More and more doctors are prescribing meditation as a way to relax the everyday stresses of life, lower blood pressure, improve exercise performance, help people with asthma breathe easier and relieve insomnia. Meditation is a safe and simple way to balance a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. If you’ve tried to meditate and ended up frustrated by your inability to silence the mental chatter no matter how hard you try, you may have concluded that meditation is just a mystical practice that’s unattainable for the average person. Or perhaps you believe that you’re the only one whose mind is noisier and more unruly than a hyperactive toddler.
You might therefore be heartened to hear that it is in fact impossible to stop thinking, as the mind is designed to generate thoughts, images, memories and ideas. Meditation is therefore not about denying or fighting the thoughts and feelings that arise, nor is about getting caught up and involved in them. Rather, meditation is the practice of detached, non-judgmental awareness.
If we replace the unrealistic goal of achieving a still mind with the intention to observe all the internal busyness, we gain insight into our personal thinking habits and an understanding of the ways in which we process our experiences. We therefore deepen our self awareness of our strengths and coping strategies as well as the ways in which we create anxiety and stress for ourselves.
When we observe the mind, we also notice that we are forever in the past or the future: replaying the day’s events and conversations and endlessly analysing them or projecting into the future by planning and worrying about all of our responsibilities. This state of mind robs us of experiencing the present moment unfolding before us. Meditation gives us a break from this incessant barrage of thoughts, from the constant analysis and planning.
Not only does constant worry and pointless analysis waste energy, it also keeps us chronically stressed. Meditation breaks the stress response cycle, thus restoring our body’s natural equilibrium. It reestablishes parasympathetic nervous system dominance, which has been proven to reduce muscular tension, improve circulation, promote digestion and metabolism as well as lower blood pressure. Meditation and relaxation have further been shown to activate theta and delta brain waves, which signal a state of deep rest and regeneration that surpass the restorative powers of sleep. In fact, the list of benefits that have been corroborated by countless reputable research studies is extensive, ranging from markedly improved outcomes for cancer and serious cardiovascular conditions, to its effective treatment of depression and anxiety.
Whilst, there are many meditation techniques, ancient Yogic texts define meditation as the maintenance of a steady, single-pointed focus with the aim of complete absorption. We’ve all experienced this blissful state of absorption when doing something we love – whether painting, dancing or eating the most incredible chocolate mudcake - our whole body and mind is completely absorbed in the activity; we’re no longer thinking about what someone said yesterday or what we’ve got to do tomorrow – we’re just in the moment. Amanda will be running Meditation classes for Beginners and for those with some experience, at Simple Affair, beginning 5th August. For more information, contact Amanda on 0409 645 616
Bea Dubinsky offers meditation as part of the Beginners Yoga Courses and the Dynamic Flow Yoga classes. These classes introduce students to a variety of meditation techniques to assist students in finding an approach that works for them as individuals.
Click here to meet our Meditation teachers, Amanda Stuart
Click here to meet our Yoga teacher, Bea Dubinsky or to learn more about our Yoga classes, click About simple affair Yoga |