Michelle walked into my office smiling. I had seen her for the first time. I was impressed to see this lady who had come to seek help for her difficulties. As soon as she sat down on the chair, she started to cry. She had been in a difficult marriage. Her husband was physically and emotionally cruel to her and her children. This had affected one of her three children , who had started to fall behind in school. Though she had a job, she was finding it difficult to concentrate on her work. Two of her children were going to college. There were financial demands on her, as her husband was not sharing their responsibilities. He was unprepared to leave the house they were living in or share the chores. He was difficult to get rid of. Michelle had decided that she was going to leave her house, against the advice of her lawyers. She did not have patience to live with her husband anymore.

Two years later, she has the house that they owned. The husband left the house of his own accord. He was also ordered to pay for maintenance. Her son, who was having difficulties, is now settled in school and has caught up with other students. She has been promoted in her job. She now earns more than before, but is preparing to start her own business to become more independent financially.

A miracle story? Maybe. But it is a true story. This lady was patient with herself. She had decided to win and was prepared to wait till she started to become a winner. She had never done meditation in her life before I had seen her. But gradually she developed a habit of doing meditation every day of her life. She now does simple breathing exercises for half and hour everyday. Her whole life has changed.

Usually known for relaxing body and mind, in the western world, meditation is known to be the ONLY activity for attaining balance in life. In cultures, from where meditation comes, material and physical well-being are acknowledged results of meditation. In my experience, working over the years, I have seen changes in many people's lives. The only qualification you need is patience and the ability to practice it diligently and regularly as a discipline. It is entirely upto the individual as to the kind of meditation they are comfortable with. The type of meditation you practice does not matter. Investing time doing it everyday, does.

About the author:

Pradeep K Chadha is a psychiatrist who specialises in helping patients with meditation and imagery using little or no medication. He is the author of The Stress Barrier-Nature's Way To Overcoming Stress published by Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is based in Dublin, Ireland.His website address is :www.drpkchadha.com