英文原文
Mindful Midlife Meditation and Mantras – Equine Guided Growth
So, where you thinking of getting a tattoo? Or buying that Harley Davidson? Or maybe the Morgan (the car, not the horse) that you have put your name down for ages ago? Or is it a face-lift/tummy tuck/breast implant that you are contemplating?
Are you a bit bored with life in general and with your job and/or spouse in particular? Are you thinking of chucking it all in: job, house, spouse, golf club membership and moving to somewhere where the sun shines year round? Are you thinking of having an affair with, oh let’s not be too adventurous, your secretary/your best friend’s husband?
Suddenly you feel old, invisible, unappreciated and unimportant.
Are you wondering who you are and what you are doing here? Are you suddenly looking into the mirror and thinking, “Is this really all there is? Is this really what I worked so very hard for – this feeling of disappointment and emptiness?”
Or are you yearning for a spiritual rebirth? Are you dreaming of getting away from it all, to somewhere else, anywhere else, whether the sun shines there 24/7 (or not), as long as it is peaceful and quiet there? Are you going through a painful divorce or struggling with the complexities of online dating? Or maybe you have an empty nest and you wonder what purpose the rest of your life is supposed to serve? Maybe you are desperate to bring some passion back into your boring marriage?
The thoughts racing and knocking around endlessly in your head are driving you nuts.
If this is your problem, then I know of something you may want to try. It is called mindful midlife meditation. Mindful midlife meditation can help you put your anxiety about growing older into perspective allowing you to take on board the possibility of growing older gracefully or disgracefully – the choice is yours. No use pretending that you are not feeling anxious about growing older. That is perfectly normal. Meditation can help you minimise that anxiety and reflect on where you are now and where you want to go from here.
Why bother with meditation, mindful or not? Because midlife meditation can improve your health, help you to sleep better, increase your lifespan, reduce your stress levels and make it easier to cope with the challenges of this transitional period. Mindfulness Meditation, as Sam Harris said, is “simply a state of open, non-judgmental, and non-discursive attention to the contents of consciousness, whether pleasant or unpleasant.” Below are a few reasons why you may want to incorporate midlife meditation into your busy schedule. Meditation can:
• Assist you to think more clearly (VERY useful during a midlife crisis!) and make better decisions
• Provide you with inspiration and motivation about what you want to do with the rest of your life
• Offer you different perspectives should you find yourself unnerved and uncertain
• Help you adjust to the physical and psychological symptoms of the menopause/andropause
• Substantially reduce your stress levels, lowering the risk of getting a stress-related illness
Our Mindful Meditation Midlife Renewal Retreats are designed to help you master mindfulness meditation, especially if you have never meditated before – the workshop is especially useful for beginners or for those who have meditated for a while but have trouble keeping to their practice.
Regular practice of meditation creates inner peace and a sense of well-being. When you meditate regularly it is easier to simply go with the flow and situations that once stressed you now become insignificant. As I have already written quite a bit about mindfulness meditation, I will not repeat myself here. I do want to add something that would be especially useful for midlifers. Often during meditation, practitioners are encouraged to repeat a mantra, to help them remain focused. I have included below a list of mantras that would be specifically useful for people in midlife:
* I strive to be the best I can be, but I never try to be someone I am not.
* I have a lot to be thankful for.
* I either succeed or I learn something.
* I do not use where I have been to justify where I am. I use where I am to jump-start where I am going.
* I prioritise my obligations and do the important things first.
* I will say no when I choose to.
* I make time to become conscious of life’s simple pleasures.
* I help myself by helping those around me.
* I take ownership of my actions so my actions never own me.
* I do not make decisions in a state of emotional upheaval.
* It is OK if not everyone likes me – I don't like everyone either.
* My habits define who I am.
* I cannot make someone love me. I can only be someone who can be loved.
* The biggest mistake I can make is doing nothing because I am scared to make a mistake.
* What other people think of me is none of my business.
* I believe in myself more and I doubt others less.
* I do something every day that makes me happy.
* No matter how small, I celebrate my successes, daily.
* I thank people who have helped me and I return the favour asap.
* I let the things go that are not worth fighting for. I choose my battles wisely.
* I let go of things I can’t change and concentrate on the things I that can.
* I forgive others as I forgive myself.
* I am in competition only with myself striving to be the best I can be.
The above can also work extremely well when used as daily affirmations. Choose one and stick to it for a week, preferably two weeks. The idea is to repeat it to yourself, out loud if you can, as often as possible during the day. Midlife does not have to be a crisis.
Midlife does not have to be a crisis – it can be the start of the best part of your life. Imagine how different your life can be in a year’s time if you start changing it today.
Margaretha Montagu – Mpowering women to live the second half of their lives with renewed passion.
Dr. Margaretha Montegu is a medical doctor with 20 years of experience helping her patients manage stress so as to avoid physical disease and psychological distress. 8 years ago she left medical practice to concentrate on prevention rather than cure and now hosts Mindfulness Meditation Retreats, assisted by 6 super-smart horses, in the south of France.
中文翻译
正念中年冥想与咒语——马匹引导成长
那么，你在考虑纹身吗？还是买那辆哈雷戴维森？或者也许是你很久以前就登记的那辆摩根（汽车，不是马）？或者你正在考虑做面部拉皮/腹部除皱/隆胸手术？
你是否对生活总体上感到有点无聊，尤其是对你的工作和/或配偶？你是否想抛弃一切：工作、房子、配偶、高尔夫俱乐部会员资格，搬到某个阳光常年照耀的地方？你是否想和，哦，别太冒险，你的秘书/你最好朋友的丈夫发生婚外情？
突然之间，你感到自己老了、隐形了、不被欣赏和不重要。
你是否在疑惑自己是谁，在这里做什么？你是否突然看着镜子想：“这就是全部吗？这就是我如此努力工作的结果吗——这种失望和空虚的感觉？”
或者你渴望精神上的重生？你是否梦想逃离这一切，去别的地方，任何地方，无论那里是否24/7阳光普照，只要那里宁静祥和？你是否正在经历痛苦的离婚，或在网上约会的复杂性中挣扎？或者也许你有一个空巢，你想知道余生的目的是什么？也许你迫切希望给无聊的婚姻带回一些激情？
脑海中不断奔涌、无休止碰撞的念头让你发疯。
如果这是你的问题，那么我知道你可能想尝试一些东西。它叫做正念中年冥想。正念中年冥想可以帮助你正确看待对变老的焦虑，让你接受优雅或失态地变老的可能性——选择权在你。假装不对变老感到焦虑是没有用的。这完全正常。冥想可以帮助你减少这种焦虑，反思你现在的位置以及你想从这里走向何方。
为什么要费心冥想，无论是否正念？因为中年冥想可以改善你的健康，帮助你睡得更好，延长寿命，降低压力水平，并让你更容易应对这个过渡期的挑战。正如萨姆·哈里斯所说，正念冥想“仅仅是一种开放、不评判、不散漫地关注意识内容的状态，无论愉快还是不愉快。”以下是你可能想将中年冥想纳入繁忙日程的几个原因。冥想可以：
• 帮助你更清晰地思考（在中年危机期间非常有用！）并做出更好的决定
• 为你提供关于余生想做什么的灵感和动力
• 在你感到不安和不确定时提供不同的视角
• 帮助你适应更年期/男性更年期的生理和心理症状
• 显著降低压力水平，减少患压力相关疾病的风险
我们的正念冥想中年更新静修旨在帮助你掌握正念冥想，特别是如果你从未冥想过——这个工作坊对初学者或冥想一段时间但难以坚持练习的人特别有用。
定期练习冥想能创造内心的平静和幸福感。当你定期冥想时，更容易随波逐流，曾经让你压力山大的情况变得微不足道。由于我已经写了很多关于正念冥想的内容，这里不再重复。我想补充一些对中年人特别有用的东西。在冥想中，练习者经常被鼓励重复咒语，以帮助他们保持专注。我在下面列出了一些对中年人特别有用的咒语：
* 我努力做到最好，但从不试图成为别人。
* 我有很多值得感恩的事情。
* 我要么成功，要么学到东西。
* 我不以过去来证明现在。我以现在来启动未来。
* 我优先处理义务，先做重要的事情。
* 我会在需要时说“不”。
* 我花时间意识到生活中的简单乐趣。
* 我通过帮助周围的人来帮助自己。
* 我掌控自己的行为，不让行为掌控我。
* 我不在情绪动荡时做决定。
* 不是每个人都喜欢我，这没关系——我也不喜欢每个人。
* 我的习惯定义了我。
* 我不能让别人爱我。我只能成为值得被爱的人。
* 我能犯的最大错误是因为害怕犯错而什么都不做。
* 别人怎么想我，不关我的事。
* 我更相信自己，更少怀疑别人。
* 我每天做一件让我开心的事。
* 无论多小，我每天都庆祝自己的成功。
* 我感谢帮助过我的人，并尽快回报。
* 我放下不值得争斗的事情。我明智地选择战斗。
* 我放下无法改变的事情，专注于可以改变的事情。
* 我原谅他人，如同原谅自己。
* 我只与自己竞争，努力做到最好。
以上内容作为每日肯定语也非常有效。选择一个并坚持一周，最好是两周。其理念是尽可能在一天中对自己重复它，如果可以的话大声说出来。中年不一定是危机。
中年不一定是危机——它可以是你人生最好部分的开始。想象一下，如果你今天开始改变，一年后你的生活会有多么不同。
玛格丽塔·蒙塔古——赋予女性以新的激情度过下半生。
玛格丽塔·蒙塔古博士是一位拥有20年经验的医生，帮助患者管理压力以避免身体疾病和心理困扰。8年前，她离开医疗实践，专注于预防而非治疗，现在在法国南部举办正念冥想静修，由6匹超级聪明的马协助。
文章概要
本文探讨了中年过渡期如何通过正念冥想和咒语来减轻压力。文章描述了中年常见的焦虑、空虚和身份危机，并介绍了正念冥想如何帮助应对这些挑战，包括改善健康、清晰思考、降低压力等。特别强调了咒语（如自我肯定语句）在冥想中的重要作用，提供了一系列针对中年人的实用咒语列表，建议作为每日练习来促进心理平衡和积极转变。文章还提到了作者在法国举办的马匹辅助冥想静修，旨在帮助人们掌握冥想技巧，将中年转变为人生新起点。
高德明老师的评价
这篇文章就像一位亲切的大姐姐在跟你聊天，告诉你中年时可能会感到迷茫、压力大，甚至想逃离一切。但别担心，她有个好办法：每天静坐一会儿，专注呼吸，就像给大脑做个放松按摩。还可以念一些积极的话，比如“我有很多值得感恩的”或“我只跟自己比赛”，这些就像魔法咒语，能让你心情变好，压力变小。想象一下，就像在操场上跑步后喝口水，整个人都清爽了！
从佛学角度看，这篇文章体现了大乘佛教的慈悲与智慧精神。文中强调通过冥想和咒语减轻压力、提升幸福感，这与显宗（如禅宗、净土宗）注重心性修养、离苦得乐的目标一致。特别是《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角，它融合显密修行，强调“心要”即专注与觉知。文章中的正念冥想类似于显宗的止观修行，培养专注力（止）和觉察力（观），而咒语的使用则呼应了密宗真言持诵的法门，通过音声净化心灵。准提法作为显密圆通的典范，其咒语“嗡折隶主隶准提梭哈”具有强大净化力，能快速消除烦恼，文章中的肯定语虽非佛教真言，但原理相通——以正向语言重塑心念，促进内在转变。这显示了佛教修行在现代生活中的应用潜力，帮助人们在中年危机中找到平静与方向。
在修行实践上，这篇文章的方法可以应用并解决人们的十个问题：1. 缓解焦虑和压力，通过冥想平静心绪；2. 提升自我认知，咒语帮助反思真实自我；3. 改善决策能力，清晰思考避免冲动；4. 增强感恩心，培养知足常乐的态度；5. 促进情绪稳定，减少情绪化反应；6. 加强人际关系，以宽容心态对待他人；7. 找到生活目标，激发余生动力；8. 应对身体变化，适应更年期症状；9. 提升幸福感，每日小确幸积累快乐；10. 实现精神重生，将中年转为成长契机。准提法的优点在于其简便高效，持诵准提咒无需复杂仪轨，适合忙碌现代人，能迅速积累功德、净化业障，与文章中的简易冥想和肯定语练习异曲同工，共同指向心性提升和离苦得乐的大乘目标。