The West Australian - May 2008 (Australia)
Are you in too much of a hurry to meditate?
Monica Videnieks meets a man who says you owe it to yourself to find the time.
David Michie turned to meditation unexpectedly. Working in a pressurised, fast-paced PR agency in London
and powered by lots of coffee, Michie one day came out in a hive-like rash that no amount of anti-biotics
would shift. Eventually, he turned to a naturopath for advice and when she suggested he explore ways to
reduce his stress, he stumbled upon meditation.
"At first I was incredibly self-conscious, I felt a bit ridiculous and I was aware of how completely
out-of-control I felt," Michie told Mind&Body.
But when he realised a simple meditation allowed him some "time out" from the world
and he noticed how
focused he was for the remainder of the day, he was convinced to press on.
Michie, who now lives in Perth and works as a corporate communications consultant, said he is living proof that meditation can — and he said should — be for everyone. He has just released his second book, Hurry Up and Meditate (Inspired Living, $19.95), which he describes as a starter kit for building inner peace and better health.
He says meditation can help combat stress, improve happiness, enhance performance, reach goals and attain mental and emotional clarity.
Michie points to scientific studies which have shown meditation can help reduce blood pressure, decrease the risk of heart disease, improve happiness and positive outlook, complement treatments for serious diseases such as cancer and even reduce aggression.
He believes meditation is a powerful tool in treating anxiety and depression.
"It's probably fair to say that if meditation was available in capsule form it would be the biggest-selling drug of all time," Michie said.
"Scientists have shown that meditation heightens activity in the left pre-frontal cortex of the brain, which is associated with happiness and relaxation, helping minimise use of all those anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs with our society consumes in such terrifying quantities."
Michie claims meditation can help to rewire the brain for happiness. To back his argument, he points to research by US neuroscientist Richard Davidson who in 1990s conducted an fMRI exercise to analyse how happiness is registered on the brain.
Dr Davidson found that when people were depressed or anxious, the right, pre-frontal cortex of the brain was the most active. By contrast, when people were happy or energised, the brain activity shifted to the left pre-frontal cortex.
Dr Davidson included a Tibetan Iama who was dedicated to meditation in his fMRI experiment and out of the 175 participants the Iama rated at the most extreme end of the happiness spectrum. A subsequent study found Tibetan monks meditating against a control group had a much faster and more powerful level of brain activity.
"In simple terms," Michie explained, "the more we meditate, the better we get at it and the happier we feel."
So how does a busy person fit meditation into their life?
"Initially, I'd aim for once a day, in the morning for about 10 minutes. As you get more comfortable with it, you can do it a bit longer or maybe again at the end of the day," he said.
"When you get the hang of it, you quickly come to realise that it works.
"Having meditated for 14 years, I have no doubt at all that I enjoy a much greater degree of equanimity, happiness and inner peace than I ever did before."