over-stimulation of emotions

I discovered mindfulness through a chain of events. It started with the death of my father in 2012. Within two weeks after my father’s passing, I suffered a mental breakdown. I felt overwhelmed with grief and the seemingly long list of things to do (including running two businesses then). I reached out to Dr. Peter Mack, whose name had serendipitously surfaced during my father’s wake.

learn meditation?

Dr. Mack, now retired, was one of the pioneers of keyhole surgery in Singapore. He also practiced regression therapy — a surgery of the mind. I eventually got well with his guidance. During our sessions, he kept insisting that I learn to meditate. “You’re thinking too much.”

I initially resisted meditation. It sounded boring. I thought that only Taoists and Buddhists do it. But I got curious and attempted simple techniques picked up from books and the Internet. It didn’t move the needle. Then I chanced upon a Vipassana Meditation course right here in Singapore. I was intrigued that it was a 10-day retreat – the kind of depth I was looking for.

be still and heal

Imagine attending swim school, spending ten hours a day for ten straight days learning to swim. I finally felt clarity of mind, even though they were brief. And there was a surprise: my decade-long suffering from food allergy disappeared! I had been enduring arthritic pains whenever I ate the wrong food. Baffled doctors prescribed painkillers, not knowing what else to do. During the meditation course, the teacher insisted I pushed through the discomfort. I was pain-free at the end of the retreat.

there is science in this

A doctor friend explained that my autonomic nervous system probably stabilised while being in a stress-free environment. The long break allowed my parasympathetic branch to activate more often. That enabled the immune system to resume its healing functions.

teaching children

Jubilant from my own unexpected recovery, I was motivated to share with my family what I’ve learnt. My wife picked it up easily. My three children (the youngest was 10 years old then) were bored and restless. I was determined that they learn this skill. Online research opened me to the world of mindfulness.

One of the top search results for teaching mindfulness to children featured Mindful Schools in the US. Mindful Schools has been championing the introduction of mindfulness skills to children, adolescents and teachers since 2007. Like the 10-day retreat, their one-year teacher certification course drew me in. I studied in-depth techniques and science. The course also taught  me classroom management and other essential skills.

teacher preacher

I am a certified Mindful Schools instructor. I am also a qualified MBSR teacher with the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness, and trained to teach UK-based .b mindfulness curriculum. Besides my family, I have had the opportunity to share and advocate about mindfulness to youths, families and adults.

“Children are the future leaders of this world”, I shared on stage during the closing session of Wisdom 2.0 Asia 2015. Counter-intuitively, it starts with them being conscious of what’s going on in their world right now. I envision a day when all children knows this lifeskill, just like they all know how to brush their own teeth. It will help them cope in an environment that continually floods them with information, that fuels competition and deadlines, and one that changes rapidly.

keeping mentally fit

I set aside half my teaching hours for charities. I lead mindfulness sessions for their beneficiaries and staff, who like us, also need a respite from the demands of their social work. 

I continue to make time for mindfulness retreats, long or short, for my personal benefit and to learn from other teachers.