Tom Cronin is a meditation teacher, writer, speaker, producer and life mentor. His goal in life is to spread calmness and stillness throughout the world via The Stillness Project.
He first discovered meditation while working in finance as a means of managing stress. Now he spends his days helping others use meditation to manage their stressors and live calmer, more manageable lives. He gives talks, offers mentoring and group meditation opportunities, courses and retreats and more. If stress has taken over your life, he might be the right person for you to turn to.
How do you define “stillness,” and why is it lacking for many people today?
Stillness is the absence of motion. This can be mental motion or physical. Its lacking in todays world because we have so much mental stimulation which leads to agitated nervous systems.
How has your life changed since you left your career in finance and shifted your work toward helping people learn and practice meditation?
Immeasurably! The best way to describe this is that I feel no different if its Sunday night or Friday night. Either way, I’m excited about the day ahead! I feel in the flow and like I am living my Dharma – life purpose.
You offer a range of tools for people, from video lessons to in-person retreats. What do you see as the similarities and differences when it comes to working with meditation online and face to face?
I think it will always be more powerful in person. Its like seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a huge auditorium with lots of people as opposed to the DVD. Both are great, but the live experience is always the most powerful.
That said, digital or online enables people all over the world to now have access to a technique they never had access to before, its affordable and also accessible. We have thousands of testimonials from people who’s lives have been changed for the better with our online meditation courses.
How did you personally discover meditation, and did you take up a regular practice right away?
I scoured through the Yellow Pages under ‘M’ for meditation! I rang each centre and tried their techniques until I found one I resonate with. There was no Google back in 1996! Once I found the one for me, yes I took it up straight away. It was life changing.
For other people who are under a great deal of stress related to their work, what counsel would you give, based on your own experiences with this situation?
Learn how to meditate from a qualified teacher and meditate daily. This is key to stress management I believe.
