Articles -
An Enriching Experience (Draft)
Margaret's Draft of the Article
MEDITATION
An Enriching Experience
An article on meditation may seem
out of place in the Maple Leaf, but then again, what better place is there for
such a discussion than a paper which is dedicated to and for the Canadian Armed
Forces and its personnel. Meditation is
for people and it is the people that make the military work. I am a member of the CF and I also meditate -
in fact I am a Meditation Master and Teacher.
I have discovered the enormous benefits of meditation in my life;
benefits that extend throughout my on and off duty time. Benefits that hold incredible potential for
both individual service persons and for the organisation as a whole.
The Department is undergoing a
crisis at this time - a people crisis.
We are asking our personnel to do more with less: our budget is
decreasing, material resources are diminishing, and our manpower is being
reduced. Personnel are being required to
take on more and more responsibility with less support and the result is
fatigue and undue stress. As the
expression goes our personnel are "at wits end". We have responded by implementing programs
for stress management and for teaching relaxation techniques.
I would like to present another way
- that of meditation. Meditation has a
large following throughout
The Master I learned from was
involved in many disciplines between 1965 and 1985 and by 1985 she was ready to
share her teachings with others. At that
time she brought together a group of dedicated individuals (now Meditation
Teachers) and she spent the next ten years teaching them the “inner law” so
that they might understand and be able to teach the fundamentals of life. These fundamentals, when followed, allow life
to work all of the time not just some of
the time.
Participants in Meditation sessions
are taught the hows and whys of physically and mentally preparing themselves to
become calm and centred. This physical and mental preparation involves learning
how to reach a deep state of relaxation.
Physically the body must be open (comfortable, at ease, relaxed) while
mentally the mind must be free of the endless chatter (thoughts) that so often
flows continuously through it. Equally
important is the relationship between the mental state and the effect of that
mental state on the physical body. For
example we speak of someone who is upset or angry as being “uptight” for a
reason - his or her body is clearly
closed (tight). The Meditation Master
explains this relationship such that the participant can understand the value,
and the necessity, of maintaining an emotional balance.
Meditation is taught as a way of
life; it is meant to be lived in every moment.
Participants learn how to remain calm and focused no matter what the
situation they might find themselves in.
Meditation is taught as a process onto itself. As such the student can achieve a balanced
and relaxed state through out the day and night - whether out walking, in
meetings, during personal interactions or even in conflict situations.
Meditation, although beneficial at
both the individual and institutional levels, is very much a personal growth
experience. In my case I have been
meditating for several years now and the results are astounding. It has been the single most effective method
I have ever learned for managing myself, for taking care of me, for addressing
my issues and concerns and for finding true relaxation. I no longer have to look for external sources
of support to assist me in reaching a relaxed state. I can do it all for myself by myself.
I have learned how to step back from
a situation (emotionally remove myself) so that I might be able to
"witness it" from an objective viewpoint and thus be able to make a
clear and effective decision on what steps to take. Emotion, stress, and fatigue have been
removed from my decision making process.
In this age of "do more with
less" I am finding that instead of "feeling under the gun", as
do many of my colleagues, I am enjoying my work and my personal life more than
I ever have in the past. My stress level
has diminished dramatically and my ability to relax has increased
exponentially.
Not only have my interpersonal
skills improved but also, far more importantly, it is my intra personal skills
which have developed incredibly allowing for dramatic changes in me and my
outlook on life. My attitude is more
positive with each passing day, my confidence level has soared, and my health
has blossomed.
Meditation has given me a source of
internal strength on which I can absolutely rely. Doubt and indecision are fading into the
past; I now give clear and effective direction with ease and confidence. More significantly it is my ability to relax,
to release the stress and the tightness (from my body) that has plagued me for
so many years, that has permitted me to achieve the benefits I have been
talking about. Meditation has taught me all of this.
From a military perspective
meditation offers tremendous potential. The benefits that I have gained are
equally accessible to each and every service person and thus to the Department
as a whole. Like me our personnel can
learn how to take responsibility for their feelings and their actions and can
learn how to reduce, and even prevent, the effects of stress. And like me they can learn how to truly
relax. Meditation, and its resulting benefits, can be realised anywhere and at
any time regardless of the circumstances or situation our personnel might find
themselves in. As such it is effective
both at home and in the workplace. It is
entirely practical for use by all members regardless of rank, job or posting
location. It can do for others what it
has done for me.
Major Margaret Davis has just completed her 19th year of service with the CF. She is currently seconded to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and is the Commanding Officer of the Military Security Guard Unit. Major Davis is also a fully qualified Meditation Master and Teacher.
