Courses
Mindfulness
Meditation means different things to different people; for me, it addresses a vital aspect of our education that was neglected in the early years for the vast majority of us. That is the training of our attention.
Speech is needed for thoughts to develop. Before the development of speech, most infants are just present and aware. Some of us may remember the first time we noticed thoughts arising in our childhood and watching where they led with a playful interest.
We, of course, develop voluntary control over our speech. However, the same cannot be said for thoughts. In all the meditative traditions of the world, identification with thoughts is main the cause of human psychological suffering. This is because most of our thoughts (most meditators say over 99%) are directed towards past events (positive and negative, the former turning into the latter often unwittingly. Furthermore, our thoughts are also directed towards anticipation of future events; for many doctors, especially if we are on call, this is the end of the shift. This has two psychological effects. The first is to take us away from the present moment, which, again, most meditators and therapists argue is a place of peace. Secondly and paradoxically, this anticipation of a future event can seem to elongate time.
Meditation is about diverting our attention from the incessant stream of thoughts. Even one conscious breath taken every hour can make a big difference during a shift. Meditation costs nothing, which may be why there is not the same wealth of literature that exists for many drug-related studies. That said, the practice of meditation spans millennia and exists in one form or another in all of the world traditions. You also have nothing to lose; it can be practised anytime and doesn't even need to interrupt your workflow - one conscious breath is all it takes.
Vikas Pandey
For more information and resources, please visit my website: www.pandey.healthcare
