Cost £5. This is done in a small group and is 1 hour per session.
Meditation is basically the art of you being with you. Connecting to/with yourself in such a way that allows the energy to flow freely through your mind and body, and assists you in identifying your current state, and also what attention/need is present.
There are general misconceptions with meditation that suggest that we are required to adopt specific postures i.e. cross legged like a lotus. Or that we are supposed to focus on emptying our minds. For a start, postures that create discomfort won’t get you very far, and forcing yourself to ‘focus’ won’t either. Meditation, certainly in the way I have learned and practiced it, is really about ‘being’. Due to our full-to-the-brim hectic lifestyles, we have forgotten how to do this, so are now relearning what once came quite naturally to us. The increase in technology use has contributed to the decline of this natural state too. When we learn to be with ourselves, we learn and enhance our levels of awareness, in all sorts of ways.
Meditation can be used for several purposes, these include but not limited to:
Bringing us back into balance when we are feeling stressed, worried or distracted.
Purposeful contemplation and seeking a solution through the use of meditation.
Identifying our current needs, mentally, physically and emotionally.
If you are new or fairly new to meditation, I would advocate that you stick to the first approach, and move onto the second and third approaches when you are a bit more practiced, and preferably under experienced guidance. There are times when meditation can bring up unexpected emotions that are linked with unprocessed memories, and we need to be aware of that, too. It can be unwise to practice meditation if you are suffering from any form of PTSD, especially outside of receiving the right professional treatment for it.
Because meditation is about ‘being’, we can do it sitting, standing, walking. Also refocussing our attention on activities requiring less mental exertion such as cleaning, drawing, writing, dancing etc is also possible. The ways in which we are able to connect with ourselves are wide and varied. We are beings so finding ourselves in suitable activities can be very helpful when first learning how to meditate, as they calm the mind through refocus.
Two important points to remember are:
a forced approach doesn’t work, it is the very opposite of what we are trying to achieve here.
there is no right or wrong way of meditating - there is simply your way, which you will learn in time.