Pauline McKinnon February Resolutions Interview

Your Vision For 2020? Another View Of What That Might Mean

Melbourne based Pauline McKinnon has been a leader in the field of therapeutic meditation for over 30 years helping people overcome the troublesome symptoms of anxiety and manage stress, grief, trauma and other personal issues. A psychotherapist and author on the topic, Pauline specialises in the unique Meares' style of meditation. Pauline, also the founder of the Stillness Meditation Centre in Melbourne, suggests that while most people have great intentions when they put in place their New Year's resolutions, the reality is that nearly 70 percent give up on their goals by February.

"The reasons for this are mixed – those goals all seem easy in the holiday season. But very soon life propels us in various directions many of which may demand far more importance than the ideals set on New Year's Eve. And, indeed January in Australia has witnessed tremendous tragedy, loss and suffering in a range of ways. It is so important to cultivate skills that assist life's challenges in a calm and purposeful way," Pauline McKinnon said today.

"Though perhaps something of a cliché, making a connection between quality eyesight and quality of life may be a good memory jolt to act upon. While a competent optometrist can help improve our eyesight, only we can improve our quality of life! So what does that mean?

"In short, quality of life means feeling good, healthy, focused, strong, relatively secure and generally content. One of the proven and successful ways to gain these ideals is through the practice of meditation.

"This is why I strongly recommend to anyone who is really serious about achieving their New Year's resolutions that they put meditation at the top of their list, followed by their other goals. Meditation will provide them with a powerful tool – or in other words, the vision – with which to achieve those resolutions.

"I believe it is like saying, I am going to make a new cake in the new year. You have the ingredients and a cake tin for baking, but no mixing bowl, spoons or cake mixer with which to make it. Meditation is the tool or practice that facilitates the process."

Meditation is a practice that today is used by many people, from mums to surgeons to CEOs, to help develop and maintain levels of calm and resilience. Meditation is widely accepted as an important technique for wellbeing. Not surprisingly, those who do meditate regularly state that they experience greater mental stability and better general health, calm control and increased happiness.

As we know, there are many styles of meditation from which to choose. Being a long-term practitioner and proponent of Stillness Meditation, Pauline McKinnon believes in the extraordinary power of this lesser-known style of meditation. Stillness Meditation maintains the work of the renowned Australian psychiatrist, Ainslie Meares. His best-selling book ('Relief Without Drugs') brought pioneering understanding to the potential health benefits of a natural meditative practice. From his book alone, Meares helped thousands of people to a better life through this uncomplicated approach.

"In the experience of Stillness Meditation people learn to simply rest, experiencing mental relaxation without the effort of focusing the mind on anything. In this way, nervous tension is reduced bringing calm and ease to body, mind and spirit. Outstanding outcomes include the relief and management of stress and anxiety and all the attributes that amount to a calmer and higher quality of life. When we're calm, the natural strengths of focus and awareness gradually increase and managing modern living becomes much easier, too," Pauline continued.

Like all best practice, Stillness Meditation should be correctly learned with an expert teacher. Pauline McKinnon and her team are passionate about helping people experience just that!

The Stillness Meditation Therapy Centre offers regular meditation sessions for all age groups with options of daytime or evening attendance. Consultations and sessions are available one on one or within a personalised group. There is also the option of an Intensive Package for those wanting to move more quickly in this direction – or for those whose location prevents regular visits. One to one Skype sessions can also be arranged.

"If you're greater vision is one of seeking a higher quality of life or if you've been wondering what Stillness Meditation Therapy is about, perhaps now is the time to take that first step toward this 2020 goal," Pauline McKinnon said.

www.stillnessmeditation.com.au

Interview with Pauline McKinnon

Question: Why do you suggest it's better to begin new year's resolutions on the 1st of February instead of 1st of January?

Pauline McKinnon: January can be a challenging time to put some goals in place especially when you are still on holiday, or taking care of the kids, or dealing with other demands. Sometimes, resolutions can be more powerfully effective when you choose the right time to put them in place. Timing is important. For example, if you are going to learn to meditate to assist yourself to introduce some calm and focus into your life, honing your meditation skills first will definitely assist with goal setting.


Question: How can we keep our resolutions alive, all year round?

Pauline McKinnon: We need to make resolutions that we're truly passionate about.


Question: What's required to implement changes and introduce good habits?

Pauline McKinnon: Commitment and a certain level of discipline.


Question: What is meditation?

Pauline McKinnon: There are many forms of meditation, the most currently popular being 'mindfulness'. My preference is for 'stillness' from which we gain mental rest as opposed to continued stimulus.


Question: And, why is it such an important activity?

Pauline McKinnon: I would dispute the word 'activity' – real meditation should simply be very deep stillness.

Question: How can we learn to meditate?

Pauline McKinnon: To learn and benefit from meditation we must find an experienced teacher and persist with the teacher and with personal practice until we see results by having mastered the skill.


Question: What are your 2020 new year's resolutions?

Pauline McKinnon: To give priority to being happy, maintaining serenity, keeping a simple but regular fitness regime and giving special time to long term friendships.


Interview by Brooke Hunter
Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash