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Dealing With
Change and Stress: Meditation Therapy
The following
article is excerpted from Jyotish Novak's new Meditation
Therapy™ for Stress and Change video. Jyotish is the spiritual
director of Ananda Sangha and Communities, and is the author of
the best-selling book, How
to Meditate. Following this article, you can view a streaming
video excerpt from the video that includes a visualization and meditation
on overcoming stress.
Through the
years, I've had a lot opportunity to work with people under stress
and I've seen how important meditation is for staying balanced.
If you have stress in your life, meditation can be an immense help
to you.
In this Meditation
Therapy tape I'll share principles and techniques that can help
you bring balance and peace back into your life. Stress training
is common today; everyone from fortune 500 companies to the military
recognizes how important it is to give people tools to deal with
this potential killer. But, most stress training simply helps people
relax. As important as this is, it is not enough because it works
only with the conscious or subconscious mind. Meditation, however,
enlists the superconsciousness, the infinite awareness at the core
of our being. It is from this deep level that lasting changes come.
There are four
section to this tape. First, I'll help you better understand how
to work with change and stress. The second section is a visualization.
In the third section we'll meditate. This is the most important
part of this tape. When the mind is still, you get in touch with
deeper levels of consciousness and gain new perspectives on your
life. It is from these profound inner insights that real improvements
come. After you've learned the basics of meditation, you will probably
want to extend the time you sit in inner silence.
Unhealthy levels
of stress usually come from trying to control the uncontrollable.
The "fight or flight" response biologically programs us
to respond to challenge with some level of stress. But, not all
stress is unhealthy, and in fact, some degree of pressure is vital
to our well-being. Without it we become bored and look for stimulation.
We watch TV and movies, or play games, sports and engage in activities
that have no purpose other to excite the mind. Recent studies show
that stimulation for the brain is almost as important to our well-being
as food and water. Entertainment moguls know that excitement can
be like an drug and use it to hook us on their programs. The next
time you watch a TV show or a movie, look for their deliberate attempts
to shock you - loud music, sudden scene changes, and odd lighting
effects. The nervous system gradually adapts to this kind of stimulation
and begins to close down. Soon we feel the need to find more excitement.
In real life,
however, we don't have the same level of detachment as we do while
being entertained. At work, or with our health, or finances, excessive
change is threatening, and we experience stress. Chronic stress
can cause serious health problems such as high blood pressure, elevated
heart rate, and a weakening of the immune system. It even causes
physical problems such as back pain.
Since the effects
of stress begin in the mind, the same event will affect different
people in completely unique ways, depending on how they REACT. But,
you have a choice in how you respond to situations and herein lies
your power. It has been well said that, "pain is inevitable,
suffering is optional." Most stress and pain comes from wishing
that things were other than they are. Learn to flow with life and
much of your stress will disappear.
Here is a challenge
for you. Tonight, before you go to sleep, mentally review your day
and try to see how often you wanted things to be different. Did
you wish that you could have slept longer? That you didn't have
to do certain chores, that other drivers didn't behave the way they
did, that people at work were nicer? It goes on and on. The more
you try to control the unchangeable, the more stress you create
for yourself. What is the way out?
We must learn
to be more accepting of life. Life is a school and we draw to ourselves
the events, circumstances, and relationships we need to help us
grow. Every problem gives us with two choices - to expand or contract
our consciousness Do we become defensive and self-protective? Or
do we see challenges as opportunities to become stronger, to learn
and expand. If we contract our hearts, we experience pain, not because
conditions have made us unhappy, but because pain is the inevitable
result of excessive self-focus. Have no doubt about it, a contractive
attitude will produce stress. On the other hand, when we relax and
release unnecessary attachments we automatically expe rience happiness
and fulfillment. Eventually, through meditation, we can discover
an underlying joy that doesn't change under any circumstance. And
expansion of consciousness is the essence of spiritual growth.
To deal with
stress successfully, we must learn relaxation and n on-attachment.
Physical relaxation helps release muscular tension. With this in
mind, I'll be teaching you deep relaxation in a few minutes. Physical
tension, through mind-body feedback, also adds to our mental tension,
and the most dangerous tension is in the md To relax the mind we
need to develop attitudes of acceptance and contentment.
Learn to accept
that whatever comes to you is for your ultimate good. The truth
is that we attract situations to help us learn needed lessons. Think,
for a moment, about people and circumstances in your life that you
are trying to push away. Mentally say, "I accept you exactly
as you are." Better yet, try to say, "I am grateful for
you and for everything in my life." This will create the mental
space necessary to learn what life is trying to teach you. Once
we have learned our lessons, we find that conditions change automatically.
Acceptance is about learning to live with faith, not fear. It is
understanding that we will attract to ourselves exactly what we
need. The law of karma states that, good or bad, you will get exactly
what is coming to you. Don't dwell on past events and or future
plans. If you stay in the here and now you will realize that you
can be happy just as you are. One of the greatest sources of fulfillment
is to accept yourself, with all your strengths and weakness. Then,
don't dwell on yourself, but think more of others and their needs.
I was once on
a drive in the mountains with my teacher, Swami Kriyananda. During
a blizzard our car went out of control and smashed into the side
of a bus. Kriyananda calmly got out, walked around to the front
of the bus and realized that it was headed to our destination. After
arranging for our car to be towed, we climbed on to the bus. The
passengers were sympathizing with us over our loss. Kriyananda said,
"You know, in a week I would have gotten over any sense of
loss and be perfectly happy.. Why wait a week? I'm happy now!"
Acceptance might
seem like a somewhat passive state. A little like, "Well, even
if this is awful, there's nothing I can do about it I might as well
accept it." But, we can develop a higher more active state
of acceptance. The great yogi Paramhansa Yogananda said we should
train our minds to be even-minded and cheerful in all situations."
This is not merely a nice maxim, but a powerful, life-changing technique.
How do we achieve this state of mind? Commit yourself to being happy
under all circumstances. Then watch your reactions to events. As
soon as you catch yourself being pulled down, reaffirm your decision
to be happy. You may not be able to change the event, but you can
change your state of mind. Decide also to let go of old baggage.
How long do you have to condemn yourself to carrying around old
regrets and grudges? Realize, finally, that your highest duty is
to love ( to love others, to love life, to love the God that dwells
within you.
You can make
some practical changes to allow you to better deal with stress.
On the physical level, make sure your diet is filled with fresh
and vital foods. Poor diet, leads to poor health. Get regular exercise,
but try to do it more for enjoyment. Find activities that expand
your horizons - get out in nature or go to events that uplift your
mind. Get sufficient sleep and rest, and try deep breathing during
times of pressure. I'll teach you some techniques for this at the
end of the tape.
Environment
is also vitally important. Look at your home environment to see
if it helps you have a positive state of mind. Move your TV out
of the center of your life to a place where it doesn't intrude.
Be careful of the music that you listen to. Music has an incredibly
powerful effect on our consciousness. Think about where you are
happy and relaxed. Are there plants, the sound of moving water,
or beautiful colors? Try to make your home environment to reflect
that kind of energy. And try to spend more time with those friends
who are positive and self-contained, those who can help magnetize
you into a state of being even-minded and calm.
Most important
of all is that you get more in touch with your spiritual nature.
Tune into your deeper essence, the joy and peace that lie within
you As you claim your own higher reality, as a child of God, you
will begin to see Him reflected back from everyone around you. Daily
meditation is the way to find these deeper states. Especially important
is a practice of meditating every morning and evening. In the morning
it prepares you to face the day from a state of inner calmness and
joy. At night is helps you to release everything and offer all your
attachments back into the divine light.
Let's get started
with our meditation now. We will begin with a visualization, and
then I'll guide you through a meditation. After that there will
be time for silent meditation, and we'll end the session with an
affirmation to help you accept and appreciate life.
View
a Streaming Video Excerpt from the Meditation
Therapy™ for Stress and Change video. This excerpt
continues the reading above, and includes a visualization and meditation
on overcoming stress.
—Learn More: Visualization and Meditation
on Overcoming Stress
—Learn More: A Technique for Dealing with
Tense Situations
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