Meditation: a Way to Peace and Joy in Aging

Meditation practices have been followed for thousands of years. On hearing the word 'meditation' many might envision someone sitting crossed-legged, with eyes closed, and chanting a mantra. Not wrong, but incomplete. There are many ways to practice meditation.

I asked Barry Ronellenfitch to share his observations on the value of meditation for older adults. Barry has offered a group on mindfulness meditation to CALL for many years. You may recognize his name from a recent blog post: Alone - Not Lonely.

"The mind is like water. When it is turbulent, it is difficult to see. When it is calm, everything becomes clear." Prasad Mahes

What is Meditation?

What is meditation?  The Mayo Clinic describes it - 

Meditation is a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can help you relax deeply and calm your mind. Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress.

What are the Benefits of Meditation?

There are many documented emotional and physical benefits. Regular practice of meditation can:

• improve sleep
• lower resting blood pressure
• lower resting heart rate
• reduce negative feelings
• build skills to manage stress
• increase self-awareness
• help one to be more creative
• help one to develop patience

Different Practices of Meditation

Generally speaking meditation is an umbrella term for ways that one can move into a relaxed state. The Mayo Clinic describes these practices.

• Guided meditation
• Mantra meditation
• Mindfulness meditation
• Qigong
• Tai Chi
• Yoga

How Can we Learn to Practice Meditation?

Personally, I have participated in several of the forms mentioned above which were taught in a group setting. Some of these practices combine movement and breathing with a mental process to achieve a relaxed state and a calm mind. Some courses were online and others were offered in-person in a group setting. The most useful were those led by someone with deep understanding of the practice.

How can Meditation Help us as we Age?

I asked Barry to share his observations with the groups that he has led for Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners. The participants would be seniors of every decade of later life.

Here's what Barry shared.

Increasing Peace and Joy at an Advanced Age

If we’re lucky, we eventually reach a point in life where the constant “next thing to deal with” finally slows down. We get a little breathing room. A little time to look back, look ahead, and maybe even wonder, “Is this where I thought I’d be?” However, even if we’re more comfortable, secure, and healthy than our grandparents ever hoped to be, many of us still feel like something’s missing.

So, let’s pause for a moment and ask a simple question: What do you really want?

When you peel back all the layers, most people discover the same answer. We just want to feel good and to avoid feeling bad. That’s been driving our choices since childhood. This doesn’t mean we’re selfish as we learned early on that our happiness is tied to the happiness of the people we care about. When they suffer, we suffer. When they thrive, we feel good too. But this desire for more good feelings and less bad has been a constant motivation in our life.

So, we built lives around family, work, relationships, homes, hobbies - all the external things we were told would bring fulfillment. And yes, they brought joy, purpose, and good memories. But many of us still carry hurt, loss, grief, or worry about the future (health, finances, or the turbulent world we’re living in) and a sense that something is still missing.

There’s an old teaching that says fulfillment doesn’t come from accomplishments or possessions. Those things help us avoid pain and give us purpose, but they can’t give us lasting inner peace. There remains a degree of inner suffering.

Think of eating. We need food to stay healthy, and it can be enjoyable. But eating can’t fill emotional emptiness. Trying to use food for that just makes things worse.

Some people say suffering is a virtue, something that keeps us striving. It isn’t. Suffering drains and lessens us. It makes it harder to live fully and harder to help others.

So, what can we do?

There’s a very old idea, found in many traditions, which says we have a source of peace and happiness inside us. It doesn’t depend on what’s happening in our outer life. It’s a quiet reservoir of strength, clarity, and calm, even in difficult times. And you can access it.

Let’s see where it is.

Try this: Close your eyes and mentally count backward from five. Then continue reading.

You just watched the thoughts “5, 4, 3, 2, 1”. You were aware of those thoughts as they happened. That simple experience reveals something important: you’re not just your body and mind (thoughts and emotions). You’re also the Awareness that witnesses your body and mind.

Awareness is recognized in western science and philosophy, but it is treated as just another mental function. However, there is immense value in recognizing it as distinct from the mind - just as your body is distinct from your mind and your eyes are distinct from what they see.

Awareness is something deeper, something that people across cultures and centuries have discovered to be an uncaused source of joy, peace, love, gratitude, creativity, wisdom and more. These qualities are built into us, accessible through Awareness, and independent of our external circumstances. They’re our birthright.

We all touch this Awareness multiple times every day, but mental noise typically blocks it as soon as it arises, limiting our access to these unconditional gifts. As a result, we have failed to recognize this resource for what it truly is.

Athletes describe “the zone” or “flow state,” a temporary but powerful experience of clarity and effortless action. This is an example of connection to Awareness that you may have experienced.

Notice how your mood fluctuates even when your life circumstances remain stable. Some mornings you wake up cheerful, others a little down, despite nothing external (family, money, health, etc.) changing. If nothing outside changed, what is causing these mood swings?

It is your connection to Awareness that is changing, sometimes greater, sometimes less, and your sense of well-being reflects that.

The experience of many people throughout the ages has demonstrated that the uncaused and unconditional gifts of Awareness are real, and we too can benefit from them. This is not a belief; it is a direct experience. Is that something you want?

Certain meditation and mindfulness practices are designed to cultivate our connection to Awareness, allowing its gifts to flow more consistently into daily life. Decades of scientific research confirm there are significant benefits of these practices, including improved physical and mental health and strengthened cognitive functioning.

These practices don’t require discipline, strain, or forcing your mind to be quiet. It doesn’t even require you to believe anything. Anyone can learn to meditate and then judge the results based on their own experience. The hardest part is just making the time to do it. It’s like practicing the piano. Naturally, a concert pianist plays better than a beginner, but a beginner can practice just as effectively as a master. And so can you, whether it’s piano or meditation.

Some may feel it’s too late to start. But you’ve probably heard the saying: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.

There is a tradition that says meditation instruction must be in person, and my experience supports that. Subtle practices are easy to misunderstand when the guidance is only written and there’s no chance to ask questions or receive feedback. Small errors quickly undermine the practice, and the effectiveness is lost. Hope is replaced with disappointment. You give up and an important opportunity is lost.

There are long standing organizations that teach effective techniques. With a little research, you can find one that feels right.

Alternatively, I offer a program through CALL (Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners) called Finding Peace and Joy Within. CALL is a wonderful volunteer run group with many great programs. Links below.

Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners (CALL) - About CALL
Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners (CALL) - Finding Peace and Joy Within

Here are some comments by people who have attended this program.

“My routine of twice daily meditation has given me newfound clarity on how I navigate daily life. The benefits are truly profound, incremental at first, but upon reflection, a more authentic sense of self was revealed. With meditation I have found I approach daily life with a calmer mind and new feelings of inner joy.”   G.R.

“My meditation practice brings calm and balance to my mind and body. I am increasingly aware of my present and spend less time in thoughts of the past or future. Being more open to the present brings me so much joy from things in my life that often went unnoticed. I love living in this calm.”   S.C.

“Meditation has helped me become calmer, more grateful and patient, better able to deal with my anxiety in stressful situations and to understand how it is possible to experience grief without being overwhelmed by suffering.”   L.B.

"Meditation, through a regular practice over time, has helped nurture my spiritual formation - deepening my capacity for stillness, awareness, and openness to what lies beyond my usual ways of thinking and experiencing myself. It has been both practical and spiritual: a way of meeting the immediate challenges of everyday life and a continuing practice of inner and spiritual development."   S.D.

Summary

If this post has stimulated your curiosity in meditation look for opportunities to learn more.  Some are listed in Resources.

Meditation takes practice. Although you can teach yourself it is helpful to take a course and benefit from instruction and encouragement.

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” Henry David Thoreau

If you are a CALL member, join Barry's next 8-week program starting September 16, 2026. Barry welcomes members who want to drop in to learn more.

To register:

Join the Conversation

The best part of lifelong learning is sharing ideas. If you have comments, questions, or a personal story related to this post, I'd love to hear from you. Please email Maureen info@calgarylifelonglearners.ca

Your feedback may inspire future CALL Blog posts.

Author

Maureen Osis

Maureen retired from her career -- first as a Gerontological Nurse and then a Marriage/Family Therapist in private practice working with mid-life and older adults. Maureen has published numerous articles and books, related to her professions. She is a member of CALL because she is passionate about learning. She is a volunteer with CALL, doing social media and the primary author of the Blog, because she likes to face new challenges.

Contributing Author

Barry Ronellenfitch, P. Eng., is a Professional Engineer with over 50 years’ experience with Yogic practices, and over 1,000 hours of formal training in meditation including multiple trips to India. During that time, he raised a family, owned and ran a manufacturing business, and worked to maintain a sense of peace, balance and joy while surfing the wave of chaos that we all experience in our daily lives.

Visit Barry's website.  Finding Peace and Joy

Resources

Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress.
Mayo Clinic
Dec 14, 2023

Achieving Happiness & Health in Just 10 Minutes a Day
Webinar with Shrey Vazir, BSc Kin, MSc (PT), MBCPM ™
Mindfulness-Based Chronic Pain Management ™

Connect to Calm with Qigong
Experience how the practice of Qigong can enhance your life with more energy, joy and inner peace.
Munira Jiwa, BScPT, Qigong Master & Certified Spring Forest Qigong Instructor

Finding Peace and Joy Within
Barry Ronellenfitch

Mindful Fridays: Calmer, Happier & Healthier in 10 Weeks
Guided Meditation
Recordings of 10 week program offered in 20...
McMaster Alumni
Shrey Vazir, BSc Kin, MSc (PT), MBCPM ™

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