Meditation

Meditation is the word which all of us heard. Some people use it as alternative for snoozing or sleep, some joking about it “I am going for meditation in front of TV”, some deeply dive into the vast experience of meditation, some want to learn, some buying CD with guided meditation or going to guided meditation classes.

So – what is the meditation?

Here is what official description says in sophisticated way:

Meditation is an activity that calms the mind and keeps it focused on the present. In the meditative state, the mind is not cluttered with thoughts or memories of the past, nor is it concerned with future events.
Meditation relies on the body's ability to switch to an alpha (resting) or theta (relaxing) brain-wave state, during which the brain's rhythm slows appreciably, and endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, are released.

Activity… So – it is activity, which is sometimes looks like absolutely non active in term of the movement. As a Yoga teacher I can say that Meditation is a part of the Yoga system, and as its part, it helps us to unite body, mind and spirit into one perfectly balanced human being “unit”.

Why do we need to meditate?

From a scientific perspective, a massive amount of research has been conducted into the power and benefits of meditation on the brain, the body, and everything in between. You might want to take a deep breath now; it’s a long list.
Studies have shown that during meditation, metabolism is lowered, resulting in a slower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and slower breathing.

All the benefits meditation brings to our body are due to the simple fact that during meditation we awaken parts of the brain that we don’t use in our daily lives and helping to clean overused parts - as to switch off enormous number of thoughts running around our brain every single moment. During meditation we free the space in our mind and this process helps us to:

- Increase creative intelligence and ability to think;
- Promote a feeling of calmness, ease and more peace;
- Function with more productively with less trying and fighting;
- Allow the body to repair itself and promotes self healing when the mind is de-stressing;
- Give our mind/body system the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate itself;
- Enhance our immune system;
- Promotes relaxation of muscles;
- Helps develop healthy eating habits and therefore it can help you lose weight by helping to control your eating habits!
- Can improve kids’ test scores;
- Improves our ability to tune out distractions;
- It can make you look better and improve sex life!

What else could you possibly need to know?
And of course you would not get all those goodies without regular practice.

Here arises next question: How to meditate?

Everyone is able to meditate. And it even easier than you can imagine...

Just sit.
And breathe.
Say in you mind: “I am inhaling… I am exhaling…I am inhaling… I am exhaling…” That is it.
Is not it easy?
Just try and send me note of how many breathes you hold without interruption and appearing of any sort of thoughts.
You may find that after several breathes your mind starts swinging away to bring some thoughts into the head. Notice them and start counting the length of your breath – count your inhalation and your exhalation.
Challenge yourself increasing the lengths of the breath to 5 counts… to 6 counts… to 7…

Allow yourself to follow this simple routine for 5 to 10 minutes (set alarm for not worrying about time).

You've done it! Feel free to tap youself at the shoulder now.

What If…?

You probably start thinking about meditating by now, but a still a few concerns arise:
When should I meditate? Do I need to spend money (again!) for meditation CD? Isn’t it too boring? What if I can’t see what I imagine? “I tried that once, couldn’t stop the thoughts in my mind, so it’s not for me”; Do I need to go to the special class? Where I can find such class?

Sure – questions needs to be answered.
The best time to meditate is in the morning along with your regular morning routines and the best you can do for yourselves – give meditation the same level of priority as the brushing of your teeth. Even if it sounds not so spiritual! I am sure you would not argue that refreshing your brain is not less important that your face refreshing.

Do I need to spend money for meditation CD? Not necessary! Easiest answer float on the surface: just Google it! There are a lot of free resources available in the Web. You will get the idea. And you still may buy the meditation CD – there are millions of them now in a market.

Is it boring? Oh, gosh not! It is such fun and enjoyment!

Do you need to “SEE the pictures” in order to meditate? No, there are millions of other ways to imagine things!

“I tried that once, couldn’t stop the thoughts in my mind, so it’s not for me”. Sure, that is exactly why you need to meditate!

Of course, it is the best to find the meditation class near you and be guided, especially in the beginning of your diving into the meditation practices.

If you do have some other questions and concerns about Meditation, please contact Tatiana and she will be more then happy to answer them!
We have Meditation classes running every Monday at 8am and every Thursday at 9am. Booking is essential.

With Love

~ Tatiana