Mind Over Matter

That8217;s inspiration enough. I walk down the mountain trail and spontaneously sit under the vivid blue sky embroidered by the leafy trees and start doing what I used to do regularly8230; meditating.

With my eyes closed, I first listen to the gentle sound of the breeze, the birds in the distance and then the sounds near me. Then I focus on my breath. Why is it so shallow? Keep observing it and slowly the tranquillity of the mountains enters my soul. I enter the silent spaces between my thoughts, the gap in which ego-based concerns disappear and the thinker, the process of thinking and the object of thought become one. Of course, when I first started meditating, almost 10 years ago, it was tough enough to sit still. But slowly I learnt to become an observer of my breath and to remain aware.

Meditation is more than a relaxation technique. The ancient yogis, through the practice of meditation 8212; whether it8217;s mindfulness meditation, primordial sound meditation using a mantra or the heart sutra meditation 8212; created an internal reference point of spirit rather than ego.

This may sound like abstract gobbledygook but when you read about the tangible benefits of meditation, you8217;re sure to become a convert. Dr N S Vahia, the grand old man of psychiatry, and his son Dr Vihang Vahia, eminent psychiatrist at Mumbai8217;s Breach Candy Hospital, submitted a research paper in the American Journal of Psychotherapy on the benefits of meditation. They found that 8216;8216;meditation is a debriefing mechanism to get over the inevitable daily anxieties that build up8217;8217;. It also improves skin tone, the pulse and heart rate. Dr Deepak Chopra points out that 8216;8216;meditation is an extremely effective way of increasing brain wave coherence and thus of healing the heart8217;8217;. Research by the Institute of Heartmath in California shows that meditative states of mind can help stabilise the heart8217;s electromagnetic field. Interestingly, an Israel-based research found that twice-daily meditation brought about an average 30-point drop in cholesterol levels.

In other words, meditation literally transforms the chemistry of our bodies. How8217;s that for food for thought, inspired by some great Australian food?

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