This meditation class taught me the fundamentals of stress management and stress reduction. I had often heard as a young man that "happiness is a choice, not a destination." I understand the meaning of that now more than I ever had before. Having read Dr. Kabat-Zinn's book, "Wherever you go, there you are," I have really been opened up to the reality of my current situation; I am exactly where I am and am in no place other that this. The concept itself seems quite simple, but applied more broadly, one finds that the idea of "living in the 'now'" is really inherent in his teachings.
I have also learned a few mantras to couple with meditation practice. One that I really enjoy is, "Om gum ganapatayei namaha." It evokes the power of ganesh, a hindu deity depicted as a man with an elephant head. This mantra removes obstacles from one's path and allows for the improvement and progress on one's journey to spiritual enlightenment.
This class has taught me to take things one at a time. I'm always going to have things to do, and I'll most likely be stressed-out while trying to accomplish them, but I can find peace in my life by meditating on one thing at a time. As Dr. Kabat-Zinn writes, "We don't have to let our anxieties and our desire of certain results dominate the quality of the moment, even when things are painful." This is echoed by Dr. Viktor Frankl's book, "Man's search for meaning." In both cases, the authors teach that happiness is a choice; that, even in the most dismal of circumstances, one can still find enjoyment and pleasure--if he wants to badly enough.
