Yeah. I took that photo. It was growing out of a wall of rocks in the Dominica rainforest. Once you are done admiring my photography skills, I want you to look at it again. Look at it and see it without labelling anything about it. Just look. And breathe. And look. And breathe. And breathe. And breathe.
Congratulations! You have just meditated (and if you are still feeling antsy- scooch down to enter the meditation giveaway). That is all there is to it. Sitting there, doing nothing at all. One of my favourite quotes, and I haven’t the foggiest idea where I picked it up is that “We will never collect enough doings to just be”. We always think that if we fulfill everything on our to do list, then we can have fun, then we can play, then we can be happy, then we can be.
You know what happens when we finish that to do list? Nothing because we never finish it. We get to one place and then add more to the list and long for another time in the future and miss the lives we have right now. This is where meditation comes in.
When I was a panicked sick cookie and moved down to LA, within a week I met my meditation teacher, who gave me a mantra and who taught me everything I ever needed to know: how to meditate. He taught me that by doing nothing, we accomplish everything, by ceasing to tear down the brick wall, we find the open door, things don’t have to be difficult to be earned, and that by being still for mere moments out of the day, we make space for new creation in our lives.
At the time I though it was all a load of hog-wash-hippy-dippy-dribble, but figured since my days involved yoga, organic food, acupuncture, sunrises, sunsets, bike rides and walks, what harm could more hog-wash-hippy-dippy-dribble do? None at all, my friends, none at all. When I first moved down to LA, I couldn’t sit (or lay, I should say lay) through an acupuncture treatment without my i-pod. Three months later I couldn’t get enough silence. Oooooh meditation. I want to hug and kiss you for everything you have brought me, or allowed into my life, or whatever the hog-wash-hippy-dippy-dribble way of saying it is.
I do realize, living in real life, that it is challenging to make time to do nothing. I need it though for my mental and physical health and do you know what swooped in to my life just when I realized I needed a force stronger than my own will to get me to sit still? Derek Turesky.
I was introduced to Derek by my very oldest friend Jay. Jay wanted Derek and I to meet, fall in love, and meditate our way to eternal bliss. Derek, however is from Florida and is studying in Iowa. I live in Toronto and we have yet to meet in person. Regardless of missing the love boat, I love what he does. Derek has a masters in clinical psychology, was trained by the master of mindfulness himself John Kabat-Zinn, is currently completing his PhD in psychology and helps his patients heal and be well with the scientifically proven benefits of Mindfulness Meditation.
This is a form of meditation that I don’t personally practice but which I am trained to teach and which I love for it’s proven effects on immune system health, chronic pain, stress and stress related illnesses and conditions. A few months ago, Derek sent me a copy of his DVD called Mindfulness Meditation and Stress Reduction for Beginners: The Garden of NOW to check out and it got me right back into my regular practice. It is fantastic!
See…
Derek, with his cute Floridian accent, guides the meditator every step of the way, providing an abundance of information on meditation, simplifying it wonderfully, providing step by step guidance and best of all, makes meditation easy and accessible.
So go on, get yourself a copy of the DVD. This is seriously and for reals a gift for yourself or anyone you know that gives and gives and gives. Calmness, joy, happiness and success are contagious. This is what meditation has brought to me, and see, now I am spreading it!
Of course I am giving a couple copies away. That’s how we roll over here at Making Love In The Kitchen. Free love!
Ways to enter:
- Post a comment below. Any old comment will do = 1 entry
- RSS/Email subscribe to my blog = 1 entry
- Follow Mindfulness DVD on Twitter = 1 entry
- Join Mindfulness group on Facebook = 1 entry
- Twitter the giveaway = 1 entry
- Blog the contest = 2 entries
- Join the Making Love In The Kitchen Facebook Group = 1 entry
- Follow moi on Twitter = 1 entry
Just what I need. Another book! Adding to the eternally growing list. Thanks so much for the reco.
Thoughts keep me up at night. I am a chronic worrier. Oh do I ever need this DVD. It’s great to know that such a guided meditation is out there.
This would be just great! With all the new ideas from your classes, I will be able to eat well and then meditate, hopefully all my pain away. I have been thinking about meditating but there are so many DVD’s out there, you just don’t know where to start! Thanks Meghan.
I meditate sporadically now, and must admit that I feel loads better when I do. This would be great to jump-start me to meditate better and more often. This DVD sounds especially beneficial since my immune system needs a boost…I would love to see if this helps!
My own recording of my classes will be coming soon too!
I would love to learn to mediate.
I would love to learn to meditate
If I won this I would give it away as a gift. After watching it!
Thank you for this opportunity, meditation has always seemed elusive to me, maybe this would do the trick. Love your blog!
ooo–i would love this! the meditation part of my yoga class is always the most frustrating–but i feel like it would benefit me the most. i’m sure whoever wins will love this!