Dermot Whelan: Meditation is hands down the best tool for relaxing your body and mind

Comedian Dermot Whelan dipped into his own experience when writing ‘Mind Full’, an upbeat guide to meditation.

When most of us hear the term meditation, an image of a Dalai Lama type figure perched on a mountaintop chanting ‘om’ is probably more likely to appear than a comedian from Limerick who is best known for his impersonation of a crazy old lady on TodayFM.

But, while Dermot Whelan may not be the spiritual guide most of us envision, the broadcaster and author has certainly earned his right to preach on the topic.

“I began meditating over 12 years ago and became a teacher three years ago,” Dermot says.

“It is hands down the best tool for relaxing your body and mind.” 

The comedian, who once arrived at a gig in an ambulance after suffering a panic attack, says he meditates “wherever and whenever” he can these days.

“Even just a few seconds of a simple technique can have a far-reaching impact for your feelings of calm.” 

• Dermot Whelan’s book Mind Full has been shortlisted in this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards. You can visit www.irishbookawards.ie to vote. His first book for young readers, Noni and the Great Chawwwklit Mystery is also out now.

Mind Full: Unwreck your head, de-stress your life by Dermot Whelan

What shape are you currently in?

I'm in reasonably good shape. I just bought jeans with a 31-inch waist which was my same waist size when I was 21, so that's promising. I've recently started a fitness programme called Fit By Fifteen. It's run by a great trainer from Toned Fit gym in Dublin where he sends out videos every day for 60 days. Each video is just 15 minutes long of intense resistance training. I'm really enjoying it. Although my leg muscles were so sore the other day, I couldn't get up off the loo.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I'm pretty good at avoiding really sugary things. I try and eat salads and veg and have begun to cut back on the amount of meat I'm eating.

What are your guiltiest pleasures?

Cinema jellies. I can never understand the power of the cinema to make you eat stuff you wouldn't dream of eating normally. I love pick'n'mix. The secret is to mix normal and non-fizzy jellies and then shake the bag well. This coats all the jellies in a fine dusting of fizz. Like I said, I'm slightly obsessed with them.

What would keep you awake at night?

Alcohol. It plays havoc with my sleep. Anything more than two drinks will keep me awake and I'll have a restless night. I recently invested in a fitness tracker which tracks recovery. After even a small amount of alcohol, I can see it has a massive impact on my body's ability to catch up and recover. We often feel we need alcohol more when we're stressed out or worn out. But actually, we need the opposite. Good sleep and something a bit more nourishing. I drink gallons of rooibos tea.

Who are your sporting heroes?

Ronan O'Gara, Paul O'Connell, Conor Murray, Peter Stringer, CJ Stander, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, F1 drivers Daniel Ricardo and Max Verstappen, the Limerick hurling team, the list goes on.

What’s your favourite smell?

Really wild fresh sea air, with just a hint of a bag of chips somewhere in the distance - heaven.

When was the last time you cried?

Probably very recently when I was meditating. It's a great way of clearing through all the emotional turbulence that you mightn't even know is there. Sometimes, during meditation, all kinds of emotions can come up. You don't even necessarily know where they're coming from. It's a bit like dipping your toe in the river that's flowing through your consciousness at that particular moment. Different moments, different currents. It's great to find a way of just releasing all the emotional crap we pick up throughout the day or week. Half of it isn't even ours.

What traits do you least like in others?

People chewing with their mouth open.

Do you pray?

Not in the traditional sense. But I'm a fan of a chap called Matt Kahn who shares some wise stuff. He suggests blessing people that you see on the street for no reason. Sounds mental I know, but if you silently bless strangers you see and wish for amazing things for them, it can have a profound effect on how you feel. It's impossible to be pissed off and pray for great things for random strangers at the same time.

What quote inspires you most and why?

Homer Simpson as a marriage counsellor: "To the untrained eye, I'm eating an orange but to the eye that has brains, I'm making a point about marriage. For you see, marriage is a lot like an orange. First, you have the skin, then the sweet, sweet innards." Golden.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Squashed onto the couch with my wife and three children - Owen, Matthew and Rose - watching a movie and eating crisps. And possibly fizzy jellies.