From No Where To Now Here
Recently I listened to Dr. Wayne Dyer (1940-2015) in a podcast lecture that started with his sharing of the dissolution of his practice at age 65. His plan was move to Hawaii to take a pause to see what came next. He committed to reading the Tao Te Ching daily. He reported meditating 4 days on each passage for one year. A transformational experience for him, as it was for me hearing it. Dr. Dyer is well-known for his first bestseller in 1975: “Your Erroneous Zones: Step-by-Step Advice for Escaping the Trap of Negative Thinking and Taking Control of Your Life”. The book had two main themes, as Dr. Dyer wrote in the introduction. The first was “You are the sum total of your choices.” The second was “There is only one moment in which you can experience anything, and that is now, yet a great deal of time is thrown away by dwelling on past or future experiences.” I’m all in!
The title of this post is a phrase I cannot forget from his talk. It embraces what Ram Dass made famous- “be here now” , and others like Eckhart Tolle, Rumi, Ghandi, MLK all agree with the need to become present. There are a thousand others who would agree. Practicing this in the moment is difficult, but life changing when we remember to do it.
Becoming more present, centering, finding our feet, what is your way of centering? Everyone has accomplishes this mighty task differently. Take a breath right now, and feel the vast ocean of pleasantness that surrounds you. These were Milton Trager’s words. Dr. Trager studied with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who brought Transcendental Meditation to the western world. Milton was one of his first 8 initiates. (Liskin, J., 1996, Moving Medicine, The Life and Work of Milton Trager MD.) We can recall this place and feeling often. When we become calm, a soothing and healing vibration changes our state of mind. The change happens through our central nervous system (CNS). There is certainly a physiological effect, but how does it work?
When we drop into a state of calmness, research tells us chemical messengers (hormones and other substances) including serotonin, GABA, and dopamine are sent to every cell, calming our CNS . At the same time there is a reduction of the amount of cortisol in our system. Cortisol is our stress hormone, and good for us short term, but if left in high levels for too long, inflammation is the result as well as more serious complications like heart disease, insomnia, cancer, and insulin resistance. Our bodies are rejuvenated and healed in a calm state. We build resilience to stress when we spend time here. Sleeping well is vital. Meditation on a regular basis helps us move into this state at will, and is useful for gaining control over many issues in our lives. Watch this: One moment meditation
Another benefit from the ability to stay present is that it changes our intimate relationships with others and our world. I wish you an opportunity today, to listen more and stress less!
