.

I really appreciate the fact that you take the time to write a weekly blog which is interesting and informative. You bring things to the fore which I otherwise might not notice and you are not afraid to address tricky issues. I also enjoy reading people's comments. There is a community of people who support these ideas and it's good to be able to share that.

It is always a pleasure to open up your blog and have a quick look at the topics. Then I can decide do I have time now to read it all or allow time in the near future to study the information in more detail.

Always of interest and pertinent but the best thing is - it is my reminder.
I am a 6 year cancer survivor with still a primary brain. Your weekly blog is a great source of inspiration and informative material.

They have often prompted me to research a topic in greater depth and this can lead to knowledge which may be helpful to others - as well as to me.

I never feel isolated when I read your blog and see so many of the worthwhile events you hold.

It has taken cancer to teach me to live the life I have always wanted to live. xx

I don't get on my computer very often so I save them for reading later if can't at time. I find them very grounding and refreshes my priority needs in amongst the pressure and bustle of todays life.

Feels like an old friend coming to visit - really nice.

And finally, one very inspiring story from my old profession
Your work Ian remains of immense significance. I have had the very good fortune to attend 4 of the old Inward Bound retreats years ago, and to be taught meditation by you. This came after a nervous breakdown at age 38, while running a vet practice. 

My life has progressively become rather more delightful since then. I remain in fulltime vet practice at age 62, and thanks in part to the broad range of topics which you present, I am able to retain a very wide range of interests, including that of brain plasticity. I am starting to do some mentoring of final year Sydney Vet students, and we take 10-12 students for a month each in the practice. 

I bought Craig Hassed's new book "Mindful Learning" yesterday. One of the benefits of your blog is that it draws my attention to a topic, and I can say to my children .. "I read something interesting the other day ...".

Hell, this has taken longer than doing the survey!

Seriously though, I hope that you retain the energy to keep up your output for a long time yet. Stay well yourself!! 

Very sincerely,

John Dooley BVSc, Wingham NSW

NOTICEBOARD

1. Meditation Under the Long White Cloud  -  SOON  -  October 25 - 31
Last meditation retreat Ruth and I will present in 2014 - the first in 2015 is Meditation in the Forest in the Yarra Valley Pre-Easter.

This one is on the glorious Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand and the special focus will be on deepening the experience of meditation and guided imagery.

VENUE: Mana Retreat Centre

BOOKINGS and ENQUIRIES:  Tel +64 7 866 8972

Register with Mana Retreat at the online secure manaretreat.com/users/register.php

2. Mind, Meditation and Healing

Five days for people affected by cancer led by Drs Ian and Ruth Gawler and where the focus will be on accelerated healing

DATES: Arrive 12noon, program commences with lunch together at 1pm Monday 10th Nov.; until 2pm Friday 14th (after lunch) Nov. 2014

VENUE: The Snow Farm Lodge, Cardrona Valley Rd, Wanaka.

BOOKINGS and ENQUIRIES: canlive.org or call Stew Burt 03 443 4168 OR +64 3 443 6234 New Zealand

Meditation, Images and Health

Deep natural peace. Profound insight. With over 50 years of leading meditation retreats and a wide variety of groups between us, Ruth and I invite you to join us for a 5 day residential program in the Yarra Valley this October that brings together the best techniques for personal transformation we know.

Meditation. Contemplation. Imagery. All well known. All speak for themselves.

But then there is the wonderful, gentle but incredibly insightful process that centres around the interpretation of drawings that is not so well known. So this week, more on understanding the workings of our mind, plus a journey into the metaphorical world of drawings, their symbols and their interpretation, but first





Thought for the Day

Psychology has traditionally supported people 
To move from minus ten to zero. 
What I love about positive psychology 
Is that it supports people to move from zero to plus ten.

               John Higgins, philanthropist





Our active, thinking mind is comprised of the conscious and the unconscious. Some liken the relationship of the two to that of an iceberg, with just the tip of the conscious in our ordinary awareness and all the activity of the unconscious going on underneath with major consequence.

Clearly our lives are dramatically affected by the unconscious. The unconscious stores our memories then brings them together to formulate our beliefs and hold our habits.

How often do we feel constrained from doing what we consciously might choose to, or consider to be in our own best interests, when we know what is really holding us back is the underlying force of our own unconscious mind?

How often are our relationships affected by these same unconscious forces, held as hurts or fears; emerging as needs or avoidance?

Clearly there is the potential for great personal liberation in coming to know our own unconscious more directly. With such knowledge comes the prospect of freedom from the past and the freedom of a more open future.

So how to gain insight into the unconscious? This is where it helps to understand that the unconscious has its own language – that of imagery. The unconscious converts our day-to-day experiences into images and stores them as such. We remember the past by drawing on these images, we think using images, we plan for the future using images. Our habits and our beliefs are all made up of images.

Imagery is the language of the unconscious. That is what makes the unconscious so accessible. Drawing is a process of recording images. Through a simple technique using 3 specific drawings, we can gain an incredibly clear window into the workings of our own unconscious.

Excited? This is a fascinating process that stands alone for being gentle yet powerful. There is no need to be an artist. In fact, often the simpler the drawing style the more useful these types of drawings can be.

This is a process I have led several thousands of people through over the years. We used to include it unheralded in many programs and curiously it was not uncommon for some people to be reluctant to enter into the activity. However, with gentle persuasion, it is true to say that almost everyone who did it found major benefit and very often people felt their lives transformed for the better through what they learnt and what the exercise led on to.

So these days as Ruth and I present more regular meditation retreats, each with their own particular theme (like Imagery for Meditation Under the Long White Cloud in NZ), we are offering this program for those interested in their own psychology, the influences of the unconscious and how we can be free to live more in the moment.

Meditation, Images and Health is a program of direct relevance to health professionals. It could be useful in gaining more understanding of your own processes; and the interpretation of drawings is a technique that I learnt initially from a senior Jungian analyst, then adapted somewhat to the group situation. It is a technique that can be used in individual sessions or in groups and this program could well meet the needs of professional development.

Meditation, Images and Health will have plenty of meditation – a little instruction and good time to sit together - along with the usual basic hatha yoga, walking meditation, free time, great food and meaningful conversation. But then we will add this extra dimension of the drawings and all that they offer.

More details and a flier to download can be accessed by CLICKING HERE; bookings are through the Foundation – call +61 3 59671730.

RELATED BLOG
Retreat and go forward

NEWS 
This blog comes to you from Fraser Island. The world’s biggest island of pure sand. Blue sky. Almost warm. Very bumpy tracks that give our car the chance to know it actually is a 4WD, and a place that brings to mind that great quote :





To see a world in a grain of sand

 And a heaven in a wild flower,


Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.


              William Blake






Tuesday July 29th : a free evening public talk in Bundaberg
Wednesday July 30th : a talk for dementia carers again in Bundaberg
then Mackay on Friday 1st August and on we go to Cairns, Mt Isa and eventually Adelaide. 

Also, there are still 2 places left for anyone adventurous enough to join Meditation in the Desert at what is getting to be short notice :)

Ian Gawler Blog: One small step

This year's Meditation in the Forest is well underway with a wonderfully varied full house. Such a delight to have old and young, people from all walks of life; all treating themselves to time out and gathering for a dedicated period of meditation.

It has been challenging and rewarding for me to prepare the sessions on contemplation, this year’s additional theme for the retreat. My sense is that contemplation is one of the least appreciated of meditation’s pantheon of possibilities and I plan to share the theory and techniques more widely – probably will include some aspects of it in the tour of workshops planned for July onwards up the East Coast.

It was way back in the eighties that Ronda and Peter Hall attended a lecture that I gave at the
Camberwell Town Hall. They followed up by attending a weekend retreat in the Yarra Valley – before the days of the current Gawler Centre, though the property had just been purchased.

That was the start of a long association and this week I have invited Peter to present a guest blog and share a remarkable grass roots project he has initiated, You may be inspired to support their work through www.nepalaid.org.au, but first

                                                                                   Peter and Ronda Hall with Ruth and myself, 
                                                                                   Meditation Under the Long White Cloud, 
                                                                                   New Zealand, December 2013
Thought for the day
The purpose of life is not to be happy. 
It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, 
to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Peter Hall continues:
Among the numerous retreats we have attended the most memorable have been Meditation in the Desert in 2006 and Meditation under the Long White Cloud in New Zealand last year.

Through such activities we have come to know Ian and Ruth for the great work they do.  We also appreciate the support they have given for what has become almost an obsession for me, and that is doing our bit to improve the lives of people in rural Nepal.

It all began with a trek in 1993 with some friends from my Scouting days, followed by further visits, with Ronda at my side, as we were drawn back by the friendships we had formed with the people of Paudwar village.  We began to understand what life is like in a country that is rated by the UN Development Program Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index to be in the bottom 3% of countries of Asia/Oceania.


By 2008 Krishna Pun, whom we had met in 2001 as Science Teacher and who subsequently became headmaster, had been forced out of his village by the threats of Maoist guerrillas.


He was living in Kathmandu with his two children at a private school, while in order to support the family his wife Sita had taken a job as a nanny in Israel.  She is still there, hoping to return home soon.


Krishna shared with us his dreams which included the introduction of English medium teaching at Paudar school so that the village children could gain the benefits that his own children enjoyed at a private school.

That led in 2009 to my joining Rotary International and registering the Nepali Village Initiatives Project.  Our objective was not to deliver aid, but to help the villagers with their own initiatives for progress.



We firmly believe that the best way to help such a poor country is to enable the people to help themselves.  And one of the best ways to do that is to improve education.  We were appalled to learn that as many as a third of teachers in rural government schools had finished school at year ten and began teaching without training.  They knew nothing better than “chalk and talk” to a sheet of slate on the classroom wall.  No wonder the children were inattentive.




And so we became involved in the delivery of teacher training, utilising the services of REED, a Nepalese NGO that had built its capabilities working in the Solo Khumbu (Everest) district with support from the Australian Himalayan Foundation, the UK Himalayan Trust, UNICEF and others.

So began what has been a three year program delivering teacher training to 40 teachers of Paudwar and neighbouring villages.  This year we are ready to move on, though to do so we have had to set up LEARN as a new NGO (“Lifting Education, Advancing Rural Nepal”), as REED’s commitments to AHF, now in receipt of Ausaid funding, have meant they can no longer service our needs as well.



This has been a blessing in disguise, as we have found that by expanding our program we can reduce our costs per trainee day – delivering more bang for the bucks.  This year we expect to have 160 teachers in training!  It has meant a bigger budget and the need to seek more funding, which you can read about in the newsletter published at our website www.nepalaid.org.au.




I will be returning yet again this month, with three volunteers, to observe and assist a training course and to deliver a holiday program for children.  One of our group is Susan Carew, who has taken it upon herself since 1998 to work as a World Peace Clown.  You can read about Susan, including her receipt of a Rotary Peace Scholarship and her travels in Russia with renowned medical clown Patch Adams, at her website www.worldpeacefull.com.  Readers of this blog may know her from her past working associations with Siegfried Gutbrod.

Susan’s problem is that, working mostly as a volunteer with no fixed income, she has not the money to cover her travel costs.  As we are convinced that she has much to offer both the teacher training and the holiday program we want to support her, and so have launched a funding campaign.  Please go to http://www.chuffed.org/project/send-an-education-clown-to-nepal/ to find out what it is all about. Most of the needed funds have been raised - just a little more is needed - can you help?

I wish to express my warmest thanks to Ian, not just for his own contribution to this cause, but for this opportunity to share with others our passion to help the people of Nepal.  Little did Krishna know, when he shared his dreams with us six years ago, where they might lead!

NOTICEBOARD
Warrnambool:  Sunday May 4th, 2014
The heart and science of
Health, Healing and the Mind

SEEKING TO USE THE POWER OF YOUR MIND
FOR HEALTH, HEALING AND WELLBEING ?

INTERESTED IN A DEEPER EXPERIENCE OF MEDITATION ?

WHAT REALLY IS BEST TO EAT ?

• Dissolve every day stresses; experience mindfulness, relax effortlessly, meditate profoundly
• Discover the practical, life changing implications of neuroplasticity, epigenetics and telomere research
• Clarify your questions; be confident of eating well and living well – and enjoying it!

Ideal for people interested in evidence based health and wellbeing, disease prevention and management, for health professionals and for those seeking profound healing

Date: Sunday May 4th, 2014 : 10am (arrive 9.30) to 4pm
Venue: St Brigid's Community Center, 186 Port Fairy - Koroit Rd, Crossley 3283
Cost: $130, conc $90 Includes morning tea.  Please bring lunch to share.
Enquiries: Integrative Health Services - Rosemary Gleeson : 0447 6177 68
                    or email rosemarygleeson@ymail.com
Bookings: Online CLICK HERE
                   or via telephone with Visa, Mastercard : call Angela on (03) 5966 6130

Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing 
This 8 day cancer recovery program residential program is evidence based and will be highly experiential. We will cover the full range of Integrative Medicine options, with the emphasis on what people can do for themselves – therapeutic nutrition, exercise and meditation, emotional health, positive psychology, pain management, the search for meaning and so on.

I will personally present the majority of the content but along with Ruth, participants will have the additional support and experience of Liz Maluschnig and Stew Burt; two very experienced and committed New Zealanders.

For details on this and the other cancer related residential programs for 2014 CLICK HERE 

Meditation in the Forest

Ever wondered why people make the effort to go on a meditation retreat? Well there is the outcome and then there is the experience!

A meditation retreat provides the environment, the leadership, the like-minded company, and most importantly, the time and space to take time out, to unwind, to regain balance, to heal, to refresh, to re-evaluate, and so on. But then there is the experience; the opportunity, the ideal circumstances in which to deepen your experience of meditation.

So this week let us investigate what these deeper experiences of meditation are like (do not miss reading this wonderful, personal account), and how a meditation retreat like Meditation in the Forest that Ruth and I will present again Pre-Easter in the Yarra Valley can help us to actual “get it”.

The reason for writing of this is that at the last meditation retreat Ruth and I ran, Meditation Under the Long White Cloud in New Zealand, so many who came did have particularly good experiences and as a result went home really keen to keep meditating.

It seems these meditation retreats are a wonderful way in which we can directly help other people, so to be blunt, I would like to enthuse everyone who can to consider doing at least one retreat a year – either with us, or with someone else.


But first,

Thought for the day
Meditation provides a direct and reliable means 
to go beyond the activity of the ordinary thinking mind
enter into the deeper stillness of our mind
and to directly experience the truth of who we really are; 
what is in our heart’s essence.



Think about this. Are you meditating for the outcome or for the experience? 

The outcomes of meditation are well known: Resilience, relaxation, clarity of mind, increased vitality, performance, engagement, all the proven health and healing benefits. All very useful. All very reliable.

But then there is the experience of meditation: Deep, natural peace. The bliss and the inner contentment. What a relief! What a joy!

Again, a meditation retreat provides a unique opportunity to breakthrough into a deeper, more profound experience. Just the effort required to temporarily leave the busyness of daily life, to leave our home, our work, our friends, maybe even our family; all this preparation sets us up for something special to happen.




Traditionally, deserts, mountains and remote forests were the preferred locations for a meditation retreat.
A beautiful landscape can inspire us. A remote location reduces the distractions and helps to focus the mind.







Then there is the company. A good teacher and what traditionally is referred to as “Noble Company” – like-minded people who are also committed to the path of meditation, all add to the atmosphere that makes a deeper experience during a meditation retreat more likely.

Then there is what we bring to a retreat. Maybe the most important thing of all – ourselves! We bring our own good intentions and our own pure nature.

Sure we may have health issues – physically or psychologically; and sure, there is good reason to go on a meditation retreat for all the obvious health benefits. But to gain those benefits we need to practise, and the more we practise, the more the benefits.

However, I hear from so many people who find their practice of meditation to be somewhat difficult or disappointing. So they make the effort to meditate in the hope that their health, their life will get better. And often it does. But then when things are better, or when they start to feel as if the outcome seems unattainable, the meditation stops.

Now clearly, the best meditation practice is a life-long meditation practice! Meditation helps in so many ways, yet if we do not enjoy doing it, we are highly likely to lapse.


Hence the value of attending a meditation retreat. Take time out, make the time, create the

circumstances, go to a suitable place with suitable people and away you go. Relax, Let go. Allow the dust to settle. Allow daily concerns to drop by the way. Allow yourself to go beyond the activity of the thinking mind and enter into the deeper experiences of meditation.


“I felt as if a hood had been taken off my head and I saw, really saw for the first time in my life.

“As all this began, I could feel the anticipation that something extraordinary was unfolding, yet at the same time there was quite an apprehension. It was like being on the edge of a cliff, a cliff with a huge drop and an almost fathomless dark emptiness below it. 

"The apprehension moved into what was almost like a mortal dread; I felt as if I really could die if I was to go over the edge. But perhaps because I have been quite diligent with my meditation practice for so long, perhaps because so often it has been difficult, perhaps because I did persevere these last few years because I really wanted the outcomes - I was almost desperate for the benefits I knew meditation could bring for my health; perhaps because of all this, now I was determined to stay with the fear, to stay with the experience.

“As I did so, my fear intensified, but I remembered the instructions. "Let go". "Jump!" 

"It was very visual, very sensory. It was like I was really doing this. I jumped. My heart was in my mouth. I felt as if I was falling. Tumbling. Spinning. And then everything dissolved into light. At first it was an intense ball of light, then it grew and grew until it was just all-consuming light. It was as if the light was all through me. I was the light and the light was me.

“ It is almost impossible to describe the feeling adequately. It was rapturous. More; I was ecstatic, and the feeling lasted for days. Actually, it is still with me. I see things differently now. Life seems so unbelievably precious, I see the good in everybody and all fear of death has gone. I smile and laugh at just about everything these days, and in every way my health has never been better. I know I will never be the same again”.

The fact is that these experiences are real. They can come in different forms. The account above, from a couple of years back, followed a particular pattern. For others it can unfold in different ways. Yet the secret is to focus on the process, not the outcome. If the experience becomes another outcome to seek, then it may prove very elusive. The wise thing to do is to enter into an environment where one can have the confidence, support and guidance to let go. Completely. Then the experience comes. Then the experience can be ever with you. Then the experience will be something you can come back to. Then you will be keen to meditate for the sake of the meditation itself; for the experience, not just the outcome.

COMING EVENTS
Meditation in the Forest : April 11 – 17, 2014

The regular Pre-Easter meditation retreat Ruth and I present is on in the Yarra Valley again in 2014. This retreat is specifically designed to assist you into the deeper experience of meditation so that you can go home confident of what meditation is really like and enthused to enjoy your own regular, on-going meditation practice.

This meditation retreat is usually fully booked, so it  may be wise to register soon.


This year there will also be a particular focus on the theory, practise and experience of contemplation. For details CLICK HERE

RELATED BLOGS
Learning contemplation

Retreat and go forwards

Meditation in the Desert

NEWS
Being on retreat myself, there will be no new blog for 2 weeks.

Learning contemplation

Learning contemplation – the practical pathway to insight, wisdom and direction.

Who am I? Where am I going? What is life? These are the 3 big questions that philosophers down through the ages have pondered upon. These days, it is wonderful to know that the age-old techniques of contemplation remain relevant for self-reflection, but can also make a major contribution to ordinary, every day problem solving.

So this week we consider some of the benefits and a specific technique that helps us to learn to contemplate and problem solve more effectively. We will learn how to contemplate what is best to eat - for us and for those we love.

Also to mention that contemplation will be the special focus of our 2014 Pre-Easter retreat, Meditation in the Forest set amidst the delightful landscape of the Upper Yarra Valley, so details of that too. Plus news of the recently completed Mana retreat and a friendly reminder. Our retreats have been fully booked recently, so if you are planning to join us, it will be wise to register soon.

But first to acknowledge the death of that great man who has inspired so many:





Thought for the Day

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear,
But the triumph over it.
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid,
But he who conquers that fear
Nelson Mandela








Learning contemplation provides us with a reliable doorway into understanding and wisdom. Contemplation helps us to make sense of our life, our world, and our place within it. Contemplation provides the clarity and insight to make good decisions, and as such, naturally generates the confidence and commitment required to follow those decisions through to conclusion.

Getting to know ourselves, who we really are beyond the obvious facts of name, family status, job, address etc.; getting to know who we really are requires some introspection. For many of us when young, life was full with plenty to do, plenty to occupy us, plenty to distract us.

So for many, it is not until older age that we pause for some self-reflection. True, for many this looking inwards to make sense of life and its circumstances is propelled by the pressures of adversity – major life changes, major health issues.

But for a happier few, maybe it is just that yearning feeling that there is more to life than all that is obvious on the surface. Maybe the recognition of how extra-ordinary it is to be alive, how precious life is, and the resultant urge to make the most of it all.

In truth, it is not just a cliché; what does it all mean?

So when this urge for the search for meaning dawns, how to proceed? Is the answer to read a particular book? Speak to a particular person? Go to a particular place?

Well, all of these things can be useful of course, but ultimately the answers, the truly satisfying answers, lie within. Contemplation provides a reliable means to search for meaning. To seek answers. To find our way.

And while contemplation has been taught in all the great traditions, in more modern times, these same techniques have proven to be highly effective for problem solving.

Speaking personally, contemplation was at the heart of my own recovery from cancer as I faced a myriad of complex questions and difficult choices in my quest for healing. More recently, contemplation has guided me in my personal, family and business life.

While I have written at length on contemplation in several of my books (see below), here is a simple problem solving contemplation practice as a starting point.

HOW TO CONTEMPLATE  - Using the example of contemplating what way of eating suits you best:

1. Identify the issue is to contemplate (e.g. to set dietary goals) and determine to reach a conclusion.

2. Do the research.  Use your intellect. Read the books, speak to the experts, discuss it with friends, listen to tapes.  Ideally make notes.  This person said that, this book the other, etc.  With food it is usually easiest to write lists of the different recommendations.

3. Set a time for the decision to be made. There are two ways to do this. If you were to buy a new washing machine, probably you would wait until you gathered all the relevant information. Presuming you have determined your price range, you could find out the makes and models available and collect all their details within a reasonable period of time.  However, with food you could collect information indefinitely.  So you probably need to say to yourself something like ‘I will collect all the information I can in the next two weeks (choose your own timeframe) and then I will make the best decision I can.”

4. Give yourself time – half an hour to an hour is ideal – and some space – either where you meditate regularly or in any quiet area.  Make sure you can be free from the telephone and other possible distractions.  Take with you any notes you have made and any other material you have gathered.  Also take a pen and some paper in case you want to write on it.

5. Begin by reviewing your research material and in this way refresh all the knowledge you have of your subject. If you do not have all the written material go straight to the next step.

6. Consciously relax your body and calm your mind.  This will be a familiar process if you have some experience of meditation.  The aim is to elicit the Relaxation Response so you are in a better state of mind to progress into the contemplation.

7. Consciously reviewing the facts as you remember them.

So, in our example, you might recall the style of food you have been eating, the broad issues relating to why you are considering changing your diet, what different people have recommended to you, what you have read in different books and so on.

If at any stage you become distracted or your mind wanders off onto other thoughts, as soon as you recognize this, be gentle with yourself and simply come back to concentrating on issues relating to food and diet.

This first part of the process then is clearly a rational, left brain exercise. You actively think about the topic and all issues relating to it.

What happens next, as you continue to concentrate on the topic, is that at some point your mind will automatically shift into more abstract, intuitive, right brain contemplation.  It will be as if all the facts you have been reflecting upon and analyzing, all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle as it were, come together and now you can clearly see the bigger picture.  This will give you a new sense of comprehension and understanding and usually leaves you with a clear sense of what to do.  This can all come with a moment of clear insight, almost like an ‘Ah Ha! I’ve got it’, moment of revelation.

The more you practise this technique, the more reliable it becomes.  It is a wonderful and dependable way to solve problems, develop creativity and instigate lateral thinking. As another aside, this is an excellent way to prepare for and complete creative writing.

8. Once clarity dawns, write the insight down. I always do this exercise with pen and paper close by and as soon as the answer begins to form – write it down.

This contemplation technique can be used to address any problem.  It leads to a clarity that is backed by a deep sense of your own inner wisdom.  As a result, the directions that come with it, the goals that emerge from this exercise, will feel very ‘right’ for you.

People often ask me “how can I trust the result of an exercise like this?” Well, if you come out of this exercise with no clarity and are still clouded by doubt; all that has happened is you have spent time simply thinking about the issue. No harm done, but no insight either! The insight we are talking of has as one of its features the confidence of certainty. It comes with a deep inner knowing and no doubt. No one else will need to confirm such an insight for you; it will be easy to feel confident about, easy to commit to and it is highly likely to work well!

LEARN MORE OF CONTEMPLATION ON RETREAT
Each year, for the Meditation in the Forest retreat in the Yarra Valley, there is a particular theme; for 2014 that theme will be contemplation. So as well as learning and experiencing more of relaxation, mindfulness and meditation, we will explore and practice several key contemplation techniques. The problem solving ones, as well as the ones for introspection such as  “Who am I ?” All accompanied by great food and great company. Deeply regenerative. A treat of a retreat!

FOR FULL DETAILS, CLICK HERE

RESOURCES
1 BOOKS
Meditation – an In-depth Guide – with a comprehensive section on contemplation

The Mind that Changes Everything – with very practical advise as to how to use contemplation for problem solving

You Can Conquer Cancer – Also includes a section on contemplation

2. CD and MP3
Inner Peace, Inner Wisdom – clear instruction and guided exercises for contemplation

RELATED BLOG
Retreat and go forward

How to increase creativity with meditation

NEWS




1. Mana Retreat - Meditation Under the Long White Cloud - was a real delight. Great landscape, wonderful staff and food and great company.

It was very inspiring to receive feedback from so many of those attending about their profound meditation experiences. There really were quite a number of major breakthroughs.









2. Be part of a world record celebration
A reminder from last week of the intrepid marathon runners. Janette and Alan are very close now to setting an almost unbelievable world record – 366 consecutive marathons!!! Here are details of where you can catch up with them

MELBOURNE   
Friday December 13, 2013 7:00pm: KINDNESS HOUSE, 288 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy


HOBART   
21 or 22 DECEMBER 2013 Details to be confirmed


MELBOURNE   
31 DECEMBER 2013 Federation Square; Details to be confirmed


WARRANDYTE  
1 JANUARY 2014 Stiggants Reserve

WORLD RECORD BREAKING RUN FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE MARATHONS - 366 MARATHONS IN 366 DAYS
  JOIN US ON THE YARRA TRAIL - MELBOURNE TO WARRANDYTE. DETAILS COMING SOON

Their website is www.runningrawaroundaustralia.com

3. Apologies to those of you affected by the tech glitches of the last few days. The first occurred when the system we use to send out emails was upgraded by the parent company, transforming something that has worked well for 3 years into something "Better" that is very twitchy! So pardon the extra email copies and the blank if you received either. Hopefully, we have the difficulty sorted.

Then this week's blog suffered from me attempting to send it with difficult internet connection issues. It should all be working OK again now. Computers certainly offer the odd prompt to remember our stress management skills!