Meditation and Mindfulness practice
At the Holistic Wellness School, we explore and teach meditation and mindfulness techniques. Meditation is an age-old technique proven to calm anxiety by reducing the cells in the amygdala, the part of the brain that is responsible for fear, anxiety and stress, therefore calming the chatter of the ‘monkey mind’. This helps us to improve our learning experience and memory function. Meditation is a highly effective form of brain training with tangible physically and scientifically measured results.
The benefits of meditation and mindfulness are powerful and transformational. Through mindful meditation we can learn to regulate our emotions, reduce feelings of worry and fear, experience a greater sense of calm, and consequently make better decisions. It leads us to an improved appreciation of the here and now, creating clarity and focus to our lives.
What is Meditation?
The primary goal of meditation is to inspire a state of peacefulness: and physical relaxation mental clarity emotional tranquillity, and spiritual connectedness. Meditation is an ancient practice that helps people go beyond their outward personalities to journey deeper within themselves to experience a more profound and connected sense of their true self and their personal realities.
Meditation can occur in any location, and at any time, although early mornings offer the most meditative atmospheres. At this time of day our bodies are in restful states of self-nurturance and this is when all the usual energies of social activity are dormant. This being the reason that many monks arise at 3 am and meditate until 6 am. Meditation techniques can be something as simple as focusing on a flower and welcoming the beauty of that flower into our hearts or just focusing on the breath or a simple mantra or word repeated inwardly. It can also involve training the mind and heart to be receptive to the present moment resulting in expansion to our overall awareness.
How can Mindfulness help me?
Mindfulness, the act of paying attention to the things that you are experiencing, will assist you to achieve the following:
- To be fully present to experience what is happening in this moment.
- To strengthen your connection to your inner core existence.
- To learn how to respond rather than react.
- To keep emotions in-check.
- To let go and leave the past in the past.
- To understand how to dissolve fantasies of the future.
- To assist with refraining from self-judgment and judgment of others.
Mindfulness does not necessarily require you to be spiritually focused, or heart-centred, rather it focuses on a measure of awareness of what you are presenting to others and how you are being received. The benefits can be multiple; the people you engage with feel accepted heard, non-threatened and relaxed in your presence whilst you move towards better self-awareness and being unaffected negatively by interactions with others.