Parkinson's: Mindfulness Meditation

 

A Journey Into Parkinson's with Nancy Mellon

Coordinated by Corinne Bayraktaroglu

 Mindfulness Meditation

A Practice, I need to practice

Photo by Max on Unsplash

For years, I have circled around the idea of meditation, often dipping a toe into a meditation practice without it ever blossoming into a full blown practice. Over most of my adult life, I have read many books about mindfulness meditation, and have gotten a lot of who I am out of them. I have taken some classes on it online.  I've even gone to the Dharma Center in town to start a class there. (I think I ended up doing 2 classes in the series of 8.)

My once a week, journal writing session has been lead by a wonderful teacher, who does have a practice,  it imbues everything she does.  Sometimes she leads us in a meditation.  But it never seems to come down to me, meditating for a regular time each day.  I feel bad about that.  I feel I have failed at meditating. Saying that makes me smile,  it sounds melodramatic.  It just seems like wrong thinking for a Buddhist, which I am not, but I sort of am?  I don't know what I am anymore, besides a spiritual seeker.

My favorite mindfulness teacher is Sylvia Boorstein. I have read all of her books and lately have had the pleasure of listening to her Dharma talks on you tube.  She is my idea of the perfect laughing Buddha. She is a Jewish Grandmother, who says that she is a faithful Jew and a passionate Buddhist. 

This is a quote from her website: I like to say that my spiritual practice is the whole of my life. When people ask, "What do you practice?" I respond, "I am trying to keep my mind clear and alert so that my heart can be open to respond with kindness and compassion to all parts of my life." I've recently changed from teaching, "Mindfulness in Everyday Life" to saying, "Everyday Life IS Mindfulness Practice." There is no situation in which paying careful kind attention would not be the most helpful response.”

In some ways. I think that is my answer to my quandary of not following a meditation practice-My spiritual practice is the whole of my life.  I read books and magazines about mindfulness and think: “Ah, Ha! That is who I want to be.”  Then I underline it all  (hope you can see me smiling)  and try to put it into practice in my life. BUT,  (isn't there always a 'but' in life?)  But, AH HA! I do need to practice meditating to keep my mind clear and alert. So the quandary is still a quandary.  How can I believe in meditating and still not have a daily practice of meditating?

This is where I get honest with myself and you.   l don't like meditating, it seems boring and I can't keep my mind focused on it. Hence I feel  like I am failing at it.  And I don't like to fail.

And that is where we step into the Parkinson's part of this post. Parkinson's is a disease that affects our body and our brain. It can affect our emotions and our ability to think clearly and to focus and to remember things.  It is a disease that gets worse over time.  (I hate saying that.) It is different in each of us.  Meditating can help us.   Actually it can help everyone.

My CBT Therapist talked first about meditation. So has every book about Parkinson's I've read. The Parkinson's Foundation thinks it is so important that they have Monday Mindfulness sessions that you can join in online on their website

It is important for our mind and body's health to meditate.  It is important for our spirit to meditate.

So Nancy, it takes more than seeking, it takes practice. Which is why it is called a Meditation practice.

(I will not say 'Duh', even If I think it. I'm smiling again.) It might have been enough for me, to seek out information and read about it, before but now I am in a race with the Snark.

I need to meditate daily to gain the benefits of it. Will I do it?

Yesterday I watched a part of a Parkinson's Foundation webinar about Dementia and Parkinson's. I had to turn it off. It scared me.

Sylvia Boorstein has a quote that I love.  It's a mantra to say to yourself:

•       Sweetheart, you are in pain.

•       Relax.

•       Take a breath.

•        Let's pay attention to what is happening.

•       Then we'll figure out what to do.

 Next Week- Meditation Practice-The Race with the Snark

cheers,

Nancy & the Snark

Footnotes From Corrine

I could never do the meditation practice and felt like such a failure and frustrated BUT when I came across Dadirri BOOM! 

 It just worked for me.  I cannot always sit by a river or an ocean BUT I can sit and do deep listening wherever I am OR I put on my earphones and listen to the waves at the seaside for 30 to 60 minutes. The sense of calm, peace and connection I have from doing dadirri is very restorative.