My Mind in Training

Left to its own devices, my mind is like a puppy -- eager, unfocused, prone to distraction.

That first leash promises a certain freedom to take to the trails, but it also brings out excitability and rebelliousness. Our puppy strains, pulls, and bounds off to follow first one scent, and then another, losing all interest in whatever quest was so captivating before. Puppy wanders off until reminded of what we were doing.

That's my mind as I start to develop a focused practice of meditation.

In January, I took a four-week course from Diane Hecht through Cornell's Wellness Program. She's upbeat and encouraging. She's able to laugh at our community's earnestness and the natural propensity for people to be offended, especially herself. I like her evidence-based approach, her background in integrative medicine, and the authority she brings as a longtime practitioner.

Now, two months into establishing my regular practice, my most noticeable benefit is in the battle against distractibility.

You know how it is. I sit down to pay a bill or answer an email and then start wondering what's new right now at the New York Times. Reading the headlines leads to an article on where boomers like to travel in winter, which leads to idle speculation about available rental houses in the Outer Banks next summer, or maybe a trip to Costa Rica.

Ten minutes are gone before I return to the project of recalling my password so I can pay my bill.

But now I find that I'm getting better at sticking to the task at hand. I'm learning to do one thing at a time, and -- high five! -- to remember what it was I was intent on doing!

There is renewed interest in mindfulness meditation, in part because research shows its benefits for stress reduction, anxiety management, and overall well-being -- all benefits I hope to experience as well. Jon Kabat-Zinn first studied and applied ancient meditation techniques in hospital settings with positive results. Today mindfulness meditation is endorsed by the psychological and medical communities and incorporated into many treatment modes.

In my beginner stage of meditation, I am also looking at compassionate awareness meditation traditions out of Buddhist and yogic traditions. Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, BKS Iyengar, and Tara Brach all have wisdom to share. But more on that another time.

Check out this recent synthesis of research looking on mindfulness meditation's effects from the American Psychological Association.

The Welcome Center at Cornell Plantations was 

a peaceful location for winter meditation classes.