Transform your island life through meditation
There are only about 17 days until Christmas. If that thought sounds a bit overwhelming, never fear. As Daniel Island yoga and meditation instructor Muni Natarajan explains, there are ways to calm your restless spirit in the midst of the holiday chaos.
“We’re halfway through the holiday season and everything seems to be moving lightning fast,” said Muni. “Is it possible to keep up?” said Muni.
“Maybe, in the midst of madness, we find a way to slow down,” he continued. “Slow down to remember where you are, what you’re doing and what matters. Slow down to re-evaluate. Slow down to appreciate.”
Island life is sometimes equated with a state of relaxation and a laid back way of being. Living in Charleston, we are fortunate not to have many of the big city stresses like endless traffic or freezing Northern winter work, such as shoveling snow or scraping windshields. However, sunshine and friendly folks do not make us immune to the stresses of this time of year. Taking time to meditate can be an antidote to the craziness of the holiday season.
Merriam-Webster defines meditation as “the act or process of spending time in quiet thought.” But how do we quiet our busy minds and what are the benefits of doing so? To answer those questions, we turn to Muni and others in the meditation realm.
Meditate for good health
As many scientific studies have found, the effects of chronic, prolonged stress can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, stomach ulcers, autoimmune diseases, anxiety, cancer, insomnia, chronic fatigue, obesity, depression, and accelerated aging.
During meditation, the body can quiet chronic stress and reverse the effects of the fight-or-flight response, a reaction we all have to either run from danger or battle it. This ancient instinct causes our body to speed up one’s heart rate, increase blood sugar, suppress one’s immune system, reduce insulin production, pump stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol into the blood, and reduce the blood supply to our digestive organs. All of these reactions happen so that our body can focus on survival in a threatening situation. Few of us face constant daily physical threats to our existence anymore, however, many of us still live in fight-or-flight. For example, stress responses like road rage, defensiveness to perceived criticism from bosses or spouses, or arguments with family or friends.
Meditate to increase peace and productivity
“The answers you seek never come when the mind is busy,” according to Muni. “They come when the mind is still.”
A regular meditation practice can help dissolve this accumulated chronic stress. There is a misperception that meditation will make us tired or interrupt our productivity; however, studies have found the opposite is true.
“Meditation actually cultivates a state of restful alertness,” notes best-selling author and mindfulness guru, Deepak Chopra. “There are many compelling studies showing the power of meditation to relieve stress and promote inner calm. For example, a 2011 study published in the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal found that full-time workers who spent a few hours each week practicing mindfulness meditation reported a significant decrease in job stress, anxiety, and depressed mood.”
The Chopra Center advocates meditation as one of the best tools human beings can use to break cycles of negativity in the brain, release stress, foster positivity, and enjoy the peace of being in the present moment. In his writings, Chopra asserts that a large body of research has established that having a regular meditation practice produces tangible benefits for mental and physical health, including:
-Decreased blood pressure and hypertension
-Lowered cholesterol levels
-Reduced production of “stress hormones,” including cortisol and adrenaline
-More efficient oxygen use by the body
-Increased production of the anti-aging hormone DHEA
-Improved immune function
-Decreased anxiety, depression, and insomnia
Meditation in Relationships
Meditation can help foster more balanced, loving and harmonious relationships.
“When you’re feeling balanced and centered, it’s much easier to respond with awareness rather than react in a knee-jerk way or say something that creates toxicity in your relationships,” writes Chopra. “Meditation cultivates equanimity and compassion, allowing you to be present with a loved one, client or co-worker and really listen to what they are saying and what they may need.”
Meditating on a regular basis helps develop what is known as “witnessing awareness”—the ability to calmly and objectively observe a situation, pause, notice any negative response you may have, then deliberately choose your response. The ability to be present and aware is extremely valuable in every relationship.
How do I begin?
What does it mean to meditate and how do we do it? Meditation is not necessarily mystical or complicated. It can easily be seen as a simple way to gather one’s thoughts, take a break, gather perspective and refocus.
In our culture of over-scheduling and constant movement, it is not likely that someone will invite you to relax and take a breather. Meditation requires self-motivation and recognition of the importance of self-care. Guided meditation or workshops are great ways to begin an individual practice.
A simple Google search yields thousands of results to guide you through dealing with stress, insomnia, grief, illness or almost any malady. However, many students find it easier and more effective to learn with a group or an instructor in a live, interactive setting. To that end, Muni has developed a practice of teaching techniques to break some of the punishing cycles we’ve created for ourselves in our daily lives in a clean, quiet setting he calls the “Zen Den.”
Muni has dedicated his life to the study and practice of meditation. He spent years of study with renowned yoga and meditation teachers and developed his own practice during 37 years as a monk in a monastery in Hawaii. During regular workshops, private or group classes, he teaches approaches which have been used for centuries in the East in the form of breath work, mantra, affirmation, and concentration techniques.
In his workshops, Muni shows his students how to create calm and deepen their lives quest through the experiential investigation of:
Mindfulness
Breath Control
Affirmation
Visualization
Concentration
Meditation
Bliss Consciousness
Therapeutic and Creative Writing
Life Planning
Muni’s next workshop is meant for anyone with the intention of seeking a calm, controlled state of being. “Transform Your Life Through Meditation,” will be held on December 10, 2016 from 9:00 am to noon at 1404 Elfe Street on Daniel Island. The cost is $65.00 per person. Space is limited, so pre-registration is recommended by visiting www.yogawithmuni.com.