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Mark Sanford, from Mistress to Meditation

May 13
05:23 2013
At least the guy is living. That’s the first thought I had about the latest news concerning South Carolina’s former governor, Mark Sanford, and his cherished meditation routine.Sanford recently won back his congressional seat by narrowly defeating Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

It’s no wonder the man has learned to meditate, and meditate a lot. I myself can testify to the deep relaxation brought about by sitting quietly and monitoring my breathing through my nose, in and out, in and out, and so on. Please see Good morning, stress gurus

Sanford, if you don’t remember, is the infamous politician who went missing for six days in 2009. The media went into a frenzy. How did we lose the governor of South Carolina? Sanford’s spokesman, doing a bit of quick thinking, told the media the governor was out hiking the Appalachian Trail (later, that would become a euphemism for coitus).

When Sanford reappeared, he admitted he’d been in the arms of an Argentine journalist with a beautiful name: Maria Belén Chapur. They’d met in 2001, and the friendship had turned passionate in 2008. After the governor arrived back in the United States, he admitted he’d been having an extramarital affair, and that he, indeed, loved this other woman. He called her his soul mate. Currently, they’re engaged.

You can’t deny the heart very easily. That’s what I like about Mark Sanford. Sure, he should have told his wife about it, rather than hurt her like he did, but there’s still something remarkable about a man (or woman) who follows his passion, rather than going through the motions of every day life and only dreaming of what’s really pulsing in his heart.

And now, Sanford is into meditation. Which is dear to my heart. Sitting still for even fifteen minutes each day, without the TV on, without music, without being on the phone, without a bowl of ice cream, without thinking, and without masturbating (that’s a different sort of meditation, ask this priest), but just sitting still, and being aware of your body.

Mark Sanford gets it.

From the Huffington Post:

“I’ve tried to be disciplined about a quiet time each day,” he said.
Sanford also advocated for the importance of being present, particularly when interacting with voters while on the campaign trail (“You’re present with them, you actually can have a real conversation.”). Although Sanford says he identifies as a Christian, he subscribes to the Buddhist concept of mindfulness (click over to Yahoo! for more on that).
Research has linked mindfulness meditation — the practice of cultivating a nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment — to lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, improving emotional stability and sleep quality, boostingcompassion and supporting weight-loss goals, among other health benefits.

If you happen to know Mark Sanford, please pass this video of OSHO onto him. He’ll like it. If you don’t know him, you can watch it yourself:

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