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Well, I am going to start this bright new year with something
a bit different!
Death is often regarded as a taboo subject in our society,
something we avoid discussing and we fear. Yet it is something
that will happen to us all. In this newsletter, I am going
to discuss some meditation practices that can assist those
who are dying, as well as their carers, family or friends.
So please try not to think of this a being a morbid topic,
rather look at it as practical information that can help
the ones we love.
On a lighter note, I also discuss some of the many properties
and applications of my favourite essential oil, Lavender.
Hope 2007 is a great year for you.
Warm wishes
Alison
Meditation to Assist
the Dying Process
Comeditation, Letting
Go
Stress Management Tips
Something Interesting...
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In his book “Who Dies?” , Stephen Levine
talks of being with people whose death bought them fully
into life and who approached the moment of death with a
new openness that allowed them a sense of completion. There
were others whose pain and fear had so closed them that
they could not say goodbye to those they loved most, leaving
so much unfinished business that all were bereft of the
contact they desired.
So how can we help our family and friends to die a peaceful
death? Many people sit by their dying loved ones
feeling that there must be some way to translate their own
caring into a form of comfort for that person. Meditation
is one way to assist, allowing carers to do something
for the dying person, rather than feeling hopeless and inadequate.
Although the many debilitating processes in dying cannot
be altered, small comforting efforts do make a difference
to anyone in physical and emotional pain.
Tibetan Buddhism places great emphasis on achieving
a peaceful death, as the moment of death is considered
the optimal time to attain nirvana and thus end the cycle
of rebirth. Tibetan Buddhists have several visualizations
and meditations aimed at helping to achieve a peaceful death.
These meditations can be practised in the lead up to death,
at the moment of death and afterwards. Most of these have
been adapted for use in our western society and are gaining
much wider acceptance in healthcare for the terminally ill.
Just as meditation serves as an aid in dealing with stresses
of day-to-day living and pain relief, the meditative state
is even more valuable during the dying process, when variations
in body chemistry bring about more challenging physical
and mental changes.
In the Meditation section below, I look at two of these
mediation practices: “Comeditation”
and “Letting Go”. In my next
newsletter, I will cover two more meditation practices that
can be used to ease the dying process.
Traditional Buddhist teaching strongly recommends that
these techniques are learnt and practiced throughout life,
so that when death occurs (which may be unexpected) they
can provide automatic comfort when metabolic imbalances
interfere with rational thought. Dying then becomes a subtle
change of focus toward inner peace. The meditation practices
can also be adapted for use when we encounter other difficult
situations in our life.
Helpful Reading Resources:
Boerstler, R W & H S Kornfeld, 1995.
Life to Death – Harmonizing the Transition.
Healing Arts Press.Vermont.
Ko-I Bastis, M, 2000. Peaceful Dwelling.
Tuttle Publishing. Boston.
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth, M.D., 2003. On Death &
Dying. Scribner, New York.
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth, M.D., 1997. The Wheel of
Life. Bantam Press, Great Britain.
Levine, S, 1986. Who Dies? Gateway Books.
Bath.
Levine, S, 1987. Healing Into Life & Death.
Bath.
Reoch, R, 1997. Dying Well – A Holistic Guide
for the Dying and Their Carers. A Hodder &
Stoughton Book. Australia.
Rinpoche, S, 1998. The Tibetan Book of Living &
Dying. Rider. London.
For these and more books refer to Recommended
Reading on Healing Energy
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People often make the mistake of trying to keep a dying
person alive for as long as possible, no matter what the
cost. This can add to the suffering and strain for both
the person and their family. There are times when the kindest
thing is to do is to just be close and support the dying
person, letting them know that you are thankful for all
the time, joy and sorrow you shared and that you are able
to accept their death and will be alright after they have
gone. It is not always possible to verbally provide these
assurances, so an effective method of giving this permission
is to do the "Letting Go" meditation.
Comeditation is probably the best know
meditation for the dying. It is a practice of meditating
with another person and involves sharing the other person’s
breath as a means of helping them to let go and relax. It
is easily learned and practiced. It requires that both people
are willing to spend twenty to thirty minutes uninterrupted
by any distractions. The method may be adapted to accommodate
the recipient’s physical constraints and preferences.
Please Click
Here for the directions for both meditations.
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* If you are having difficulty sleeping,
try putting a couple of drops of Lavender oil
on your pillow. Lavender oil is calming, soothing and balancing.
* Acknowledge your fears consciously,
rather than ignoring or supressing them. Face the fear and
feel it in your body. This will dissipate it and allow you
some clarity and objectivity. The fear of the fear is always
worse than the actual fear itself!
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Lavender oil is one of the
most versatile essential oils and its properties include:
analgesic, anti-depressant, antiseptic, insect repellant,
decongestant, and sedative. Use it as a steam inhalant
to help with colds, catarrh, coughs, and sinusitis. It can
be massaged into the temples or used in a cold compress
on the forehead or back of the neck to relieve headaches.
Lavender in a massage oil will provide relief for pain
and also helps to reduce high blood pressure. It's
great for children and before that in childbirth, although
it should not be used in the first three months of pregnancy.
Lavender oil rubbed into the skin will help
you to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes
and other insects. If you have been bitten, make sure you
apply Lavender oil as soon as possible to the bite to take
the pain out of the sting and stop the irritation spreading.
I always keep a bottle handy by the side of
my bed for a peaceful night's sleep and I take one with
me when I travel. It doubles as a first aid kit, being a
handy antispetic, anti-inflammatory for blisters, cuts,
and bruises, and a treatment for pain and mozzy bites.
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