Ruth-Gawler-meditation-retreats

A new era is about to dawn
In just a few months, Ruth will be leading her first meditation retreat in her own right - unencumbered by my own good self! In this retreat, Ruth will focus upon two key elements of meditation practice.

This really is a wonderful opportunity and I urge everyone who has felt benefit from my own work, or from attending retreats Ruth and I presented together to consider joining in, supporting Ruth in her new venture and reaping the benefits.

Ruth as many already know has a unique perspective and an amazing capacity to give words to what we all feel and what we all need to give our attention to. So this week, more on what she will be presenting - and how some of the unique features are backed by pivotal research, but first

        Thought for the day

A state of bare, transparent awareness;
Effortless and brilliantly vivid, 

A state of relaxed, rootless wisdom;
Fixation free and crystal clear, 

A state without the slightest reference point;
Spacious empty clarity, 

A state wide open and unconfined; 
The senses unfettered…”

                    Fourteenth century Tibetan 


Calm and clear. Or is it relaxed and clear? The aim of meditation. To be at ease within our selves, to be at ease with this challenging world we live in, and to be clear about how to be and how to act. Calm and clear.

It all starts with relaxation. In Ruth’s words, “once we have mastered the ability to consciously direct and relax the body, we can translate that skill to direct and relax the mind”.

So effective meditation begins with deep relaxation of the body. Now some may say that this is unnecessary; that as we relax the mind, the body naturally follows. However, experience tells us that it is not so easy; and that relaxing the body at will is far easier than relaxing the mind. And experience also tells us that as we relax the body, the mind learns to go with it, to feel the relaxation all through and to rest in deep natural peace.

Once we can relax the body, it becomes a suitable vessel for the mind. By contrast, when the body is tense, it is like it acts as a screen, a barrier between the outside world and the inner one - between our interaction with the material world and the mind. Relaxing the body removes that barrier, uniting body and mind, uniting the material and spiritual into a cohesive whole. Hence the dawning of clarity. No barrier; things become clear.

This is something Ruth knows from long experience.

In her own practice she has returned again and
again to the Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) exercise, recognising its intrinsic merit.

Of interest, research has highlighted the PMR’s value in the specific and challenging field of cancer management.

One study, showed that patients with prostate and breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy treatment can benefit from PMR (and Guided Imagery) sessions to reduce their anxiety and depression.

In a second study, patients taught the PMR we able to better relieve their own pain and reverse fatigue - see references below. Tested and proven in the tough cauldron and cancer relief, the PMR is in my view an imperative for all to learn and practice. Imagine if this were taught in more schools (it is in some) or more hospitals (it is in some).

Of note, when I had my own leg amputated in 1975 and while still in hospital, I experienced some days of excruciating pain. No drugs gave adequate relief, but then a visiting American nurse led me through the PMR. Relaxed and slept soundly… the pain was never as bad again. This is a great skill to learn, and a great lead in, a natural lead in to deeper meditation.

Anyway, Ruth’s other great strength and focus for this next retreat, is her knowledge and experience with the simple stillness, the inner silence of deep meditation. Come along and experience it for your self!

There is some real value in me not being involved directly in Ruth’s retreats as I can speak more openly about what is on offer and what an opportunity Ruth will be presenting. I appreciate, and am grateful that some have expressed sadness at my discontinuing leading retreats myself, but really, you now have this wonderful opportunity to learn from and meditate directly with Ruth. As Mollie Meldrum would say “Do yourself a favour… “

Ruth Gawler's 
next meditation retreat

Meditation - Pure and Simple


Experience 
. Being more at ease with yourself and your feelings
. The connectedness and clarity of mindfulness
. Profound relaxation into stillness.


Combine deep relaxation techniques and mindfulness meditation to release the stress we carry in our bodies in this busy and complex modern world. Ideal for healing, rejuvenation and opening our awareness.


Ruth’s teaching style is one of openness and authenticity, and there will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion. Techniques covered in this retreat will be accessible and engaging for both beginners and more experienced meditators. This retreat is well suited to all Health Professionals.

DATES                                    September - Monday 10th to Friday 14th 2018
VENUE                                   Yarra Valley Living Centre, Rayner Crt, Yarra Junction, Victoria
ENQUIRIES, BOOKINGS     The Gawler Foundation ClientServices@gawler.org
                                                 and 1300 651 211 - Call Mon-Fri 9-5pm
WEBSITE LINK - CLICK HERE

RELATED BLOG
Life-transitions-Moment-by-moment-change,-retirement,-loss-and-renewal
Details of Ian’s transition from leading groups.

RESEARCH REFERENCES
1. PMR, anxiety and depression
Charalambous A et al, A Randomized Controlled Trial for the Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Guided Imagery as Anxiety Reducing Interventions in Breast and Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015; 2015: 270876.

The findings in this study showed that patients with prostate and breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy treatment can benefit from PMR and GI sessions to reduce their anxiety and depression.

Of significance, this study was designed and implemented with the purpose of providing both psychometric and biological (saliva a-amylase and saliva cortisol biomarkers) evidence on the effectiveness of the program in breast and prostate cancer groups.

In just 3 weeks, the intervention group demonstrated a decrease in its mean depression score of around 50%, while the control group experienced a rise of 25%. A huge and clinically very significant difference.

With anxiety, the intervention group demonstrated a decrease in its mean anxiety score of around 8%, while the controls went up around 10% - another significant difference.

2. PMR, pain and fatigue
Pathak P et al, Progressive Muscle Relaxation: An Adjuvant Therapy for Reducing Pain and Fatigue Among Hospitalized Cancer Patients Receiving Radiotherapy Int J Adv Nurs Stud. 2013;2:58-65

Although many studies have examined a range of management methodologies for pain, few have examined pain and fatigue together and only a handful have studied the use of Progressive Muscle Relaxation - PMR.

In this study involving 100 patients undergoing radiotherapy, after the 4-week intervention, both pain and fatigue scores were significantly reduced in the intervention group. No significant change in pain was evident in the control group; the fatigue scores of these patients increased significantly.

Worsening of fatigue throughout the study period was to be expected as a result of oxidative stress experienced by patients during radiation therapy. However, in the intervention group, PMR not only mitigated, but reversed, the anticipated worsening of fatigue.

It is encouraging that most patients were able to master the technique of PMR fairly quickly and then use the intervention on their own. An intervention that empowers patients to engage on their own in managing these distressing symptoms, so common in cancer patients, is an important adjunct and highly worth considering.

Healthy-communities-are-built-on-community

Do you remember hearing of research from the ‘40s that orphan babies that lacked human contact actually died? What about the study from 2010 that reviewed 148 studies involving 300,000 people over 7 years and discovered that those with strong social relationships had a 50% lower chance of death than those with weak connections.

Now something even more dramatic! Over 3 years, a community based intervention has reduced Emergency Department admissions by around 40%. Nothing has been previously recorded that comes anywhere close to such a huge benefit.

So this week we explore what could be one of the most dramatic medical breakthroughs of recent decades - the discovery of the power of community, but first

     Thought for the day

Illness is a part of every human being's experience. 
It enhances our perceptions and reduces self-consciousness. 
It is the great confessional; 
Things are said, truths are blurted out which health conceals.

             Virginia Woolf  





Frome is a pretty Somerset town not far from Bath, notable for being described in 2014 by The Times as the "sixth coolest town" in Britain. But a year before this accolade was issued, something way more remarkable was set in train.

Helen Kingston is a Frome GP who was not content with the norm. Her norm was patient after patient who seemed defeated by the medicalisation of their lives. Helen observed the system almost demanded she treat them as if they were just a bunch of medical symptoms, rather than a real person who had real human problems. The normal style of GP practice was distressing to her, her patients, and her staff.


Helen decided to act.

She launched the Compassionate Frome Project.

First, with the help of the National Health System and the town council, a directory of agencies and community groups was set up.

Gaps were identified, then filled.



Next, new staff called “Health connectors” were employed to help people plan their care, and soon voluntary “community connectors” were trained to help people find the support they needed - handling debt or housing problems, joining a choir or lunch club, locating an exercise group, writing workshop or men’s shed.

The aim was to break a cycle; a cycle of isolation.

So often illness reduces people’s ability to socialise.

And it is well known that social isolation is a major risk factor for many diseases, particularly the chronic degenerative ones.

And clearly, isolation and loneliness make it harder to heal and recover from illness.




The science is well known.
In days long gone, sickness made us vulnerable to attack. So messenger molecules called cytokines are released during illness that function in 2 ways. Firstly cytokines cause inflammation aimed at aiding the healing process; but secondly they bring on an interesting group of feelings.

Cytokines are linked with depression, but interestingly, while they do make us more likely to withdraw from society in general, they also cause us to seek out closer contact with those we love. How remarkable is this body of ours!



So the problem?

None really if you do have close support.

However, in crowded cities there is so
much loneliness and social isolation.

In America, one study found the number of people who say they have no confidant increased three fold in 20 years.



Again, in days gone by, social isolation meant more risk of sickness and attack. So our immune systems evolved to create inflammation when we become isolated, in the hope of protecting us.

Put simply, isolation causes inflammation. Inflammation causes further isolation and depression. Chronic inflammation creates greater health risks and a lowered ability to heal. A vicious cycle.

So is this reversible? 
Well a famous earlier review paper suggested the Frome project could well work. In 2010, examining 148 studies involving 300,000 people revealed those with strong social relationships had a 50% lower chance of death across the average study period (7.5 years) than those with weak connections. The researchers reported “The magnitude of this effect is comparable with quitting smoking.”

Dozens of subsequent papers reinforce these conclusions. For example, HIV patients with strong social support have lower levels of the virus than those without.

Women have better chances of surviving colorectal cancer if they have strong connections.

Young children who are socially isolated appear more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes in adulthood.

Most remarkably, older patients with either one or two chronic diseases do not have higher death rates than those who are not suffering from chronic disease – as long as they have high levels of social support.

But how do you CREATE social support? 
How do you counter-act isolation?  What did they do in Frome?

The systems described above that Helen Kingston and her teams were able to establish to support isolated people with health problems were made possible by community groups and volunteers.

And the outcomes?
During the three years of the study, emergency hospital admissions rose by 29% across the whole of Somerset. However, in Frome they fell by a remarkable 17%!

Julian Abel, a consultant physician in palliative care and lead author of the draft paper, remarks: “No other interventions on record have reduced emergency admissions across a population.”

This is a landmark study and one every community warrants taking to heart.

So what to do?
The evidence strongly suggests that social contact should be on prescription.

If you are a social activist, become even more involved in creating communities. Set up support groups, volunteer, lobby councils and government.

If you have illness or want long-term good health, become even more involved in community activities. Join a support groups, volunteer, lobby councils and government. Reach out. It could reduce health problems by around 40%!

And as one commentator observed, “the innovative work of the Compassionate Frome project has shown how, by translating impulses of kindness born out of concern for one’s fellow human beings into effectively organised social action, a town can do more than restore a sense of value and purpose in both carers and those in need of care: it can also bring significant practical and financial benefits to the whole community”.

Speaking personally
Building community is one of the things I am now most interested in. Whether it be the on-line community my new meditation app enables (more of this in the next post) or by becoming more involved in local affairs; going to art classes or supporting my own spiritual group and its community, it is not hard but it does take time and resolve. A resolve that soon becomes effortless as the obvious multiple benefits flow for self and others.

Where are the new community opportunities for you?

Life-transitions-Moment-by-moment-change,-retirement,-loss-and-renewal

We all will have “retired” from many things. Many transitions. In fact, moment-by-moment everything is changing, so we could say we are “transitioning” all the time; even though we may not notice it so obviously.

Certainly, some transitions are way more obvious. How do we name them? Retirement? Moved on? Forced out? Found something new? Left it behind? Joyful change? Divorce? New Beginnings?

What is next???

My own life is in another major transition. Completed the last meditation retreat I will lead last week and am now moving into another phase. So this week, to answer the questions of those who are interested, and at the risk of sounding self-indulgent, a review of past transitions (not past transgressions!) and an outline of what is next, but first

        Thought for the day

The attainment of wholeness 
Requires one to stake one’s whole being.
Nothing less will do. 
There can be
No easier conditions,
No substitutes,
No compromises.
                                 Carl Jung


A list of earlier work related “retirements”…

1975   Retired as an equine veterinarian - having a leg amputated will do that

1984   Retired altogether as a veterinarian - to concentrate upon developing the Foundation, cancer programs and teaching meditation

1990   Took a year off to reflect on the work and planning the residential centre and programs

2009   Retired from full-time job at the Gawler Foundation

2017   Presented last cancer residential program

2018   Presented last residential meditation retreat


             Being sung to at the conclusion of the last retreat... 
          Amazing song; very warm :)


So why the change, and what next? 

The reasons I am stopping leading residential programs and retreats are multiple… For a start, at 68 my energy levels are not what they used to be. If, as in the old days, I was running the Foundation during this last retreat, while at the same time leading non-residential programs and preparing for another residential program in the next week or 2, plus all else I used to do; well frankly, I just cannot manage that level of activity at present.

But moreover, it is time to do more personal study and practice. I have attended so many great retreats as a participant, have so many incredible notes stored away; the time has come to study them and attempt to take them more to heart. And do more practice. Over the years, attempting to teach what I have learnt has been wonderful, but now it is time to go more deeply into all of this.


So the other things still on the go include the meditation platform App - the Meditation Gateway, and my personalised version of that which makes an online meditation program available in my voice - actually called My Meditation app - more of that next blog.

Then there is the writing - I am currently almost finished a new meditation book, and am considering writing on contemplation as it is so useful, and there is little written specifically on this subject that seems really clear and useful.


And the blog will continue - it feels like a good way to keep in connection...


However, on top of these things, there is a major project I have been invited to co-found by Martin Hosking. Martin is founding CEO of Redbubble, a dedicated meditator (has come to many of our retreats) and devoted Christian. Martin is keen to establish a Christian-based, reproducible meditation retreat centre and program that can provide something similar to what the Vipassana program accomplishes - a widely accessible meditation program that is available all around the world and rooted in Christianity rather than Buddhism as is Vipassana.

This project appeals to me greatly as while I do call myself a Buddhist these days, I still hold Christianity dear. Just because one has adopted something new, does not mean one needs to do away with the old. Integration is possible, and in this instance, very welcome. Martin has asked me to take a major role in establishing the program, so this is a big project and one with which I will need to manage my time closely.

Also, I am open to the occasional public speaking event or conference appearance. Considering a day workshop in Melbourne in December with 2 great meditation teachers from Europe, but more on that later.


Amidst all this, Ruth will continue with her own work - still seeing a few people privately and beginning her own new career as meditation retreat leader. She will be terrific at this. Ruth has been very happy supporting me over many recent years and while we have done many programs together, she is now ready to step forward. A big transition for her and one I am keen to support fully.


Interested in numbers?

Seems so far I have attended over 30 retreats as a participant - most around 10 days, longest 3 months. Led around 100 meditation retreats myself, along with around 250 cancer residential programs, 250 public workshops and 30 non-residential meditation groups and around 100 non-residential cancer groups.

You Can Conquer Cancer went into 13 languages and has sold over 350.000 copies. (It is now available as a spoken book on our website). On average books are read by about 4 people, so 1,400,000 people may well have read it. Peace of Mind sold over 100,000 copies, Meditation - Pure and Simple around 50,000 and the Imagery book - now renamed The Mind that Changes Everything, around 40,000. Meditation -an In-depth Guide that was co-authored with Paul Bedson has sold around 15,000; the latest has not sold anything ! - may be released in around 6 months.



On the personal front, it is great to be back at painting classes again and the garden is flourishing.

Also, despite having those 3 considerable areas of work to continue with, there is a clear sense of more time being available for the more personal things including more time with family and friends.

But overall, a greater emphasis on study and practice.





                                                                                Recent work in progress -foreground to complete....

So that is a snap shot.

Clearly not a full retirement, but definitely a major part of my life coming to an end.

I will miss the retreats. This last one was truly wonder full. Great people. Noble company. Noble conversations. And deep meditations together. The Yarra Valley Living Centre such a terrific venue. Great staff. Hard to leave behind but there is this clear inner knowing. As with all the other major transitions in my life, the inner knowing is clear. It is time for this next big transition.





        And throughout,
        moment-by-moment,
        the little transitions are constantly flowing.

             
                    Doors opening. Doors closing.




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