Meditation masterclass

Forget everything you think you know about meditation and let’s start again. This blissed out activity gets a bad rap, but it could give you benefits your mind and bod can only dream of right now. In search of happiness? Mental clarity? A stress-free existence? Or peace of mind? Meditation is just the ticket.

But meditation is not about escape. It’s about looking inside yourself to find peace and developing an awareness of what is happening in your mind and body. ‘Meditation is a great way of relaxing the mind and calming that fight or flight response that many of us have for large portions of our days in modern life,’ says sleep expert Anandi (thesleepguru.co.uk). But this ancient art comes in many forms, from shamata to mindfulness and kundalini meditation, to name but a few. So where to start?

Start today
‘The beauty of meditation is that you don’t need anything for it. No special clothes, equipment, materials, books, CDs,’ says Anandi. It’s a simple practice and it’s all about you. ‘You don’t need to go to Glastonbury, burn incense or out-guru your friends when you meet for coffee (unless you want to!) and there are no extortionate subscription charges. You only need yourself, and half an hour.’

Sounds good to us! ‘Begin by just following your breath…. As you inhale follow the journey from nostril to belly and out again. Don’t worry if you have thoughts, that is normal, just keep coming back to the breath.’

Time to be
A well-chosen time and location are the key to successful meditation. Try to choose somewhere quiet and peaceful and a time at which you won’t be disturbed – phone calls, crying children and work emails are not conducive to great meditation. Some practitioners recommend sunrise and sunset as ideal times to meditate, as the day moves out of, or into, nighttime.

Posture is also key to the success of your mediation practice. And sitting on the sofa is a no-no. ‘Sit with your spine straight so you remain alert and energy can move, slumped on the sofa is not conducive to meditation, you will just fall asleep,’ recommends Anandi.

When you’ve got all that sorted, the most important thing is to remember to breathe. ‘Deep breathing will calm the mind and bring you back down to earth enabling you to think more clearly and react in a more constructive way,’ says Anandi. So, what are you waiting for?

Fancy finding out more? WHL recommends…

Turning The Mind Into An Ally by Sakyong Mipham 

8 Minute Meditation by Victor Davich

Real Happiness: The Power Of Meditation by Sharon Salzberg

You might also like…

RevolutionaryMindfulness.com
The website of meditation and yoga experts Ed and Deb Shapiro and neuroscientist Brian Jones.

themeditationpodcast.comA free podcast from Jesse and Jeane Stearn, which is designed to help you reach a deeper state of relaxation.