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Hi gorgeous people,
It’s nice to be back to teaching, after my little holiday, feeling refreshed and relaxed (I was doing cartwheels around the room after my first class in Anytime Fitness when I came back, that’s how happy I was :-)).
When I was on my holiday, I spent a fair bit of time reflecting on everything in my life, with lots of yoga, meditation, talks with my partner Kamil and doggie cuddles in between. And I had a thought that it would be great to share with you a bit on meditation this month...I am not an expert at all…I am still at the very beginning of my journey in my meditation practice...I have been meditating on and off for 20 months but it has been enough to see how beautiful and enriching effect it has had on my life…there’s definitely things to share and I hope you will find there something interesting for you…
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YOGA CLASSES
Since next week the Thursday class at Yindi Day Spa will start from 6pm instead of 5:30pm. It looks like this will work better for most of you and also it will give people who finish their work at 5:30pm an opportunity to come to practice in this beautiful space :-)
Plus one more little news…my dream is to be able to provide yoga classes for free one day so that everyone who wants to come to practice, find a safe place, open through their body and connect to their light, could just come and have some beautiful quality time with themselves. When I was on my holiday, I thought it would be great if anyone could come to my class and at least give it a go and see if yoga, the style I am teaching and my teaching would resonate with them...and while at the moment I cannot afford to teach for free (our two big furry boys eat a lot! :-)), what I can at least do is to offer the first class for free to anyone who has never been to my class before and who would love to give it a try…hopefully one day, I could open a regular free/charity class…or a few…:-)
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BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO MEDITATION
I could write about meditation for hours…and really, one of the hardest things in writing this newsletter was to make this part informative enough but also quite concise…so please, if there are sections that are not clear or things you would like to ask about after reading this "guide", feel free to shoot me an email or talk to me before or after class…I would be really happy to talk to you and share my experiences…enjoy :-)
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What Is Meditation
- Meditation is a technique of interrupting the train of thoughts in our mind, allowing us to be present in the here and now and to connect to the place within us full of harmony, peace, wisdom and joy. This place is always within reach, it is already present within us but we are too distracted by our busy minds and incessant thoughts to notice it.
Why to Do Meditation
- Our mind operates on autopilot most of the time, there are lots of thoughts happening in our mind without us even consciously noticing them.
- Our mind tells us a lot of lies. It doesn’t differentiate between reality and fantasy. It takes everything that our inner voice (our ego) tells us or what we say aloud (unless we bring the thoughts to our consciousness and bring in some analytical thinking) as a fact, and this very much influences how we feel about ourselves and our lives.
- Our mind takes us away from fully experiencing and living our lives. When we are emerged in our thoughts, we cannot be at the same time present to what is happening in the here and now. Our minds often take us on a journey to relive the past or to create the future because the present moment may not be stimulating enough (in the world we live today, it seems we need more and more to stay engaged and present). Going to the past or future in our minds is also addictive as it reinforces our sense of identity. However the only moment which we are able to truly experience (without any distortion through our mind) is the present moment. The present moment is also the only place where happiness and peace can be found.
How to Do Meditation
- Giving our mind a job. It’s impossible for the mind to focus on two things at the same time (for example spinning dancer optical illusion - we can only notice the dancer spinning to one side or the other but cannot observe the spinning to both sides at the exact one moment). By giving our mind a job, focusing on one thing (anchor) we take it away from the thoughts. The anchor can be for example our breath, mantra (a sound, word or short sentence), physical sensation, sound etc.
- Guide the attention back to the anchor when thoughts arise. When focusing on a chosen anchor (for example our breath), you will notice that sooner or later your mind will wander away from the anchor and some thoughts will start rising to consciousness. It’s important to remember that this is natural (our mind is a thought factory) and for us is to learn to notice when it happens and gently guide the attention back to the anchor.
- Keep a friendly attitude. It is easy to become judgmental of ourselves (not being able to keep the focus to our anchor) or of our environment (being distractive to our experience) when thoughts start arising in our mind. See if you can approach the experience with an open heart, allow whatever is experienced (thoughts, emotions) without resistance or control and with gentleness and kindness bring the focus back to your anchor.
- Re-relax. It is helpful to re-relax through your whole body (belly, shoulders, jaw, forehead) and take a few deep breaths when you find it difficult to reconnect with your anchor after being lost in your thoughts. Take a moment to come back to your present experience.
Benefits of Meditation
- Physiological changes: decreased breathing and heart rates, reduced blood pressure, increased immunity, increased energy levels, changes in the structure of the brain, it also influences expression of genes causing offset of illnesses (can be switched off with meditation)
- Mental changes: increased focus and clarity, feeling of peace and harmony, positivity, sense of wholeness and freedom
- Increased presence and awareness in everyday life, leading to deeper understanding of ourselves, compassion towards ourselves and others
- Plus much more :-) And the beautiful thing is that you will experience it almost instantly :-)
Position/Posture
- The most preferred position for meditation is seated (seated cross-legged on a cushion or seated in a chair) but it can be also done lying down, standing, walking or moving (for ex. practicing yoga).
- Find a position where you can find balance between being relaxed and alert at the same time (if you find yourself falling asleep when lying down, change to seated meditation).
- If you are starting with meditation in seated, it's best to sit against a wall (if not sitting in a chair) with some support behind your lower back (cushion), keeping the back of the neck and head free.
- Spine is straight and neutral, the rest of the body is relaxed. Take a moment to find a nice long spine, relax the shoulders back and down, tuck the chin slightly in to lengthen through the back of the neck and relax through areas that often hold tension (like belly, jaw, eyebrows, forehead and muscles around the eyes).
- Eyes can be closed or open (focusing on one spot) with a soft gaze.
Time of the Day & Place
- Morning is often preferred as the mind is usually calmer and it’s easier to keep the focus on the chosen anchor and rest in a deeper meditation. At the same time, meditation can be done anytime and several times during the day, even just for one breath or a few.
- It is helpful to find a relatively quiet space but meditation can be done anywhere (like public transport, office etc.).
- It’s also helpful to find a regular time and space as this may help to “create the mood” for settling into your meditation faster.
What to Expect
- You may find that your thoughts are occupying your mind most of the time when sitting for a meditation with short breaks when you will be able to keep your attention to your anchor, especially if you are new to mediation.
- You may find yourself surprised with how busy your mind is.
- You may find yourself judgmental – of yourself, the environment, the experience – remember there is not a good or bad meditation (it’s very likely that your mind (your ego) will try to tell you otherwise and that you have better things to do than just sit and do nothing). Even if you feel you can’t quiet your mind, the experience is as valid and beneficial as when you feel calm.
- Don’t worry too much that you are doing it wrong. You are not! As long as you find time for yourself and gently bring the attention over and over again to your anchor when you notice your mind to wander off, you are doing it right.
- Let go of all the expectations about what you should experience and that you should experience something extraordinary. Instead appreciate this time for yourself and with yourself knowing that meditation will create a path to deeper understanding of yourself and will help you to live your life more fully.
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TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK
I love getting feedback about anything related to Tree Love Yoga – classes, blog posts, anything…if you have any suggestions or questions, please send me an email on veronika.treeloveyoga@gmail.com and I promise I will get back to you soon. I really care about every of my student/follower and I am grateful for your feedback.
STAY IN TOUCH
While I put the most important news and notes in the newsletter there is heaps of other exciting posts and videos on my website, facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Feel free to check them out…
Website: www.treeloveyoga.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/treeloveyoga
Instagram: www.instagram.com/treeloveyoga
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCmONs2FmYnbmmg8-ODe2FHQ
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This is all from me this month gorgeous people! There's 11 weeks of yoga before the end of the year, how quickly this year has gone! I can't wait to see you in class and practice together, your beautiful energy always makes my day :-) Take care for now and have a super awesome long weekend :-)
Sending much love and a huge hug to you all :-)
Xxx,
Vercha
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