“Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.”

St Francis de Sales

Is meditation the real deal? In our house my family will tease me when I tell them I am going to ‘meditate’, their line is “oh dad is going to take a nap”. I am here to defend my non-napiness and encourage the art of meditation.

Did I just say “napiness”?

Meditation has been growing steadily in popularity over the last two decades. There are still those, my family included, who dismiss the practice. Some would call it a “waste of time”, I am here to tell you “waste not, want not gang!”

Meditation is so much more than just sitting around dozing. Please realize that a small ten to fifteen minute practice of meditation can do us all a world of good for our health, both mentally and physically. Isn’t that why the cell phone alarm was invented?

Meditation has been described as, “a state of awareness, not an act of doing”, by FreeMeditation.com. It may look simple. Take it from me, with a little practice it can be the most freeing of mindfulness exercises. As FreeMeditation.com says, “Meditation is a state of profound, deep peace that occurs when the mind is calm and silent, yet completely alert.”

It works gang!

Meditation is all about the act of letting go and giving yourself a few moments of inner peace. A balancing point, a freeness from the daily busyness and stressors that is living in the 21st century, supporting optimal health; it has been shown to have a wide variety of benefits including-

• Increasing alpha, theta and delta brain waves which can increase productivity, relaxation and creativity
• Seventy five percent of long term insomniacs trained in meditation can fall asleep within twenty minutes. (Source Dr. Greg Jacobs, Harvard)
• Meditation reportedly can boost the immune system
• Meditation may slow the aging process (International Journal of Neuroscience)
• Meditation practice is just that, practice. Try and find your time consistently and watch what happens