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A NEW 5 WEEKS COURSE STARTING WEDNESDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 2007. PLEASE CALL FIRST TO RESERVE A PLACE. LIMITED NUMBERS ONLY
0208 3905593
If you can not attend the 5 weeks course why not just drop in whenever you can. The classes are EVERY Wednesday but book
a seat first please.
MEDITATION: THE ART OF BEING RELAXED AND ALERT
Meditation is a state when the body is deeply relaxed and the mind is calm, alert and focussed. Our thoughts drop aside,
and we are at one with the sensation of the moment and the stillness inside us. We are mentally sharp as the body relaxes.
The question is often asked, what is the difference between relaxation and meditation?
Relaxation is when the mind wanders. It may drift between sleep and fantasy and thought. We may be only half-awake and
may not even know what we are thinking. It is a pleasant state but out of control.
We are most likely to be relaxed and alert when we are focused on something we enjoy such as
Listening to music
Painting a picture
Eating an apple
Lying in bed, listening to the rain
Arranging flowers
Doing exercises with awareness like yoga
Meditation is a balancing act; we may be relaxed but not very awake; or we may be alert but physically tight or tense.
With fine-tuning and practise we are trying to achieve both. We want to physically relax and mentally be alert and focused.
FOCUSING THE MIND IS THE BASIC INSTRUCTION FOR MEDITATION
We keep the mind alert as we relax by focusing on something. This helps keep us awake and holds any distracting thoughts
away.
The basic instructions for most meditations are the same:
- Relax
- Choose one thing to focus on and explore
- If the mind wanders, bring it back
- Let everything else go
We give the mind a simple task to keep it out of trouble. We might count the breaths or say a mantra or use our senses
for sound, music, nature, colours. We might visualize a journey etc. The list is endless.
When our attention strays, we pull ourselves back to it. Focusing, or concentration, is the basic technique of almost
every meditation. There are many different meditations. The instructions for most of them are similar; relax, focus on one
object or activity, and let all else drop aside.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
Meditation is enormously valuable for our health. Hundreds of medical surveys show that it is good for health and to slow
down the ageing process.
Studies have shown a reversal in many of the physical effects of ageing. The longer a person has been meditating, the
more pronounced the effect becomes. Long-term mediators have been found to have biological ages almost 12 years younger than
their actual age.
Improved sleeping-people suffering from insomnia were found to fall asleep four times more quickly after learning how
to meditate. Many returned to normal sleeping patterns.
Meditation
- reduces pain
- releases muscular tension
- lowers high blood pressure
- stimulates the immune system and the production a white blood cells
- opens constricted air passages
- increases blood circulation to the digestive tract, the skin and the brain
- dramatically affects hormonal activity
- balances left and right hemisphere activity of the brain
Mental and emotional benefits;these are many and varied
- improved ability to cope with stress and adversity
-increased feelings of contentment
- a greater appreciation of the beauty surrounding us and increased enjoyment
of the simple things in life
-improved ability to concentrate, great for memory loss
and the list goes on.
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