Meditation

Meditation with Asher Packman

After more than 20 years working with the world’s leading brands as a communications senior executive, an MPN diagnosis in 2011 led Asher Packman to shift gears. As the founder of The Fifth Direction, he is now a qualified mindset coach and meditation guide, as well as the current president of Meditation Australia, the national peak body representing meditation and meditation teachers. A regular speaker for The Leukaemia Foundation about the benefits of non-pharmacological interventions such as meditation and yoga, Asher has hosted support groups such as “Meditation as Medicine” for numerous blood cancer patients and others managing chronic illness. Personally, Asher has found the daily practice of meditation to be of substantial benefit to his MPN journey, both in terms of lessening the physical burden of symptoms and improving his mental outlook, self-compassion and resilience.

Preparation

Wearing loose and comfortable clothing, find a quiet space to sit and simply begin.
Don’t forget to switch that phone off!

This meditation includes a body scan with a deep dive to the building blocks of life, our DNA. More and more research is revealing how meditation can influence the body right down to the level of genetic expression. Meditation has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety by speeding up cortisol recovery as well as lowering inflammation and pain by down-regulating associated genes. It also appears to help us maintain and protect the length of our telomeres – these are the ‘end caps’ of our chromosomes that are central to gene expression and good health. Meditation also seems to decrease the expression of oncogenes, which lowers cancer risk. All of this gives us a more robust immune system and allows the body to more readily do what it is naturally designed to do. Combined with the benefits of simply fostering a loving internal environment for our bodies to heal and thrive, and focusing our energy on the areas that need it most, regular meditation practice can be extremely helpful when health challenges are present.

I hope you enjoy this focused healing meditation and that you return to it regularly. The more you send your body good vibes, the more resilient you will become, which all leads to better health, not just for you but for those around you. I wish you all the best on your journey.

From the heart, Asher

Asher also offers a free community of like-hearted people on the wellbeing journey at The Fifth Direction. Premium access is offered at a 50% reduction to all MPN patients. Fully-funded scholarships are also available for those under significant financial burden. For more information, email Asher at asher@thefifthdirection.com