I began meditating at a time of intense stress and effort relating to my work as a consultant in the healthcare sector. Having trained as a scientist, practised as a pharmacist, and worked in the unforgiving world of venture capitalist funded business, almost twenty years of scientific and commercial perspectives had brought my mind to a sharp analytical point. I had a vague idea that meditation might be helpful with stress, so I began sitting down for very short periods of time every so often. I didn’t have any knowledge of what I was or wasn’t doing and went with what felt good.

I started to notice sensations that I hadn’t experienced before while meditating, such as some separation from the many worries that occupied my mind and the endless list of tasks I needed to complete. I was running my own business which was growing and causing me to suffer. Over time I began to meditate for slightly longer periods, enjoying the sense of increasing calm and peace that I felt. My thoughts were still present, but they became less intrusive, and I could see that they were an aspect of my mind and not the whole of me. There was someone listening to those thoughts!

While I had begun meditating listening to an app, my practice developed and eventually became silent. I had become more aware of my mind and my feelings and the distractions that cause them to be disturbed. Quite early on I went on a journey to the remote Spanish mountains during off season and with a small group of friends wandered and pondered, talking about life and what it means. It wasn’t a mediation retreat, but I meditated each day and felt a deepening sense of connection with myself, other people and the world around me. On returning home I settled into a daily meditation practice and have meditated each day since.

As my daily practice has matured, I have noticed that I have much greater clarity of thought and that where my mind used to loudly narrate my experience it was now quiet, leaving me more space and energy to actually experience life. While I have always been creative, studying a masters in graphic design and incorporating that into my professional work, I have found that there is a much stronger conversation between my analytical and creative sides since I began meditating. I am more ready and able to engage emotionally with people and enjoy my relationships with my loved ones and people I don’t know far more than I could previously. I am open to new ideas and the possibility within my life seems to be expanding as I live more confidently, calmly and yes, with less stress than before I started meditating. Since starting daily meditation my awareness has grown and I have had clearer sight of how I would like to live and have made decisions that are enabling me to do so. For me, meditation is attention focussed on being. It has become like eating, sleeping and breathing. It is a part of who I am.

In 2023, building on my own practice, I studied with the British School Of Meditation to become a meditation guide and support others to develop a practice of their own.

Be well.

Gavin Birchall.