Although meditation has been practiced for thousands of years as a means of connecting to the the spirit world, people today use it as a means of relaxation and stress reduction. I have never been one to meditate. Quite the contrary. My go-to method of stress reduction has always been physical exercise . . . aerobics, modern dance, group step or barre classes and, back in the day, Jazzercise. Life certainly can deal out tremendous pressure and without some sort of release valve, we run the risk of both mental and physical unwellness. Recently, Life walloped me with an unwelcome, uninvited and very difficult situation. For months, I delved into my default coping mode and exercised, walked, toned, lifted light weights and jazz-danced every single day with little or no improvement in my level of stress and distress. My good friend, concerned about me, invited me over for a heart-to-heart talk and encouraged me to try a short session in meditating. She even streamed a sample study for us to try together. Following the instructions from the leader, I quieted myself, closed my eyes, rested my hands atop my knees, palms up, inhaled and exhaled a few times, focussing on my ribs expanding and contracting to her slow, hypnotic voice, “Inhale . . . one . . . two . . . three . . . four. Notice your breath as it fills the space in your body. Exhale . . . one . . . two . . . three . . . four. Visualize the gust of air that escapes through your lungs.” The soft music of a sitar in the background calmed the tone of her soothing voice into a sort of lullaby, creating an even more relaxing feeling in the room. At the conclusion of the introductory class, I had to admit that I felt a little lighter and more at ease.

A couple of days later, remembering the calm I felt from meditating, I decided to try it by myself. Admittedly, I’m never really by myself at home. A very goofy Bernedoodle named Mac lives with my husband and me. Mac must be wherever we are. It’s just who he is. He lays by my side, head resting on my feet, when I’m watching TV or sitting at my desk. If I get up to leave the room even for just a minute, he’s right behind me as if tethered on an invisible leash. He “helps” with whatever I’m doing. Since my husband was out, I realized that Mac would definitely be with me during my meditation. I gathered some toys and treats for him to play with as a distraction, just as I did when I had toddlers at home. I selected a 10-minute meditation session on my Mirror (an in home exercise device similar to the Peloton), and although the instructor suggested that we position ourselves on the floor, sitting on our legs and feet to give a little height, I opted to sit in a chair, thinking that I would be less tempting (and above Mac’s eye level) for Mac.  Come to find out, that didn’t matter.  Nope.  Not one bit.  The distractions I provided to keep Mac busy for the short 10-minutes were useless. He wanted no part of them. He wanted ME! Of course he did!  

Eyes closed, hands resting on my thighs, palms up, quieting myself and listening to my breath, I felt the weight of his dog toys being dropped, one by one, into my lap followed by furry nudges.  Ignoring him, I thought I’d been successful only to feel little nips on the toes of my slippers.  I kicked ever-so-gently in an attempt to discourage the invitation to play; however, THAT was interpreted as part of his game!  The little nips became heavier, almost to the point of becoming actual bites, as if Mac had caught a rabbit or some other small, unfortunate creature.  I peered open one eye (not wanting to make eye contact with him) and observed him looking up at me upside down!

The peacefulness and serenity intended by my attempt at meditation was replaced with innocent playfulness, love, devotion and affection. I reached down and hugged Mac, smiling for the first time in weeks! I’m now quite sure that meditation with Mac is the best medication for whatever Life throws at me!