Dear [First Name],
Are you ever bothered by your thoughts? Do they buzz around inside your head, at times, like flies at a BBQ? Have you noticed that when there's a lot on your plate your thoughts have a tendency to aggravate and intensify your emotional reactions?

Well, the good news is that you are not alone. A busy mind is simply a result of an active life - it's evidence that you are alive and growing. Nevertheless, there are strategies for minimising the stress that your thoughts can trigger. This months Meditation Tip explores a couple of useful strategies in the quest for a healthier mind.

In This Issue...

• Meditation Tip - Oh no, I'm thinking again!
• Meditate in the Gardens
• Course Schedule - Registrations for Term 2 Courses now open.
• Win - The Art of Awareness
• Walking Meditation

Meditation Tip - Oh no, I'm thinking again!

A thought, at the biological level, is a tiny thing. A fleeting electrical impulse registered somewhere in the brain. And yet, in that brief moment, is great potential. A string of thoughts can turn into a book or a great work of art, or words capable of causing great joy or pain.

Our own thoughts can fill us with hope or send us spiraling into depression. It's no surprise then, that we're sometimes bothered by them. Although they can be almost impossible to see - it seems that they can (and do) push us around. This is the reason, perhaps, that so many people come to meditation seeking a way to banish thoughts from their minds.

Of course, there's not much hope of achieving this. It's natural to think. Thinking is a purpose of the mind. Our strategy then, needs to be one that aims not at banishing or blocking thoughts — but at befriending or harnessing the power of this potential ally.

It's useful to recognise that when we feel stressed we tend to invest our thoughts with greater urgency and importance. A tense body focuses our attention tightly on our thoughts and adds meaning  to them. We interpret our thoughts quite differently depending on whether we're relaxed or stressed. With this in mind, it pays to direct our attention away from thoughts when our bodies are tense. Our focus needs to be on returning the body to balance. If we do this successfully, our thoughts will cease to trigger our fears and anxieties and we'll find we have better control over how we feel and react.

This doesn't mean that we try to hide from our thoughts. It pays, particularly in the long term, to become aware and to learn from them. Here's a little strategy Lorin Roche suggests: Feel the Charge.

Close your eyes and observe your thoughts as a play of relaxation and tension. Welcome both. You may feel a little bit of inner silence, then a thought or two, then a short movie clip of an action you are planning to do today or did earlier in the day. Then you may think of an activity you should do but don't want to.

Notice the emotional charge that accompanies each thought that comes to mind. This charge may show up as an abstract feeling or something more concrete—a sensation in your throat, a heartache or an almost-headache. Whatever the sensation, let your awareness rest in it. Doing so will help the emotional tension unfold and release.

Meditate in the Gardens

As part of The City of Port Phillip Leisure & Lifestyle program I'll be conducting free guided meditations in the St Kilda Botanic Gardens on Tuesday mornings during April and May. The sessions will run from 7.00 - 7.45am on the 10th, 17th and 24th of April and on the 2nd, 8th and 15th of May. Start your day with a relaxed and clear mind. We'll be meeting at the Rose Garden.

Course Schedule

Term 2 - April/May 2007

*To be confirmed.

The Art of Awareness

Eric Harrison has been working diligently on his new book, The Art of Awareness, which is due out on the 15th of this month. In the meantime, I'm endeavouring to come up with ways to improve this newsletter, the Melbourne Meditation Centre website and the meditation courses themselves. I'd like to enlist your help in doing so, so I'm offering a free copy of The Art of Awareness (when it's released) to the person who comes up with the best suggestion(s).

Send your ideas to matt@melbounemeditationcentre.com.au by March 15 to be in the running.

Walking Meditation

ABC Radio Nationals' Encounter explores a variety of active meditations — from walking, to strenuous exercise and athletics — in this weeks edition. Tune in to 621AM in Melbourne (or see here for local frequencies in other states) at 7pm on Wednesday night. Alternatively, listen to the podcast or read the transcript online.

Know someone who could chill out?

Do you have friends who are perpetually stressed or anxious, have trouble sleeping or could just do with learning how to relax? Do them a favour and forward this email to them. (Or if this is you, subscribe here.)