Category Archives: Effortless Meditation

Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired?

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In the busyness of the day, it’s amazing that we can consistently ignore our highest good. Under chronic stress, life becomes very complex. In the state of overwhelm, our brain’s rational thinking gets short circuited. Stress makes us stupid!

And yet life does not have to be so difficult. To turn things around, pay attention to your most basic needs. And then take action on those needs. Corrective action, however, can only come if we are AWARE of our needs.

As an example, how many of us have found ourselves pressing to finish tasks when we are very hungry? This is not healthy, we are building stress. When I’m really hungry, I can’t focus on the task at hand because my hunger is shouting for attention.

And how many of you keep pushing on in the face of anger? Anger clouds perception and judgment. Rather than ignoring or denying its presence, why not take a break, get some exercise, relax, meditate, or just take some mindful breaths.

Arguably, our most serious limiting issue is fatigue. There seems to be little understanding of how seriously fatigue is affecting our performance, enjoyment, and health. Rest is an enzyme of life as necessary as air. We need it to keep going and to heal. If you’re tired, get more sleep. If you are not sleeping well, learn how to quiet your mind. Regular meditation practice will work wonders to reduce fatigue and enhance the quality of your life.

The bottom line is that we need to set healthy boundaries for ourselves. When you cross the boundary, take corrective action. If we don’t, life will catch up with us. Accidents and illness are two examples of ways that nature gets our attention. While unplanned and unpleasant, these interruptions can provide us with an opportunity to take stock of our life and create a better future.

Let’s take a proactive approach and create a healthy lifestyle. Pay attention to your needs and take action on them. Let me know if I can help.

Greg Schweitzer, MBA, D.Ay., Director of Stress Reduction Resources and Effortless Meditation™ Instructor for more than 30 years

Meditation is Personal Hygiene

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Greg SchweitzerWho among us would start our day without making time for personal hygiene? At the minimum, we clean our teeth, wash our body, and brush our hair. Why do we take the time? We feel better, we’re healthier and we receive good feedback from those we personally contact!

Meditation is a personal hygiene practice.  It prepares us for the day in front of us.  The day goes more smoothly; it is more enjoyable and meaningful as a result of making the time to meditate.

A few weeks after Mary and John learned to meditate; Mary said that John had changed. He’s much happier when he comes home from work, she said. 

John has a stressful one-hour drive to get to work each day. Add to the stress of the drive a long pressure-filled workday and the same return drive home, and you realize what many of us face every day. We then carry the fatigue and pressure of our workday into the evening hours with our family. Now, since taking the Effortless Meditation™ course, John sits in his car to meditate in the garage for 15 – 20 minutes following the ride home. The deep rest of his meditation releases his tension and stress. He then walks into the house with more energy and he’s happier, he’s feeling lighter.

After 38 years of meditation practice, my most obvious benefit from meditation is the increased mental and physical energy and happiness that I feel. Fatigue and stress wear us down; they dull our nervous system and brain. I’ll never forget watching a busy friend, a small business owner, fall asleep as he was talking! When the brain is compromised by stress and fatigue, it’s impossible to be at the top of our game, and it’s hard to find much to enjoy and appreciate in life.

Effortless Meditation™ practice is an antidote. During the practice, we experience levels of rest that are deeper than sleep. The stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol decrease as we experience a deeply relaxed state of inner wakefulness. Similar to recharging the battery of your phone, this is a preparation for a higher degree of satisfaction and success in life.  

For maximum benefits, all it takes is fifteen to twenty minutes twice a day. For many, this is as essential as any daily personal hygiene practice.

Greg Schweitzer, MBA, Director of Stress Reduction Resources and Effortless Meditation™ Instructor for more than 30 years

 

 

 

Do Less

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Accomplish More

The day flies by and at the end, there’s something missing.  You’ve checked many things off your “to do” list and yet that seems like a hollow victory.  You’re not satisfied with the day and what you’ve accomplished.

While many may feel this way from time to time, in my early years, this nagging feeling was always present.  At the age of 26, I was an industrial engineer working for a Fortune 100 company in the Lehigh Valley.  My friends and family thought I had it made. I was young, drove a hot sports car, had a good income and was upwardly mobile in a major corporation.   And yet every workday I was counting the hours till I could leave work and begin my life.

The inner me was sick, maybe dying.  Then one evening, with nothing else to do, I accompanied a friend to a lecture about meditation.  The teacher presenting the talk told us that there’s something missing in most people’s lives.  He said what’s missing isn’t “out there” in the world, it’s inside!

Was I looking for contentment and satisfaction in the wrong places?  I was climbing the ladder of success at work, but was it against the wrong wall?  I was trying to be a good engineer, a good employee, a good son and a good friend.  There was lots of pressure and it was tiring.  My employer, for example, told me that I needed to spend a minimum of 10 hours a day at work if I wanted to get ahead. 

In desperation and with hope, I followed up on my gut instinct that night and enrolled in the meditation course. Almost immediately, I experienced a significant shift toward greater happiness and well-being. Two years later, I found myself enrolling in a year-long training program to become a meditation teacher.   

In training, our teacher frequently told us that we were learning to “do less and accomplish more.” Just sit, close your eyes and be still.  Inside you will find the peace and contentment that you have always desired.  It’s our essence, pure awareness, and it’s found at the source of thought.  Life is not meant to be a struggle. Make a practice of returning to the quiet mind every day. The positive influence on the quality of your life will be magical. 

Let me know if I can help.   

Greg Schweitzer, Director of Stress Reduction Resources and Effortless Meditation™ Instructor for more than 30 years

 

Could this be you?

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And, the Vision is this…

One day a woman with a chronic physical problem had a vision.  It was of having an alternative health center to go to for pain relief and to gain the knowledge she knew she needed for lifestyle changes. She was ready to not only work on relieving her chronic pain but to get to the root cause of all of her concerns.

She knew she needed a place where she could work on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. She also knew that there needed to be collaborating experts in these fields to give her the support, motivation, andthe self-awareness / education that she so longed for.

“When the time is right, the teacher appears” is a saying in the spiritual world.  She was ready to work at a deep level. Her desire was realized when she found Twin Ponds Integrative Health Center.  Now, she had collaborating experts in the different fields to help her with the psychological root cause, help her to be more relaxed, teach her how to eat healthy, and most of all teach her how to move in an effortless way to relieve her physical pain. 

How exciting to have expert practitioners in their fields give her the support, motivation, self-awareness, and all the education she needed to empower her ”self” so that she can be pain free and successful in all areas of her life.

Could this be you?

Twin Ponds Integrative Health Center is your place for natural health and lifestyle changes!

How Could This Pain Have Anything to do With Stress?

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Sarah took the Effortless Meditation™ course because she was intrigued by what she heard in the introduction session; however, her primary motivation was to support her sister who enrolled in the course. She knew her sister was in distress and she felt that her sister would be more comfortable taking the course if she participated with her.

The first four classes proceeded smoothly, and when they returned in two weeks for their fifth session, Sarah remarked that she hadn’t had any stomach pain in two weeks.  Since she hadn’t mentioned stomach pain as a concern, I inquired about it.  She explained that during the preceding two years, “I’ve had every test in the book to determine why I have pain every time I eat. It’s gotten so bad, I hardly eat at all.”  None of the tests have found anything abnormal and just last week, her doctor explained that he thought stress could be the culprit.

How could this pain be due to stress, she asked.  Sarah said she thought her doctor was crazy, but now she’s seeing that he was correct.  Her pain is real, it’s not in her mind.  Stress causes tension and muscle contraction.  Hold a tight fist for a couple hours and tell me it doesn’t hurt!  Under chronic stress, muscle tension cause headaches or pain may show up in our jaw, arms, abdominal area, anywhere in the body.

The deep rest and relaxation of Effortless Meditation was relieving the tension in Sarah’s muscles.  Deep rest is an antidote for stress, it relieves the stress response.  The proof, Sarah was without pain that had been plaguing her for years, and she was able to eat again incomfort!

Deepak Chopra, M.D. would explain that this wasn’t magic, it’s based in science.  Sarah was meditating every day as prescribed.  Her smile said she couldn’t be happier.

Greg Schweitzer, MBA, D.Ay., Director of Stress Reduction Resources and Effortless Meditation™ Instructor for more than 30 years

From Resentment to Love—with Meditation

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Is there anyone in your life that challenges your serenity?  Of course, we all have such people and situations.

The question is what to do about it? Holding resentment and anger hardens our hearts, taking the joy and serenity from our lives. You may have heard the saying that if you hold revenge in your heart, you’ll need two graves. One for the person upon whom you wish revenge and the other for you!

Chronic anger and animosity breed a host of diseases not to mention unhappiness and discord. The UN charter reads, “War begins in the mind.” The good news is that we have the power to charge.

Louise Hay, a wise teacher and best-selling author, suggests that we send our troublemakers love. The next time you catch yourself replaying those negative internal messages of despair and anger over the actions of others, remind yourself to “send
them love”.

We do not have to love what they’ve done. Their actions may have really hurt. Do you, however, want to hold onto the hurt and anger, or do you wish to move beyond it?

Sending them love puts forth a positive transformational energy. We have the power to bring light to our world through our thoughts and intentions. Try it and notice the impact
on the quality of your life.

Steve, an Effortless Meditation™ client, was frequently rehashing feelings of sadness and loneliness. His family, upset by decisions he had made and actions he had taken, shunned him. He was no longer welcome in their home or in their lives.

Although Steve’s actions were in accord with his conscience, they were not in alignment with the family’s desires and values. They no longer returned his phone calls or initiated any communication with him. Steve’s hurt and sadness replayed over and over in his mind.

After years of distress, Steve learned of this empowering approach in a coaching session.  When his recurring negative feelings toward his family come up, he now sends them love. Almost immediately, he reported feeling better, happier and more at peace. The resentment and sadness was lifting.

Steve is powerless over the thoughts and actions of his family. By sending his family love, his thoughts and feelings have changed. He has jump started his healing process from within.

 

 

There is never enough food for a hungry soul!

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Many of us realize that we are overweight and/or recognize that we are driven by food cravings that lead to unhealthy food choices. And most of us are aware of the impact of being over weight or obese – lethargy, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and gastrointestinal problems are just a few of the major complications. So, why do we continue to overeat and make unhealthy choices about food?

Ultimately, it’s not about the food, it’s about the lack of fulfillment (the hungry soul) inside us. It drives us to eat to satisfy an emotional not physical need.

How do we bring greater fulfillment to our lives and make healthier food choices? A good place to start is with positive lifestyle habits such as exercise and meditation.
Effortless Meditation™ changes our brain and improves our thinking; brain waves
become more coherent and orderly during our meditation.  The state of restful alertness in our meditation brings peace and serenity to our lives. Adding this revitalizing experience, ideally as a daily practice, works wonders.

Try one month of feeding your soul daily by quieting your mind with meditation. I suspect you will quickly notice that you are developing a growing awareness and sensitivity about your need or lack of need for food. Making healthier and smart food
choices comes more easily, almost automatically with growing awareness.

With greater mental clarity and awareness, you will be better prepared to improve the quality of the food that you are consuming. Just as a high performance engine does best on high octane fuel, we thrive when our food is packed densely with nutrients. In
contrast, if we eat foods that are mostly “empty calories” (e.g. soda, white flour and highly processed nutrient sparse foods) we will continue eating and consuming excessive calories in order to get the nutrients that your body needs. Nutrient dense foods energize us and satisfy our hunger with fewer calories.

Be gentle with yourself, meditate, get some exercise, and eat well.

Greg Schweitzer, Director of Stress Reduction Resources and Effortless Meditation™ Instructor for more than 30 years

ARE YOU TAKING ANY MEDICATION?

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Bernie and his wife attended an introduction class on Effortless Meditation™ that I was conducting at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. As I talked about stress and its influence on health, Bernie commented that stress was not an issue for him. “I have been retired for years. I’m 71 years old. I’m not here for stress relief. I’m here because of my blood pressure. Do you think this meditation will help me?” With a concerned look on his face, Bernie explained that his blood pressure averages around 190/90!

I assured him that it would help and I explained that the influence of stress is cumulative; so despite his retirement, many years of accumulated stress were taking its toll on his physical and mental health.

Bernie enrolled to take the EM course introduced that evening. In our third class, after doing two short 15-20 minute meditations each day for three consecutive days, he declared, “I just can’t tell you how good I feel.” The next day he made the same comment, and at a meeting 3 months later, he jubilantly proclaimed that his blood pressure was now 138/78. “My doctor can’t believe this; I never remember having blood pressure this good.”

Bernie had been taking blood pressure medication his entire adult life (50 years) and the best it could do for him with was manage his blood pressure at 190/90. Now, after three months of daily Effortless Meditation practice, bringing deep peace and rest to his mind and body, his pressure was normal.  The Lehigh Valley’s Helene Leonetti, M.D. reports that she sees EM “exponentially impact healing.”

Many taking medication for anxiety, depression, attention deficit, sleep problems, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, fatigue, irritable bowel, or headaches, would be wise to attend an introduction class to learn more about Effortless Meditation. Bernie is glad that he did; in fact, after meditating for a couple months, he offered the course as a gift to everyone in his family.

by:  Greg Schweitzer, Director of Stress Reduction Resources and Meditation Instructor for more than 30 Years

STAYING ON TRACK WITH EFFORTLESS MEDITATION™

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After 35 years of teaching, it is very clear that people experience tremendous value from their meditation practice, and yet who hasn’t thought, I don’t have time to meditate today? It’s easy to lose focus on the things that are important to us when we’re running around responding to the relentless pressure of daily life.

What are some of those things that fall through the cracks when we lose focus?  Meditation, exercise, spending quality time with loved ones (building relationships), hobbies and other soul nourishing interests all get pushed out of the way.

Those attending tune up classes find that they help connect them with the power of meditation.  Most would benefit from a quarterly 1.25 hour tune up class, some could use it more frequently than that.  If you’re having difficulty finding the time to meditate, you definitely would benefit from at least a couple monthly classes.  Tune ups will fine tune your practice and jump start it and your life to a new level.

Our computers, automobiles, and homes all need maintenance to maximize the return on our investment.  Our meditation is the same.  As I was exercising the other day at my gym, I was struck by the number of people participating in a yoga class in the mind body studio.  That is good news, people are taking time to refine their practice in group classes.

Small group Effortless Meditation tune up classes are inspiring for all those who attend.  I invite you to join us.  And if you prefer, private meditation coaching is available.

Obsessive EGO-MONKEY-MIND & Meditation Relief

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Yesterday, I received a contractor’s invoice for a home service that was totally unsatisfactory. They did not provide much of the service that’s advertised and yet they billed me as if they had.    The “warrior” in me was agitated and wanted justice.   I was determined to right this perceived wrong.

Although my prepaid legal service attorney was very ready to take action on my behalf, I began to feel uncomfortable about his suggested response.  Perhaps I was acting hastily, why was I so obsessed with this?

Eckhart Tolle, NY Times best-selling author of A New Earth and The Power of Now, might say that I was caught up in my ego-mind. The ego-monkey-mind, gets pleasure in running the show, justifying its position vs. others and distracting us from what we really want, e.g. joy and peace of mind.  I had definitely lost my focus and serenity over this issue.

Does such obsessive thinking ever occur in your life? How often?

Certainly, injustices are not fair and ideally can be reversed.  However, a balanced mind and approach to life is my goal.  Is this contractor issue really that important that it should consume so much of my mental energy and focus?

Fortunately, many years ago I learned how to take the steam out of my obsessive ego-monkey-mind thinking with Effortless Meditation™.  Although, as this contractor experience reveals, it’s an on-going process.   Obsessive thoughts still sporadically appear, they grab me; however, their roar and impact is far less today.  In meditation, I effortlessly return to mental stillness, a state of balance and peace.  Through regular daily meditation practice, I’ve experienced a growing internal serenity and freedom that enables me to “let go” of stressors and move on in my life rather than obsessing for long periods over things that I have very little, if any, control!

Injustices, both real and imaginary, are a part of life; however, our responses to them can change for the better.  Today, life is good, very good.  Don’t sweat the small stuff; and you know it’s mostly small stuff!

Greg Schweitzer, Effortless Meditation™ Instructor

THERE IS SOMETHING MISSING IN MOST PEOPLE’S LIVES….

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This idea was introduced to me on a warm August evening in 1974, during my introduction to effortless meditation.

“And what’s missing isn’t out there in the world”, the teacher said.  “What’s missing is inside.”  Everyone is looking for this missing element, i.e. peace, fulfillment, enlightenment.  Our problem arises because we’re looking outside ourselves.  As an example, when he was speaking, I was an unhappy Industrial Engineer working for one of the titans of American industry, Kraft Foods.  Did my career bring me peace, NO WAY.  Did my marriage bring me peace, NO. And these, I thought at the time, would bring me lasting contentment.

This teacher, soon to become my meditation instructor, said that nothing “out there in the world” is ever enough unless we’ve developed our inner life. Thankfully I started the quest, acting on the message he delivered that evening.  I felt I had nothing to lose and much to potentially gain; he told us, “develop the inner value of life through this meditation practice, and everything in your life will improve exponentially.”   

To understand this, we just need to contemplate a basic truth of the ancient cultures.  Consciousness, the energy field at the source of our thought, is primary and matter is secondary!  Many labels are synonymous with word Consciousness; Absolute, Being, Higher Power, Source Energy, the Unified Field of Consciousness, Pure Awareness, and some just refer to it as Spirit. The labels aren’t important, the value comes with direct experience of the state, no matter what we call it.

The simple truths shared with me in the presentation on that August evening changed my life, because I took action on the teacher’s message.  I enrolled in his effortless meditation course and began the daily practice.  Then, a few years later, I embarked on the journey of becoming a teacher myself.

When a gardener brings nourishment to the root of the plant, every aspect of it, the stem, leaves, flowers, it all flourishes.  Pure Consciousness or Being is our essence/root.  Regularly bring your conscious attention to this level of life, and watch your life get better and better.  It works, I promise. 

Greg Schweitzer, Effortless Meditation™ Instructor

Effortless Meditation™ and Anxiety, OCD

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Sarah needed to stop her endless negative self-talk; it was sucking away her life energy.  She said, “My doctor tells me that I have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in addition to anxiety and panic disorder.”

In the preceding five years, her condition had become so debilitating that she could no longer work full-time.  At one point, she was so troubled that she could barely leave the house.

Fortunately, she was spirited and did not give up easily.  She tried medication, cognitive therapy and was vigilant about diet and exercise.  She also regularly listened to self-help CD’s, occasionally attended yoga classes, surrounded herself with crystals and fidgeted with gemstones everywhere to deal with her anxiety.

Compassionately, Sarah’s physician and a few friends enthusiastically encouraged her to take my Effortless Meditation™ course at Twin Ponds.  She was very skeptical, as she said, “I cannot sit still, so how will I ever be able to meditate?”

Sarah eventually acquiesced, realizing that she had little to lose except the course fee.  Once her physician assured her that the course was worth 10 times what was being charged, she was ready to take the plunge.

What was to come took Sarah by complete surprise.  After the third 1.5 hour session, the third day of the course, she excitedly declared to me, “I have removed all my gemstones and crystals from my car and I haven’t carried them with me since I learned to meditate.  She was initially hesitant to discuss these changes but after a few months of being free of her obsessive compulsive behaviors, she freely began to share her story with others.
“When it came to obsessive compulsive disorder, practicing Effortless Meditation™ did for me what medicine, diet and exercise, and cognitive therapy couldn’t, and literally within days.”  To her delight, Sarah’s obsessive mental dialogue has lost its power to control her life.

Greg Schweitzer
Effortless Meditation™ instructor

What can we do about the enormous cost of health care?

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Effortless Meditation™

This is a question at the center of attention of both business and political leaders.  At work, employers have for many years expected their employees to do more and more work with less and less assistance.  Payroll has been cut to the bone.  Productivity has risen, and health care costs have skyrocketed.

Although we consider our nation to be the most powerful in the world, there’s much evidence that we are far from the healthiest.  Look at your insurance premiums and you can see why businesses, who traditionally paid all or a lion share of health insurance premiums, are scared as health care costs take up a growing piece of their revenue.

We strongly believe that the wisest thing that any organization can do to decrease their health care costs and enhance the wellness of its staff is to offer Effortless Meditation™ classes. The EM program is a win-win for any employer. Employees love the benefits of meditation.  It is easy to do anywhere and the deep rest is nature’s medicine, as important to us as the air that we breathe.  Employers who have introduced Effortless Meditation into the workplace find that employees are happier, more energetic and productive; this is truly a win-win situation.

If you know of any business leader, manager or business owner who would like to know about the benefits of stress reduction and wellness through Effortless Meditation™, please pass on to me the contact information.  I’d enjoy discussing with them the results of numerous workplace programs that we’ve conducted along with validation for the practice that comes from 40 years of scientific research.
Greg Schweitzer, MBA, D.Ay.
Effortless Meditation™ instructor