Shabbat: The Hebrew Prozac

As a convert, the rest of my family isn't Jewish so I did my rituals alone and joined everyone when I came back from temple.

I look at the backyard and realized it had been crying for attention. I have been too ill to do much but I decided to go give the family's garden some TLC. I know, it was shabbat, I should have been resting - but something drew me outside.

I had already reseeded my small lawn, put down soil, weed killer and then covered everything with compost. I put out all my delicate glass windchimes and left the metal ones in my collection out. I cleaned rakes, hoes, trowels, clippers and the weed wacker. I uncovered my table, chairs and cafe umbrella, swept up the pine needles and put away my numerous bird feeders. And I felt calm. I also put out a banner which hangs among the morning glories and peonies in my yard that says "Gardening is the best therapy."

Later on this afternoon, one of my family came to sit with me. She also loves to garden and we agreed it truly is good therapy for us. For a while I didn't have to think about anything but the plants, the dirt, the yard and what to plant. Nothing else. Mental freedom from worries of anything life-changing.

In that time, I wasn't watching a clock but the sun and daylight. I wasn't trying to do anything but just be. Meditation of the best kind, for me.

While I paid for my hard work with a flare of my pinched spinal nerves - it was somewhat worth it. I didn't feel so bad about utilizing my shabbat this way. I believe Hashem pulled me out to that yard, so for just a few hours I could breathe the fresh air and work in his creation - spending time with Him and no worries.

Gut Vach, my friends.


Meditation: The Seat Belt Of Mental Health
by Susan Smalley

I once heard a world-renowned psychiatrist pose a question to a room full of mental health experts. He asked, "What is the 'seat belt' of mental health? Seat belts save lives, they are a simple thing people can do to protect themselves from physical harm, but what is the comparable tool to protect us from the mental hazards of life? What is the seat belt to protect against the risks for unhappiness, depression, anxiety, pain, and suffering?"

We all know that the road of life is bumpy with unexpected drop-offs, accidents, and only the occasional smooth-sailing highway. I believe that meditation -- a practice for increasing awareness -- is truly a seat belt of mental health, a protection for us on the hazardous road of life. Meditation doesn't mean sitting and reciting a mantra , although one could practice that way. Meditation is a mental exercise that heightens your awareness to experience. We have a center at UCLA where we teach meditation to the public as well as investigate the science behind it. I often look at our work promoting meditation and think that it's like the early days of seat belts -- only a few people thought it was a good idea, and most people didn't want to be bothered with it.

I remember when cars started coming with seat belts, and I remember that no one wore them. In fact, I remember consciously choosing not to wear a seatbelt. Over time, more and more people started to "buckle up," then cars had to have them, and finally the laws required us to wear them. I'm not advocating that we have laws requiring us to meditate (but I wouldn't mind if all schools and workplaces offered meditation and places for people to find a little peace and quiet). The biggest shift would be that we as a society started to see the value of meditation, in taking time to discover our inner sense of awareness, to heighten awareness of our experiences.

To get there, we will likely need the science of meditation to be disseminated by some PR firm with a large scale marketing campaign, like "Buckle up for Safety, Buckle Up" was back in the day. The science is pretty convincing -- meditation can improve your health (boost your immunity) and lead to happier and more compassionate living (it is strongly associated with happiness and well-being). Given the simplicity of meditation-- it's free, easy to do, and available to everyone--I think it is likely merely a matter of time before it becomes as routine as putting on a seat belt.

Until then, take note of the little things you already do that heighten your awareness, like paying attention to a breath or two, and consider practicing a little meditation every day. Try it and see for yourself. Meditation alone won't protect you from all things hazardous to your mind, but like a seat belt, it can help!

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