I had an a-ha moment today. It was something I have always known about, have always been told and even repeated to patients, but today it sunk in.

I have been meditating for a few years now. Not every single day, mind you, but fairly regularly. It is one of the most useful habits I have, and it continues to bring me relaxation and happiness, and keeps me mentally clear and emotionally aware. The benefits of meditation are well-known; I have published reviews that describe its impact on blood pressure, stress hormones and even blood sugar.

I practice Vipassana meditation. This is a style of meditation that involves maintaining one’s awareness on the body in a continuous scanning process that moves up and down, inch by inch, part by part. It was popularized in the 20th century by SN Goenka, but is said to be the specific method that the Buddha taught to his disciples and was maintained for centuries at monasteries in Myanmar. Despite its lineage, it is not affiliated with any religion or group, and there are no meetings, leaders, memberships or obligations.

Vipassana meditation is taught at a 10-day course where students spend several hours per day practicing the technique in complete silence. Each meditation session begins with brief audio instructions by the late Goenka, and teachers are available to address questions and concerns. Vegetarian meals and simple accommodations are provided for free, with voluntary donations made at the end. It is taught twice per month at hundreds of meditation centres around the world – the three nearest centers are near Montreal, Toronto and New York.

The two precepts that are essential to the technique are awareness and equanimity. These words are repeated again and again during the 10-day course and again during subsequent courses. Awareness is simple enough to grasp – it is about paying attention. Awareness heals, and paying attention to something with continuous focus maintained over time is the medicine. It is a state of mind that promotes healing,, whether what you are paying attention to is your breath, your posture, yoga poses, walking, dancing or just doing the dishes. This is a very common aspect of many mind-body therapies.

Equanimity is quite another matter. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as evenness of mind especially under stress. It comes from the latin words equus meaning balanced and animus meaning spirit or life essence. The Hebrew word for equanimity is hashlamah, which is directly related to shalom, the word for peace. Sufism, the muslim spiritual tradition, teaches being in the world without being of it. It is about not getting mentally confused by pleasure or pain.

I will not get into a detailed explanation of this approach or its merits or flaws. The point is that during vipassana meditation, one practices not latching onto the pleasantness of certain free-flowing sensations. One also learns not to get caught up with the unpleasantness of sensations of heaviness or discomfort and the thoughts and feelings they create.

Equanimity during your meditation cultivates equanimity in your life. I have been quite focused on the awareness that has developed during my practice, but have not paid enough attention to being equanimous. This is probably because of my exposure to traditional shamans, for whom a heightened state of consciousness is not the goal – it is just preparation. In these traditions, the altered state of consciousness facilitates healing, inspiration, peak performance and the kinds of feats that have inspired the term Jedi mind tricks. Today, for the first time, my meditation practice was focused more on equanimity than awareness. It was a useful reminder that the spiritual path is a lifelong journey.

Equanimity is not apathy. It is not about being indifferent to the world or your feelings. It is not about suppressing your feelings. It is about experiencing them fully, and using this awareness to ensure that they do not become unhealthy or unhelpful. This matters a lot if you have health problems, because they can lead to anger, frustration, fear and despair – and these feelings will worsen the disease. Stress promotes cancer growth. Fear leads to autoimmune disease and allergy. Anger causes heart attacks.

This is why many mind-body practitioners do not like paradigms like War on Cancer. While on our first Seekers nature walk in Gatineau Park today, I mentioned that the war on cancer has been about as unproductive as the war on terror. This violent, aggressive mindset does not solve any conflict, whether it is between nations of the world or cells of the body. Whatever your situation, the ability to embrace it as it is and not as you would like it to be can be a source of peace and happiness. Both of which heal the body.

Be well.

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