By Duane Hendricks, Vancouver

Life passes by in a blurr. Experience of the present is ever fleeting. No sooner am I waking up cursing my alarm clock than has the day passed – again I am going to bed too late with little accomplished and even less actually experienced. Did I gain any pleasure during my walk to the bus stop? I saw the fluffy yellow bee land on the flowers, but somehow I did not experience the moment. I see life as through a window pane. I cannot quite touch what I see; I cannot feel the air fluttering from the bee’s wings.

I took advantage of free introductory classes offered by a number of meditation groups. Not being religious or very inclined toward mysticism, I did not find the experience or results I was looking for.

Years passed. For a while I stopped actively searching for a means to experience the moment. A lot of people talk about how the years slip away, so certainly I was no different? Eventually my desire for different results pushed their way back to the surface.

An internet search led me to a website describing a type of meditation based on psychology rather than mysticism or religion. The organization was founded by a now professor at the department of neurosciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The beginners’ course was not free, but relatively cheap, especially if this was a technique that could take me in the direction I desired.

Years later, I am still practicing Acem Meditation. In addition to my daily individual meditations, I have been to a weekend retreat in the UK, and a week long retreat in Norway. I have read about the published research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Medical Science Monitor, and other reputable journals, but this just confirms my own experience with Acem
Meditation. Acem Meditation is a technique which, when practiced regularly, improves my ability to deal with stress and brings me closer to the moment.