Meditation for Beginners

Think meditation isn’t for you? Not sure how to start? Leanne from Revive Holistic (located inside Kula Yoga) gives a run down about meditation and how to bring mindfulness into our everyday lives.
 
What Is Mindfulness Meditation?
 
Mindfulness itself, is a mental state of awareness that involves paying attention to the present moment. Mindfulness meditation is a practical, non-religious, scientifically proven technique to combat the wandering mind and reduce stress. So no matter where you are from or what you do, mindfulness meditation provides simple techniques that anyone can use, anytime, anywhere to calm the mind and relax the body.
 
Why Learn Mindfulness Meditation?
 
We now all live in a fast-paced, technology-dependent society where our batteries can run out quicker. We don’t always have the choice to drop back our workload, get more sleep or palm the kids off to someone in order to take a break. So learning mindfulness meditation gives you the tools to ‘recharge your batteries’ anywhere, anytime you need to, so that you can cope with everything you need to do. We are pretty good at recharging our smart phone batteries everyday to make sure they perform, but what about us? Hopefully most of us would agree that we humans are far more important than our smart phones.
 
How Could I Integrate Mindfulness Meditation into My Yoga Practice?
 
Mindfulness is the practice of training the mind to stay in the present moment via self-observation, without judgment. Your yoga teacher guides you through mindfulness of the breath and body all the way through your ‘moving’ yoga class, but you can integrate your own ‘still’ mindfulness meditation time before and after your daily practice by:
 
*Arriving on your mat at least 15 minutes before class starts
*Begin by becoming aware of your breath. Is it fast and shallow, or is it deep and slow?
*Start to scan the body for how it feels, from head to toe. Notice any aches or pains without judgment, or perhaps notice where your body feels good or is pain free!
*As you observe both the breath and the body, just acknowledge thoughts as they pop into your mind without attachment, and practice letting them go and coming back to your point of focus eg. the breath, or the body.
*At the end of your yoga practice stay in ‘Savasana’ for 10 – 15 minutes and repeat mindfulness of the breath and the body. Notice the changes in your body and breath from before class.
 
If you’d like to learn more about meditation, Leanne from Revive Holistic is holding an evening meditation course. Manage stress, calm the body and mind in a relaxed atmosphere beginning Tuesday April 14 until May 19. Email [email protected] for more info and to book in now! *Special offer for Kula yogis: Register up until Friday April 10 + bring a friend for $200 each (save $40 each).