January - May 2010
As I said, off I went on Wednesday night to my first Mindfulness Meditation class not knowing what to expect. It was quite a relaxed group with a handful of people from all walks of life with a variety of different problems and, like me, a bit sceptical. The course consisted of the teacher introducing us to mindfulness, what it is and how it would help us in our day to day lives. We only done about 15 / 20 minutes worth of meditation but it was good talking to people about my problems and listening to them. Once the class finished she encouraged us to meditate for about 5 minutes a day for at least 5 days.
As I said, off I went on Wednesday night to my first Mindfulness Meditation class not knowing what to expect. It was quite a relaxed group with a handful of people from all walks of life with a variety of different problems and, like me, a bit sceptical. The course consisted of the teacher introducing us to mindfulness, what it is and how it would help us in our day to day lives. We only done about 15 / 20 minutes worth of meditation but it was good talking to people about my problems and listening to them. Once the class finished she encouraged us to meditate for about 5 minutes a day for at least 5 days.
After the first class I did feel there might be something in this and I thought I'd give it a go. So, I meditated every day for at least 10 minutes and I did feel something, but still did not know what. I explained what was happening to the teacher and the other students and they encouraged me to keep it going. Each class consisted off learning about different areas of mindfulness and encouraging us to increase our meditation from 5 minutes up to about 30 minutes. Vicki also taught different types of meditation, including walking and standing, as well as sitting meditation. She also told us how to be mindful of all situations in day to day life.
After the first 4 weeks, on my 39th birthday, my wife said that she noticed how relaxed I was becoming and that I was not shouting at at her as often as I used too. In fact she was beginning to enjoy my company again. So we both agreed that I should finish the course, which consisted of another 6 classes, and see how I get on.
By the end of the 10 weeks, I felt like I was a new person. My meditation had increased to about 20 to 30 minutes every day, sometimes twice a day, and I was able to cope with my day to day life, at home and in work. I had stopped getting angry at my wife and was again enjoying spending time with her and my son. I was also enjoying seeing the world in new way using mindfulness. It was amazing.
After the first 4 weeks, on my 39th birthday, my wife said that she noticed how relaxed I was becoming and that I was not shouting at at her as often as I used too. In fact she was beginning to enjoy my company again. So we both agreed that I should finish the course, which consisted of another 6 classes, and see how I get on.
By the end of the 10 weeks, I felt like I was a new person. My meditation had increased to about 20 to 30 minutes every day, sometimes twice a day, and I was able to cope with my day to day life, at home and in work. I had stopped getting angry at my wife and was again enjoying spending time with her and my son. I was also enjoying seeing the world in new way using mindfulness. It was amazing.
After reading a couple of books on mindfulness, Full Catastrophe Living: How to Cope with Stress, Pain and Illness Using Mindfulness Meditation by John Kabat-Zinn and The Mindful Way Through Depression by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn. I wanted to take this further.
So, after the Easter break, I went back for a second course with the same teacher at the same place. This time it was a proper 6 weeks course and pushed us more to do longer and more intense meditations, which was just what I wanted. By the end of the course I was meditating more at home, in the morning when I first wake up and at night before bed, and was more mindful of everything.
During this course I had bought a little folding bike to start cycling into work and to improve my fitness, I was also beginning not to enjoy driving as I was finding it too stressful. I got a folding bike (see picture above) because I needed to catch a train to work as it is just too far to cycle from Penarth to Llantwit Major, and a folding bike seemed the best option as I can fit it in a car if I needed a lift, as well as on the train. Whilst cycling down some of the country lanes outside Llantwit Major to my office, which consisted of a farm and lovely green hedgerows, I was beginning to notice how wonderful everything was and how vibrant the colours were. This helped me relax even more and I used this as a form of meditation.
Once the course finished at the end of May 2010, both myself and my wife were amazed by the change in me. I was a much happier and relaxed person, I was able to enjoy everything I do and my anger had all but gone. If I did feel myself snapping, I was able to control it and not get so angry. I would recommend mindfulness meditation to anyone who want to control there anger or overcome depression. It can even be used to help control and overcome physical pain as well.
Once the course finished at the end of May 2010, both myself and my wife were amazed by the change in me. I was a much happier and relaxed person, I was able to enjoy everything I do and my anger had all but gone. If I did feel myself snapping, I was able to control it and not get so angry. I would recommend mindfulness meditation to anyone who want to control there anger or overcome depression. It can even be used to help control and overcome physical pain as well.
Once the course finished at the end of May 2010, both myself and my wife were amazed by the change in me. I was a much happier and relaxed person, I was able to enjoy everything I do and my anger had all but gone. If I did feel myself snapping, I was able to control it and not get so angry. I would recommend mindfulness meditation to anyone who want to control their anger or overcome depression. It can even be used to help control and overcome physical pain as well.
Next, Buddhism and Sri Chinmoy.
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