Photo: kinworks.net
Recently a “Facebook friend” — though I bet he’d be my “in-person friend” if we lived near each other — posted what seemed to me to be an especially intriguing status update:
Meditation at Navy Medical Center this morning. After meditation one guy said, “Wow, thank you… I had no idea my mind moved so fast!”…It was the process of watching the mind that allowed him to see how much it jumps. It was his first ever meditation.
I didn’t quite get the context for this inspiring little story, but I knew I wanted to hear more. And then I got to thinking how much I’d like to know if our readers might share their own stories of first-ever or otherwise breakthrough meditation experiences — large and small. Sure, it’s a personal thing to talk about — but maybe doing so will help us help each other keep up the energy and will it sometimes takes to keep meditating.
The “TMI” in question is, actually, San Diego’s non-profit The Meditation Initiative, of which Jeffrey Zlotnik is Executive Director — and it was at a TMI-led event that his story from the Navy Medical Center took place. I asked Jeffrey to tell me some more.
“The Meditation Initiative,” he explains, “is leading a free 8-week meditation program via the United States Navy Medical Center in San Diego working with Wounded Warriors. This is part of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Intensive Outpatient Program (PTSD IOP). We are honored to work with these men.”
TMI’s mission is simple and much-needed: “The Meditation Initiative provides free meditation classes for children, adults, and seniors, to help reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus and attention, and share tools for anger management while improving overall health and wellbeing. Our free meditation outreach includes K-12 public schools, colleges, hospitals, prisons, diabetes patients, HIV patients, senior centers, veterans’ facilities, sober living homes, and group homes for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.
In other words: meditation for everybody. You can’t beat that.
So, everybody: why not check out The Meditation Initiative (especially if you’re in the San Diego area), and then see if you don’t have your own meditation story to share.
Because who couldn’t use a little more inspiration to meditate?
Lori S: This is awesome.
I had no idea that the Navy Medical Center offered classes on meditation. It's really good to see a synthesis of both Eastern (meditation, acupuncture, etc.) and Western philosophies and medicines in today's society. More and more 'esoteric' subjects such as yoga and meditation are more main stream than they've ever been. I think this is a move in the right direction.
I started a new blog called active bodhichitta. its based upon patrul rinpoche's instruction to practice the teachings.
I wanted to see what would happen if i actually followed the sage's great advice. So i commited myself to a year of practice on the Bodhicharyavatara and its commentary Nectar of Manjushri's Speech
Also i have made a new Guest Blog. Where my friends and those who are practicing similarly can write a essay and i'll publish it under guest blogs with your name and a link that you would like backlinked.
Mine is http://activebodhichitta.blogspot.com If you'd like write me and maybe you can do a guest blog for me.