A Life Lesson in Control

I had the privilege of attending a lecture of one of my mindfulness hero’s recently at my alma mater, UW Madison. I don’t know when I was first introduced to his work, but somewhere along the way of my mindful journey he gained hero status. Being in his company only confirmed it, though he would not want me to place him in hero status. I think he is a hero because he has positively impacted so many lives with his work.

Jon Kabat-Zinn brought meditation from temples to universities, hospitals and homes. He developed the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program which has been the basis of many studies that have scientifically proven the benefits of meditation. He demystified meditation as a practice reserved only for monks and sages and developed an approach that has made mindfulness possible for anyone who is willing to try.

I was so looking forward to the night. As it got closer I was concerned that I had a pesky cough that I just couldn’t kick. When we arrived to the Memorial Union I was filled with anticipation. I had invited some dear friends and my husband. I hoped it would be meaningful for them as well. Though we learn in meditation to not get caught up in anticipation and expectation, nonetheless I was full of both. As we sat down in the second row Jon was on the stage meditating. I felt his peaceful calming aura help me settle into my seat.

He started his talk with a simple guided meditation. I have listened to his meditations before and to be guided in person was truly remarkable for me. All of my anticipation and excitement was still flowing in my body and though my mind was trying so hard to calm my body; I couldn’t. All of my mindfulness skills proved useless as I felt a cough coming and was then wishing I was in a back row. There were small noises through out the auditorium and even the ring of a cell phone that he made light of but I did not want to be the one to disturb the peace with my cough. It was actually miserable trying so hard to be in this calm state guided by my meditation hero and instead my body was tight; trying to contain my cough. I missed the meditation, truly I didn’t hear it. And I thought afterwards how ironic; what a life lesson for me. I need to let go of the things I can not control so I can be present. We can often get consumed in our preferences in wanting things to go a certain way, in wanting people to act a certain way. If we allow these preferences to consume us; it is all to easy to be distracted and miss the choices we do have in life. We can control how we spend our time, who we spend our time with and what energy we bring to our daily interactions and how many cough drops to bring. I learned more than one is recommended.

Beyond the guided meditation; Jon shared some of his opinions, thoughts and life experiences. He made a call for us to not just sit on our pillows and meditate to attain peace. Rather he called us to sit on our pillows so we can find meaningful ways to take action, to participate and to help make the world a better place.

He said, “Taking your seat is actually taking a stand.”

Because when we meditate we are able to get in touch with our “karmic assignment”; we are able to go forward in our life with purpose and meaning.

He called us to recognize our connectedness. And that is why he would not want me to adore him as a hero. He would want me to see him as a companion on our mindful journey. It is a journey, there isn’t a point where we’ve acquired the skill of meditation and we “graduate”. A mindful journey can last a lifetime.

I invite you to join us on a mindful journey. Click here to enjoy a simple meditation with Jon - a beautiful place to start a meditation practice.