Uniting Mind, Body, and Soul
Mindfulness Meditation
A serenely beautiful exercise that everyone can do!
What is it?
Mindfulness meditation is simply, being focused and paying attention in the present moment, both internally and externally.
It has become a buzzword in recent times but its roots go back thousands of years.
The word Mindfulness can be traced back to the translation of the word 'Sati' which means 'awareness' an action of knowing what you are doing as you are doing it.
This world of ours has become increasingly fast paced,where there seems to be even less time and more to do! Where more is required of us in that time and we know all too well that social media doesn't sleep.
About Social media...it has become a big problem in many peoples lives, living on our phones, seeing body images that are not healthy or achievable and yet the world seems to be addicted. The urge to continuously check our phones has become an unhealthy compulsion.
Our brains have no time off and can be totally overwhelmed with technology. When we relax we are either the phone, computer or the TV.
We have lost the ability to be bored and to have the head space just to be lost in our thoughts, where we can process those thoughts and ideas.
How many times have you driven somewhere and not remembered how you got there!
We rarely switch off and when we do we become ill. How many times have you or heard of others finishing work and going off on holiday only to get ill.
Generally one's mind is often chattering away with self talk, things to do, things you have forgotten to do. The mind can make up stories beyond the facts in front of you and before you know it, your mind is spiraling out of control.
Have you ever walked into a gym or school playground and waved at someone you knew and they didn't acknowledge you back. How did you feel and think? How rude, what have I done to offend her/him, they obviously don't like me, well that's the last time I make an effort. When the fact was that the person simply didn't see you! Can you see how our minds can start creating patterns and stories that can recur over again.
Mindfulness meditation first moved away from a religious practice in the 1970s and was brought to the medical world in the U.S.A. It was successfully taught to patients with chronic pain, the practices of mindfulness through meditation, mindful movement and focusing on breath as managing their pain. Following this success it was brought to Great Britain and used in the NHS to tackle depression and its now being used by children in schools across the country to help tackle the rise in anxiety .
As scientifically proven Mindfulness meditation can change the make up of the brain and increase our well being, quality of life and overall happiness. It lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and anxiety, improves sleep. You become calmer, happier and kinder, it can also be used to focus on change in ones life, a new direction or challenge.
It is the process of teaching one to focus on one thing. This could be a voice, through guided meditation, however many other tools can be used.
It used to be thought that all meditation had to be done sitting up crossed legged, well unless you are a Yogi and can sit totally comfortably for up to 45 mins without moving, you would find this near impossible! So now we know through the practice of Yoga Nidra otherwise known as Yoga sleep (although no sleeping takes part) that we are more comfortable lying down, all cozy, covered in blankets.
At first it can be a challenge but like everything the more you practice the easier it becomes, your mind and body become trained to know what is happening and so it becomes easier to slide into meditation. Through the process you realize how wonderful it feels and so you look forward to it.
Beginners Mindfulness meditation Course.
On this course not only do you learn very important and essential meditation techniques, but also learn more about yourself, what you need more or less of and how to correct old habits and patterns in your life. This course is a wonderfully gentle and supportive course where your emotional well being and confidentially really matters.