How meditation saved lives

How meditation saved lives

“Between stimulus and response, there is a  space. In that space is our power to choose  

our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Viktor Frankl 

We often imagine scary images, words,  and stories during stressful times. We also  struggle hard to overcome these problems  with our limited resources. But the rescue of  12 young boys trapped for two weeks inside a  cave in Thailand, has broadcast the message  of the power of meditation, in successfully  overcoming a life-threatening situation very  resoundingly to the world. 

On June 23, a group of 12 members—aged  between 11 and 17—of the Wild  Boars football team, along  with their assistant coach, Ekapol Chanthawong—  aged 25—entered the  Tham Luang Nang  cave in the Northern  Province of Chiang  Rai to celebrate a team member’s  birthday. The cave  usually draws  countless visitors  around the year, without any mishaps.  However, it was flooding season, and the boys were trapped when a  seasonal downpour flooded the tunnels.   Ekapol Chanthawong saved the lives of  his boys by teaching them meditation, thus  enabling them to remain calm.

As the world waited for their rescue with bated  breath, it was totally a different scenario with  the boys. Aisha Wiboongrungreung, mother  of the youngest boy, pointed out that it was  astonishing to see the children sitting calmly  with no lines of stress on their faces, waiting  to be rescued. 

Turned out that Ekapol Chanthawong, born in  Myanmar, before becoming a football coach,  had spent several years as a Buddhist  monk and learnt how to conserve  energy by restricting movement  

and meditating. According  to the local news, it is this  expertise that enabled the  trapped boys to remain  

calm and alive. Stanford  University meditation expert Leah Weiss, who was taught by the Dalai Lama, says that  

meditation was probably the tool that kept the  group alive. “For Buddhists, meditation is a go-to in times  

of distress or danger,” she added. 

Meditation calms you by lowering your  heart rate and breathing rate, which lessens  your oxygen utilisation, and allows you to be  with the present. Three cheers for meditation!