Shortcut to Nirvana

 

During lunch last week with a colleague from my previous life in public television, she remarked wistfully that what she’s looking for these days is a shortcut to Nirvana. Aren’t we all. Best I can tell, of course, it really doesn’t work like that. But the good news is that whatever effort you put into exploring your spiritual path will reward you far beyond what you might have expected when you first began. 

 

When I started a meditation practice 13 years ago, I wasn’t looking for spirituality as much as a way to keep from getting sick so frequently. As I was working an extremely stressful job helping Boston University set up a television station, I kept getting walloped with various illnesses that landed me in bed for days—sometimes weeks—at a time. Since I had always been healthy, I couldn’t understand what was going on. Nor was I happy about being out of commission so often.  In short, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

 

Fortunately, I happened to remember a story I had reported during my years as a correspondent for ABC News “Nightline,” on psychoneuroimmunology.  (Thank heavens, we’ve since shortened the term to mind/body medicine!) The segment included an interview with Dr. Herbert Benson, the godfather of mind/body medicine and founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Boston. We led the Nightline piece with footage Dr. Benson had shot of Tibetan monks inside a 45-degree cave who wrapped themselves in wet linen sheets, went into a deep meditative state, and then proceeded to steam the sheets dry.  Even a skeptical journalist had to be impressed. But it wasn’t until I was myself completely stressed-out and desperate that I decided to see if meditation could work its magic on my body, too.

 

And so I began meditating for half an hour every day. I would close the door to my office at the TV station, unplug the phone, and quiet my mind to all outside distractions. I later moved my meditation time to right before bedtime, and these days I do it first thing in the morning.  

 

All these years later, I can tell you that meditation changed my life.  It brought me back to good health, opened my heart to spiritual growth I hadn’t even realized I was seeking, prompted me to create the Body & Soul series for PBS (which included a guided meditation to help anyone interested get started), and brought me here to mypathtv to continue mind/body work through the Internet.   

 

And while I suspect there may not be any shortcuts to Nirvana, I firmly believe that meditation is probably the closest thing to it . If you aren’t already meditating, I urge you to give it a try—for the highest good of yourself, your family, and for the planet we all share.  

 

 

 

 

 

Everyday Miracles

• 
  
  

  Gail Harris

  
  Gail Harris is the creator, executive producer and host for "Body & Soul," the PBS series on mind/body/spirit, and author of the companion book, " Body & Soul: Your Guide to Health, Happiness, and Optimal Well-being." A National Emmy Award-winning journalist for public television and radio, Harris has a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University. She lives in northern California, where she is devoted to meditation, Reiki, and yoga--and to her son, Michael, and partner, John.