Interviews From Continuum's: Look Who Meditates in the 21st Century

Meditation is unrivalled. It's a creative, dynamic, powerhouse. It raises energy, reduces tension, it even helps us to respond appropriately and, is a welcome break from the world. Beyond that, it's a universal gateway into the cosmology of life, a time to reside in our hearts and let our spontaneous juices flow in the stream of consciousness - with love and life. We all meditate for different reasons.
 
How and when we meditate, is a personal matter, indeed. We know what food we love to eat, the clothes we prefer to wear, or the music we love to listen to, right down to how we enjoy making love; our essential nature is always informing us.

Interview Menu:

Yelena - Beauty Therapist
Vaughan - Stockbroker
Leanne - Graphic Designer
James - Business Manager & Yoga Teacher
Isabelle - Medical Doctor
Derek - Senior Police Officer
Angelina -Life & Business Coach

Introducing Yelena - an expert in beauty therapy

Introducing Yelena Palei an expert in beauty therapy and all things beautiful, a make up artist, mother of two adult children who meditate and a loving partner.

Arian: How did you initially discover meditation?
Yelena: “I was first introduced to meditation about eleven years ago. My first meditation teacher was a professional psychiatrist in Russia, who moved away from treating her patients with medication and instead, taught them how to meditate without the dependency of prescribed drugs. She encouraged meditation to each person – learning how to self-regulate your own unique healing process. She herself was trained by the doctor who developed the same method for astronauts to meditate. This meditation training was practiced at the Centre for Training of Astronauts. At that time I had a vague understanding of meditation as I had read a few books touching on the subject .So learning it from a teacher sounded like a good idea. It was quite an intensive workshop going for ten weeks, during which we explored the effects of meditation on the mind, body and spirit connection.

Arian: When did you realize that meditation was very beneficial for you?
Yelena: After meditating regularly for about a month I was doing 30 minute sessions every morning and sometimes also in the evening, I started to notice beneficial effects that were improving my overall health and the state of my mind.
 
Arian: What is your own personal meditation style?
Yelena: I find that meditating with visualisation works the best for me, although sometimes when I need a change, I also enjoy using mantras and affirmations, which for me has proven to be quite powerful as well.

Arian: How does meditation serve you in business and as a woman, mother and partner?
Yelena: Regular practice of meditation allows me to be more focused and more productive at work. I’ve noticed I am more patient, understanding and loving towards my partner and kids. As a woman I am more in touch with my feminine side and my intuition becomes increasingly developed the more I meditate. I often get amazing comments from my friends, especially when they get to see me straight after a meditation session because they’re usually left wondering, “What she has done to herself to emanate such a healthy glow of energy in herself and even around her?”

Arian: What do you really love about meditation?
Yelena: What I love about meditation is that it gives me an opportunity to be in my own space; I often say it’s like going on a date with myself because I am there for myself. It reinforces and confirms the importance of remembering and honouring who I truly am.

Arian: What doesn’t work for you in meditation?
Yelena: I also find that when I meditate that it does not work for me to question the process or technique I am using at the time. On the contrary, the best thing is to trust the process and give in to the energy during my meditation session.

Arian: What do you know for sure, about meditation?
Yelena: I know for sure that meditation is vital to my mental and physical health.
 
Arian: What has been your biggest shift with meditation?
Yelena: My biggest shift with meditation has been the realization that it has changed the quality of my life. It has been incredibly eye opening for me and without a doubt, it has made me stronger as a person because I am in charge of who I am. Having said that, I have notice that I attract  like minded people into my life and I definitely have more meaningful and healthier relationships.

Arian: What is your advice to other people who are curious about meditation?
Yelena: My advice to people who are curious about meditation is to have an open mind, to not judge but rather, trust the whole process and you will see where it takes you; sometimes to incredible levels of consciousness you don’t expect.

Arian: Finally, where would you be without meditation?
As for myself I will always be grateful to have had that invitation to learn to meditate eleven years ago. I cannot imagine where I would be without meditation in my life.  In our fast and ever changing beautiful world, meditation is necessary and a vital part of my life.

Yelena Palei – make- up artist and beauty therapist who specializes in bridal and special occasion make up , facials ,waxing, brow and lash tinting. You can contact her on 0411 874100 or email: yelenapalei@optusnet.com.au

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Introducing Vaughan - Stockbroker

 “I also love the unlimited creative freedom that my regular meditation practice offers because I can access many possibilities; I just simply close my eyes, clear my mind and allow a journey to begin.”
                                                        
Introducing Vaughan James, a 30+ senior stockbroker & Associate Director with one of the world's leading financial institutions who loves making a difference and whose passions include his wife, fly-fishing and collecting art.

Arian: How did you get started with meditation?
Vaughan: I first started meditating several years ago with some basic lessons from Arian. I have since then fine tuned my meditation style with further tuition, which has helped me enormously in my own self exploration through meditation.

Arian: Describe the experience when you discovered meditation was actually good for you?
Vaughan: I had profound relief when I discovered meditation was good for me because I finally had some control with my emotions. I found that I was much more in control with how I responded to a given stressful situation, instead of reacting negatively. I also found that coming home and meditating after a stressful day enabled me to solve my problems more easily and I did not have to worry about the problems I could not control. This has been of great comfort to me.

Arian: What is your own personal meditation style?
Vaughan: My personal meditation style involves three broad techniques that work for me. Firstly I sit each day for my formal meditation session with my inspring wife, this involves doing some deep breathing and visualization, which is perfect because it calms me after a stressful day trading the share-market. Secondly I use the 20 minutes I have in the morning during my train ride to work incorporating Spot Meditations to help prepare me for my busy day. I follow this same pattern through on the train returning home.  Finally I have also incorporated meditation into some of my favourite recreational activities, such as fly fishing and walking my dog on the beach.  I have found that just by slowing down and being present in the moment that I can really switch off and enjoy the moment a lot more.

Arian: How does meditation serve you as a stockbroker, man and partner?
Vaughan: Meditation has enabled me to be more present in the moment and more available to others in both my career and personal life.

Arian: What do you really love about meditation?
Vaughan: I love that meditation has helped me to stop stressing big time about the challenges that life can bring in my work and in my personal relationships. Rather than attaching myself to a problem and greatly exaggerating it, I am able to put problems aside and address them more objectively. I also love the unlimited creative freedom that my regular meditation practice offers because I can access many possibilities; I just simply close my eyes, clear my mind and allow a journey to begin.

Arian: What doesn’t work for you in meditation?
Vaughan: I have not had much success with very structured or disciplined meditation methods in the past, as I prefer a more freestyle method where I allow my instincts and intuition to guide me.

Arian: What do you know for sure, about meditation?
Vaughan: I know for sure that meditation is an important part of my life, it has helped me enormously to get more out of life and to become the person I am, rather than just living the role my life circumstances were dictating. I feel confident that it will play an even greater role in my future as I discover more and more, its unlimited potential.

Arian: What has been your biggest shift with meditation?
Vaughan: My biggest shift with meditation has been moving away from more traditional structured meditation training methods to developing and exploring my own meditation methods that feel right for me. I think it is important for others to know that I believe there is no right or wrong way to meditate and that you can have fun connecting with yourself and the world, by developing your own meditation methods that specifically suit who you are as a person.

Arian: How has meditation changed you over the years?
Vaughan: Meditation has enabled me to live more in the here and now and it has given me some great life skills; one being to not run with my problems. I am calmer and more accepting of life in general and definitely healthier in my body and mind.

Arian: Finally, where would you be without meditation?
Vaughan: Without meditation I would definitely be more stressed which I feel would have a negative effect on my health and on my relationship with my family. Without my daily meditation practice, I would not be able switch off easily after work and enjoy my personal life. I love that meditation has enabled me to control my stress levels because this had been a major concern in my life.

November 2009 

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Introducing Leanne - Graphic Designer

Introducing 30+ Leanne Savage a graphic designer for 11 years with expertise in branding and print advertising. Meditation has contributed to Leanne's very high standard of creativity and design.

Arian: How did you get started with meditation?
Leanne: Meditation is something I've wanted to do for a while. I have a very stressful job running a design studio. I needed an outlet to help me relax instead of taking work and general problems home with me. I was introduced to Arian through a friend and attended one of Arian's 4 week self-care meditation training courses.

Arian: Describe the experience when you discovered meditation was actually good for you?
Leanne: Oh, it was such a relief to realise that I didn’t need to spend an hour in the gym, to take a day off, or even go on a holiday to unwind; just a few minutes was all I needed to make a big difference to my day! Even when I'm sitting at the traffic lights, or in a room waiting, I can just let go and practice the amazing techniques Arian has taught me. I know its doing me a great deal of good because of how I feel afterwards. I am definitely calmer and much nicer to be around! I can see the positive in everything now and, my outlook on life is positive and bright.

Arian: What is your own personal meditation style?
Leanne: As I don't have a lot of time, in between work, socializing, relationships and exercise, I am definetely an on the spot meditator; all I need is a few minutes throughout the day, say four to five times where I do short meditations. They don't need to be "free" minutes. I've actually learnt to meditate while my hands are frantically washing my hair in the shower when I'm running late! I've learnt that when I focus on what I am doing in the here and now with my breathing, it is worth the attention I gave it. I can manage life without getting stressed and wound up, which is what I use to do in the past.

Arian: How does meditation serve you as a designer, woman and partner?
Leanne: Since I starting meditating, I haven't fallen sick from a cold or the flu, nor have I been run down. I feel as though meditation cares for me and I can understand why you call your training "self- care meditation.” The word meditation on its own, makes it sound like you need to cross your legs and sit on a cliff-top, definitely not for me! Meditation is my friend, it’s something that will always do me good and it will always be kind to me when I give it the space and time.
As a designer, I've been able to slow down my pace and think things through more clearly and plan out my day. I find after a spot meditation I can concentrate on the task at hand, rather than letting my mind race through everything else.
As a woman, meditation has proven to be at its most valuable to me, during bad PMT. I recognise irrational thoughts and behaviour and, actually have the better ability to laugh at myself. As a partner, I'm probably a pain in the butt, as I keep telling my boyfriend to read my meditation manual and meditate! Unfortunately like most people, he believes its all legs crossed and humming noises. Ironically, I'm far more patient now and forgive him for being so cynical. I just laugh at him back!

Arian: What do you really love about meditation?
Leanne: What is SO amazing about meditation is that it’s yours and yours only, nobody can enter your space, they can’t see it or touch it, or even feel it, it's purely your own private personal universe, away from the craziness of life. I think for a busy mum or parent it is the perfect way to ‘take time out’. In meditation you don't have to be completely on your own to shut out the world. It is all in your mind and when you trust it, I love how it can guide you to somewhere,important.

Arian: What doesn’t work for you in meditation?
Leanne: I think what doesn't work for me is doing the traditional long meditation sessions of an hour or more. As much as I'd love to, I just don't have the time and,I know what works for me.

Arian: What has been your biggest shift with meditation?
Leanne: My biggest shift since starting meditation has been spending time "looking at myself" and examining my life, which has increased my self-awareness; especially when I'm stressed out. I can now stop and say "oh I’m stressed out" or “I could get stressed if I continue in this way” and begin to undo it with my meditation awareness skills. 
In recognizing what it is, observing it, and just putting it aside – like something I found in a cupboard – then simply move on with my day. As a result, I'm way more productive at work, as I don't spend a lot of time worrying or being stressed out!

Arian: How has meditation changed you in the last several years?
Leanne: My friends have actually commented since I started meditation that I'm much more pleasant to be around! Ha ha …! I laughed hard when they said that, but I know it's from my spot meditations throughout the day and overall, increased awareness. I think looking inside ourselves positively, is something most of us don't do enough, of which I now do a lot of. It's increased my self-esteem and self-confidence at work and I think it’s even improved my design work and creativity. My relationships have improved, too.
I look back before I was meditating and I think I was a bit insecure, but now realize I am a beautiful, living, breathing being, who has been having a love affair with life. I'm a much happier person.
I can't believe most people do not meditate! I work in the industry of branding and design, I think that meditation needs to be "re-branded" for people to make them realise what meditation actually is; the benefits are SO amazing.
It’s not a hippy thing where you sit with your legs crossed and try to close your mind; I love that meditation actually encourages you to open your mind positively, to explore and examine all kinds of possibilities.

Arian: Finally, where would you be without meditation?
Leanne: Argh, I’d hate to imagine. Probably I'd still be a stressed out worry wart with "no time to relax"!

30+ Leanne Savage a graphic designer for 11 years with expertise in branding and print advertising.
Meditation has contributed to Leanne's very high standard of creativity and design.
Leanne can be contacted on 0413 621 790 or leanne.savage@gmail.com to view her folio.

October 2009

Introducing James - Business Manager & Yoga Teacher

Introducing 50+ James Rostas, a business development manager, yoga teacher, father of two teenagers and a husband who teaches yoga on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Arian: How did you get started with meditation?
James: I was introduced to meditation as part of a comprehensive yoga program taught by Vijayadev Yogendra in Melbourne back in the late 1970's. Meditation was not widespread in the community at that time. I was seventeen in an all male yoga class (back then women and men were separated) and I was at least 20 years younger than the next oldest person. I felt like a "fish out of water" in the first few weeks of learning yoga, and especially with the breathing, relaxation and meditation practices, which were like nothing else I had been exposed to before. It must be remembered that back then yoga was viewed as something quite esoteric. None of that prevented me from continuing to attend classes because I immediately recognized the deep wisdom of what I had encountered. And now many years on, it is satisfying to see so many students benefiting from those same wisdom traditions that attracted me.

Arian: Describe the experience when you discovered meditation was actually good for you?
James: It was when I started experiencing a quietening of the mind and a greater sense of calm more consistently, that I felt meditation was making a positive contribution in my life.

Arian: What is your own personal meditation style?
James: I follow a traditional yoga meditation in a sitting posture. Using attention to detail, I concentrate on various areas of the body and then breathe for a few minutes. Once the body and mind settle I follow no particular process into silence.

Arian: How does meditation serve you as a manager for business development, father, man and partner?
James: Meditation serves as a vantage point that allows a part of me to stand back and notice my involvements in different roles and situations. This gives me a sense of perspective that helps me to keep it real.
Meditation helps me enormously in terms of handling stress that accrues from managing a busy work schedule, family and teaching commitments. Its consistent practice has taught me the value of gentle self discipline. This gives me energy to work, rest and play, and has built up good health in my own body and mind. Meditation has provided me with a practical tool to find a deeper meaning in life and to experience greater joy and peace.

Arian: What do you really love about meditation?
James: Recognizing that I am doing what I can to improve my life through cultivating healthy self regard.

Arian: What doesn’t work for you in meditation?
James: Not respecting what is - by denying, resisting or manipulating experiences as they arise.

Arian: What has been your biggest shift with meditation?
James: My attitudes and values have greatly shifted since starting meditation. Meditation has not changed who I am, only who I know I am. Since meeting with you and doing your meditation training, I have thought how useful and effective your particular style of teaching meditation is, because it makes meditation accessible to anyone, in any situation. So all I can say is, keep breaking down the old mindsets about what meditation is, because what you are teaching is right for our times.

Arian: How has meditation changed you in the last several years?
James: It might be more useful to ask the people who have known me for many years, but I'd say meditation has allowed me to experience a greater sense of personal freedom in my life. My wife has mentioned that I have become more patient and, that I am less likely to overreact!!

Arian: Finally, where would you be without meditation?
James: I can't know where I would be without meditation because that has not been my path. Yet if I take a guess, I would probably be less sane and perhaps, more vain in my life.

50+ James Rostas, a business development manager, yoga teacher, father of two teenagers and a husband who teaches yoga on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland onmiyoga@hotmail.com   0447 413 321.

September 2009

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Introducing: Isabelle - a Medical Doctor

Introducing 40+ Isabelle, a medical doctor in private practice, who loves to paint on canvas, and is married with two teenagers.

Arian: How did you get started with meditation?
Isabelle: After completing my medical training at university in 1989, I was incapable of doing anything else. Friends and family could not understand why I needed to have a break, but a dear girlfriend saved me from myself and suggested I travel to India with her. We were persuaded by German travellers to join them at Igatpuri, Maharashtra for a ten day retreat with a man called Goenka. As hard as it was, it taught me the basics of self-exploration and observation based meditation which is known as Vipassana Meditation.

Arian: Describe the experience when you discovered meditation was actually good for you?
Isabelle: On the fifth day of the retreat with Goenka, I experienced an epiphany; that human suffering is pervasive, but most of it we can control with our responses. I was able to observe my own mind with convincing objectivity, I felt so free and distant from whom I was expected to be, back in Australia.

Arian: What is your own personal meditation style?
Isabelle: It’s been twenty years, two children, a medical practice and a supportive husband who are my living and breathing meditation these days. As much as I valued the earlier training I had, meditation is not as disciplined or intense. Arian has certainly taught me the value of chunking it down to smaller, more manageable sizes that make it practical and useful. I will meditate formally 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes, more or less. Being open to the present moment when I walk the dogs in the morning is very special, the silence in the crisp, cool air as the light breaks with the sun rising and the birds calling is a great way to start the day. I love listening to classical music especially to the string instruments in detail. Painting entices me to surrender to the moment and I love watching my children and husband together; I am so fortunate; it makes me cry.

Arian: How does meditation serve you as a doctor, mother, woman and partner?
Isabelle: With increasing scientific inquiry meditation is gaining respect. I am particularly interested in the work done by neuroscientist Sarah Lazar and fellow MD Jon Kabat-Zinn, both bring wonderful arguments to the table. When appropriate, I endorse the value of meditation to my patients, the feedback from Arian’s training has been appreciated and highlighted in, for example, seeing dramatic changes in their blood pressure, anxiety and less need for their medication which is a win-win for everyone. Mothering my children who are growing quickly reinstates the need to spend as much meaningful and present time with them as possible. Meditation brings out the softer, more feminine side of my life because it’s sitting in the quiet of my own solitude; every woman needs that. Regular sitting makes me appreciate my husband on many levels, without him, I would not have the fortunate life that I do.

Arian: What do you really love about meditation?
Isabelle: The quietude, peace, the resilience and the ability to observe my own life from all angles; it helps me articulate my own needs and the needs of my family.

Arian: What doesn’t work for you in meditation?
Isabelle: In traditional meditation, the pressure to not have thoughts, to not move and to sit completely still for hour’s is not compatible with the way I live today.

Arian: What has been your biggest shift with meditation?
Isabelle: Giving myself the freedom to trust my needs, to know what is right for me and exploring meditative awareness in all that I do.

Arian: How has meditation changed you in the last several years?
Isabelle: Awareness in life is paramount; without it we can't move forward.

Arian: Finally, where would you be without meditation?
Isabelle: A very one dimensional, ignorant and ungrateful human being.

August 2009

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Introducing: Derek - Senior Police Officer

Introducing 40+ Derek (not his real name) a senior police officer with the Victorian Police Force for 12 years.

Arian: How did you get started with meditation?
Derek: I had a violent father and my mum did everything she could to protect us. One of her main influences was to send my brother and I to the local footy club, we lived in Darwin. I was 19 at the time when I met my Tai Kwon Do teacher, he was from the Philippines and he helped me get focused. He’d train the kids and players to strengthen and discipline their bodies and minds through meditation. Read more

Arian: Describe the experience when you discovered that meditation was actually good for you. 
Derek: There was a lot of peer group pressure, fast cars, girls, get drunk, take risks. Then one day, it cost me. I was in a car crash that killed my friend who was driving. I survived, with a broken leg and cracked pelvis. Something changed in me; I knew I had to do better; I was given a second chance. That’s when my Martial Arts teacher knew I was ready. Only then, did I really value the gift of meditation, it helped calm my mind, it cleared the stuff in my head I didn’t need to have and it helped me see a future; it gave me direction.

Arian: What is your own personal meditation style?
Derek: Over the years it’s changed. Friends introduced me to a TM teacher, (Transcendental Meditation) ten years ago and I tried that for a year, it turned out that it wasn’t for me, I felt locked in and went back to what I originally learned – visualisation and breathing. Since the personal coaching with you, I view meditation as a way of life, I apply it to everyday life; it’s more relaxed.

These days it’s a mixture of short meditations – shoulder relief, body scanning, breathing, pictures of my family. When I’m on duty, with the boys at several stations, particularly when it gets intense, it’s stressful when I see a lot of horror and aggression which affects my health – so breathing consciously, being in nature, riding my horses, being with my kids. Learning the ropes on how to meditate on ‘impermanence’ and ‘emptiness’ has helped me deal with stress more effectively.

Arian: How does meditation serve you as a man, a police officer, father and husband?
I love the bush and the ocean. My wife’s parents own a farm near Wilson’s Prom so we get to visit with the kids a lot. When I’m down there I go fishing and surfing with the family, being outdoors cleans me out, I feel energised - your meditation training has shown me that what I love doing can be my meditation. Sometimes when making an arrest and the guys freaking out in the back seat, I’ll encourage him to breathe; most of the time it works! My two kids are old enough to ride ponies now, I watch their faces, I see their joy; it stays with me. I’m working on the husband skills bit, my wife say’s it goes with the job …

Arian: What do you really love about meditation?
Derek: With the work I do, it’s important I have time out. Post traumatic stress in our working culture is huge and ongoing; there’s always someone on leave. The relaxation techniques are effective in relieving tension. Meditation has helped me to see more clearly - what I don’t want. I see myself in the job for another year or so. My mind set changes from being stressed with constant pressure, to feeling lighter in my body and thoughts; there’s a lot to be said about the link between physical well being and stress.

Arian: What doesn’t work for you in meditation?
Derek: (Thinking) That it’s okay to have thoughts and lots of them, that’s been the biggest breakthrough.

Arian: What has been your biggest shift with meditation?
Derek: I don’t have to stay with the same meditation skill. I can see how some meditation training is a set-up, where you are told what to do and you have to stick to it! Now I can go somewhere in my mindset, a mental picture, a favourite place, a feeling or just relax and watch my own stuff go by.

Arian: How has meditation changed you in the last few years?
Derek: What will stay with me for years is when you shared the story of Thich Nhat Hanh teaching meditation training to a police officer at a meditation retreat. As officers, we all carry guns; it goes with the job; but you can use your gun – “Mindfully”, you said. An explosion went off in my head, it made me see with 360 degrees and I’ve never forgotten that!

Arian: Finally, where would you be without meditation?
Derek: I can’t even begin to think about that …
Worse case scenario, a stress case … crikey … my kids, wife … meditation has made me appreciate them more. I want to be there, for them.

July 2009

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Introducing: Angelina Eynon - Life & Business Coach

Angelina Eynon is Founding Director of Positive Impact, an organisation that provides coaching, facilitation and group coaching services in the government and private sectors. Angelina’s passion is tapping and inspiring strength in individuals and teams. 

Arian: How did you get started with meditation?
Angelina: Through doing one of the four week programs with Arian. I had come across meditation in small doses as ‘the sleep at the end of yoga’ but not really had an understanding of what meditation was prior to Arian’s course.

Arian: Describe the experience when you discovered that meditation was actually good for you.
Angelina: The experience of discovering a) that meditation is good for me and b) that there’s no one, right way to meditate was (and still is) both liberating and has given me a sense of ‘coming home.’  Knowing that there’s somewhere I can always go, to very simply and easily relax, to heal and reinvigorate.

Arian: What does meditation mean for you living in the 21st century?
Angelina: Being a self-confessed hedonistic (at least some of the time) meditation for me is about pleasurable ways of stopping and being ‘in the moment’ with life: noticing the colours of the leaves or flowers while walking with my 4 year old (rather than hurrying her along to get to where I want to go); tapping into my body and mind’s needs for ‘down time’ when the days or weeks have been full on; savouring more of life’s moments – silver sunshine on water or the smile on someone’s face when they are proud of themselves.

Arian: What is your own personal meditation style?
Angelina: Right up front, I am not a one-hour-a-day, sit in a lotus meditator – and Arian has certainly taught me that that, is just fine, (just as being a one-hour- a- day meditator is just fine, too.) My personal style is stealing moments every day to stop - it might be to rest, or to appreciate or to savour or, to simply pause before responding. When I can, I do 10-20 minute guided meditations on my i-pod (especially when travelling).

Arian: How does meditation serve you as a woman, a coach, mother, wife, daughter …
Angelina: Meditation serves me by allowing me to be here and be human. This my sound a little ‘airy fairy’ but there is nothing greater than having a conversation with someone and actually looking into their eyes, hearing what they are saying and knowing that they feel heard. As a parent in particular, I feel like I am now much more mindful about truly connecting with my daughter and not just rushing through her and my life. That doesn’t mean I’m a perfect parent,  partner, coach or daughter, it just means that I have a greater level of awareness, mindfulness and appreciation, of how special my relationships are between myself and others. These relationships are what give me meaning in life.

Arian: What do you really love about meditation?
Angelina: I feel like its delicious ‘me’ time – stolen moments! And the cheeky side of me loves that!

Arian: What doesn’t work for you in meditation?
Angelina: It doesn’t work for me to ‘focus on my breath’ or to ‘clear my mind’.
I am probably doing these things – momentarily at some points – but wording them this way, it doesn’t work for me. If I see meditation as delicious ‘me time’ or as savouring something precious, I do it more and get more out of it. It’s now up there with chocolate and champagne for me!

Arian: What has been your biggest shift with meditation?
Angelina: My mindset about it – letting go of the view that I wasn’t doing it ‘right’ because I couldn’t clear my mind and stay 100% focused on my breath. Having freedom and playfulness with visualization, relaxation and sensation, has allowed me to really enjoy meditation.

Arian: How has meditation changed you in the last few years?
Angelina: I think it’s actually improved my sense of humour – the pauses I now take in my daily life allow me to see more clearly and notice what is important and what is not. I think I’m a better wife, mother and person to myself, because of my new experiences with meditation via Arian’s grounded and compassionate teaching.

Arian: Finally, where would you be without meditation?
Angelina: Much more stressed, less happy and less ‘free’ about life. I generally am the type of person who hits life full on, but I feel like I can still do that and be ‘lighter’ about it. As a coach, meditation has helped me to become a whole lot more present for my clients. To really ‘hear’ them and also to more fully, see and appreciate their potential – even when sometimes they don’t see that for themselves. Meditation has also helped me to become much more comfortable with who I am – especially the more creative and feminine sides of myself.

Angelina Eynon is Founding Director of Positive Impact, an organisation that provides coaching, facilitation and group coaching services in the government and private sectors. Angelina’s passion is tapping and inspiring strength in individuals and teams. Email: aueynon@optusnet.com.au

June 2009

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