I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and found some moments of calm and clarity amongst the madness and mince pies. With any luck, you’ll be starting 2012 feeling well-rested, well-fed, and raring to go. But if that’s not the case, then don’t worry, because you’re by no means alone. January can often be difficult after the excitement of the holidays and the inevitable return to everyday life. Obviously a little more headspace can help to ease you through this transition...but then so can a little more gaman.
Now at first glance that might look like a typo, in which I’m advocating the increased consumption of ham. But in fact gaman is a Japanese word, originating from the wonderful Zen tradition. It’s not easy to translate, and is hard to describe in anything less than a dissertation-sized essay, but one thing’s for sure - we could all do with a bit more of it in our lives as we begin the year ahead. And it just so happens to be something we can develop through the practise of meditation.
Gaman refers to the ability to endure the unbearable and unwanted, with patience, understanding and dignity. At one end of the scale this might refer to something incredibly serious, like the illness or the loss of a loved-one for example. In fact the remarkable response of the local inhabitants to the earthquakes in Japan last year is a perfect example of the spirit of gaman. But in it’s truest sense, gaman also relates to how we deal with the smaller, ongoing, difficulties of everyday living. It asks us whether we are able to meet unwanted situations with a sense of stoicism, patience, self-discipline and restraint.
This doesn’t mean negating or suppressing feelings, but rather experiencing them fully, seeing them clearly, acknowledging them, without resistance or indulgence, and then letting them go. In this way, the spirit of gaman is very similar to mindfulness, to the approach we bring to meditation each day. The truth is, we can’t control what happens around us, what others choose to say or do, or indeed what nature chooses to throw at us. All we can do is train the mind to be ready, with the spirit of gaman, to live in the moment, watching life as it unfolds, with a profound sense of calm, clarity, enjoyment and empathy.
So here’s to a healthy and happy 2012...with lots more gaman for us all! With very best wishes from myself and all of the team here at Headspace HQ!
Andy