About Meditation

What is it?

Meditation is an ancient spiritual practice with its origins in the Indian religions. Now mainstream in the Western world there are lots of misconceptions about it. It is not getting rid of all your thoughts, because that would mean you are a robot, not a human. Meditation is learning to focus on one thing at once and to use that as an anchor to the present moment.

DOES IT work?

Yes it really does. Don't just take my word for it. There is also 5000 years' worth of ancient Hindu and Buddhist spiritual practice as well the plethora of evidence from neuroscientific studies by professors at top universities including Harvard and Oxford.

Some of the many benefits are outlined below:

reducing stress and anxiety in order to thrive

There are numerous studies that show that the ‘happier parts of the brain’ are more active as a result of meditation, providing proof that meditation can help those suffering from anxiety, stress or depression. JAMA Internal Medicine in January 2014 found meditation helpful for relieving anxiety, pain, and depression. For depression, meditation was as effective as an antidepressant.

Watch this Ted Talk by the amazing neuroscientist Professor Sara Lazar: .(371) How Meditation Can Reshape Our Brains: Sara Lazar at TEDxCambridge 2011 - YouTube.

IMPROVE BRAIN FUNCTION AND SUPER-CHARGE CONCENTRATION TO WORK SMARTER

MRI scans of those over the age of 50 have shown that meditation ‘counteracts the thinning of the cortex that occurs naturally with ageing’ helping to prevent memory loss. Meditation is regularly used by top athletes, including Novak Djokovic and LeBron James, who both cite meditation as crucial to their success.
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Meditation works by changing the nervous system from sympathetic (which increases heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure) to parasympathetic, which decreases heart rate, slows down the breathing thereby reducing blood pressure.

REST BETTER TO PROMOTE WELLBEING

There is significant evidence for meditation improving not only the ability to fall asleep but also the ability to have deeper and more restful sleep. Brain waves stuff in here.

There are so many more...

improving heart health, immune health, focus and concentration

improving sleep, reducing anxiety

Basically, meditation is great and can help with a range of issues.

I will be running a variety of courses connected to many of the issues highlighted above – contact me for details.