The Meditation Medication

“Suppose you read about a pill that you could take once a day to reduce anxiety and increase your contentment. Would you take it? Suppose further that the pill has a great variety of side effects, all of them good: increased self-esteem, empathy, and trust; it even improves memory. Suppose, finally, that the pill is all natural and costs nothing. Now would you take it? The pill exists. It’s called meditation.” ~ Jonathan Haidt

My self medication began last year.

That’s when I began consistently taking this medicine.

It was the lowest possible dosage.

One breath.

But I could feel the positive effects even with these daily tiny doses.

I love how Jonathan Haidt describes “the pill.”

The evidence is clear.

Meditation has a positive effect on our overall health and wellness.

Physical, emotional, and relational.

I am a believer in meditation.

I also believe in the power of contemplative prayer.

For me, it’s often difficult to tell them apart.

The “pill,” as I see it, is the formal meditation or prayer.

The practice of intentionally blocking out time to sit in silence.

Bringing peace to my mind.

Not clearing my mind.

Rather training my focus.

Finding an energized tranquility.

A stillness I can draw upon multiple times a day.

So I have my formal practice, “the pill.”

But I feel the effects all day long.

My self-medication began with the smallest possible dose.

One breath.

Which often led to two or four. Or a minute or two.

But I consistently and intentionally took my medicine.

At least the minimum dosage every morning.

I found myself falling back on it several times throughout the day.

The medicine always did the trick.

It never failed to give me that hit of stillness or calm.

This summer, I decided to up the dosage.

Significantly.

To twenty minutes at a time.

I was reading Thomas Keating’s Open Mind, Open Heart.

I was also taking the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course.

With this stronger medication, I noticed a strong connection.

The connection between my meditation practice and my contemplative prayer practice.

Sitting in silence and stillness.

Practicing presence.

Being aware and attentive.

Judging the experience and myself less.

Noticing without reacting.

Feeling energized.

Feeling tranquility.

The medication boost was a definite wellness boost.

Physical, emotional, relational.

And spiritual.

“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We feel more alive. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation, and healing.”

~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

“The root of prayer is interior silence.”

“Silence is God’s first language. Everything else is a poor translation.”

~ Thomas Keating

I am grateful for my self-medication.

I am grateful for the side effects.

And I encourage you to give it a try.

Take a breath.

Now do it again.

Be silent

And fully awake.

Enjoy the energized calm of this moment.

Find a moment of stillness and peace.

And hopefully you’ll get hooked.