Spreading Mindfulness

Michael Perry is 71 and lives in Greenwich, south London. At the beginning of this year, he started running mindfulness classes at Wavelengths leisure centre in Deptford. He shares his thoughts about staying healthy and positive ageing.

I’ve been practising mindfulness and meditation for over four decades. My wife and I went travelling to Asia years ago and I tried meditation. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t a ‘revelation’ as such - I came home and slowly became more interested in how these techniques can help people with everyday life.

At the time, I had a stressful job working for local government and then the NHS and like a lot of young people, I was drinking a lot at weekends to relax. Gradually, I put a stop to that way of life and turned to meditation and mindfulness instead. I didn’t like having to write reports for work but being mindful helped me to focus.

Mindfulness is about being aware of where you are both physically and mentally. Our minds are always chasing things to do, worrying about the past and the future. My personal view is that we all have a peaceful part of our mind where there is no judgement. Mindfulness helps us to access this and to rest in the present moment.

But that’s not to say I’m perfect! My mind can still shoot off in all kinds of directions. Mindfulness is a practice and we’re always learning to let go of the stress that comes our way – some minor and some perhaps traumatic.

In my classes, we do a number of activities. We might start with a guided meditation and then move on to mindful eating, walking, sitting silently or deep relaxation. There is always time for reflections and a few questions. Sometimes I play quiet music, and sometimes not.

I’m currently running two classes at Wavelengths which have proved very popular though we’re still experimenting with different times. But some customers try it and decide it’s not for them and that’s fine. I see what I do as ‘dropping seeds’ – they might come back to it at another time. My wife says she comes to my classes to watch me, “make a fool of myself”!

Mindfulness can be helpful at any age. When I worked for the NHS, I was a counsellor and worked in palliative care. People had regrets about not being physically able any more or stress about coming to the end of their lives. Mindfulness teaches you to not run away from yourself.

As for the fact that I’m still working in my seventies, well, I believe that you can contribute to the world no matter how old you are! Some people want to work into retirement, some want to try other things like volunteering. People should have the opportunity to follow their bliss. I don’t view what I do as ‘work’.

Your mind is your greatest tool. It can allow you to consciously relax and have a more positive attitude to life.

Wavelengths leisure centre is run by charitable social enterprise GLL under the ‘Better’ brand in partnership with Lewisham Council. Supporting the wellbeing of local communities is an important part of the organisation’s ethos.

Find out more about Wavelengths Leisure Centre at https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/lewisham/wavelengths-leisure-centre