Beyond and Above Meditation

Our next meditation and mindfulness class will be held at Walsworth Community Centre in Hitchin on Thursday the 16th of January at 7pm. Please join us, all welcome. More details here: https://facebook.com/events/s/meditation-and-mindfulness-cla/530711474200928/?ti=as

Meditation is an approach to training the mind, similar to the way that fitness is an approach to training the body. But many meditation techniques exist — so how do you learn how to meditate? “In Buddhist tradition, the word ‘meditation’ is equivalent to a word like ‘sports’ in the U.S. It’s a family of activities, not a single thing,” University of Wisconsin neuroscience lab director Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., told The New York Times. And different meditation practices require different mental skills. It’s extremely difficult for a beginner to sit for hours and think of nothing or have an “empty mind. In general, the easiest way to begin meditating is by focusing on the breath — an example of one of the most common approaches to meditation: concentration. CONCENTRATION MEDITATION Concentration meditation involves focusing on a single point. This could entail following the breath, repeating a single word or mantra, staring at a candle flame, listening to a repetitive go

Breathing exercises There are lots of breathing exercises you can do to help relax. The first exercise below—belly breathing—is simple to learn and easy to do. It's best to start there if you have never done breathing exercises before. The other exercises are more advanced. All of these exercises can help you relax and relieve stress. Belly breathing Belly breathing is easy to do and very relaxing. Try this basic exercise anytime you need to relax or relieve stress. 1.     Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position. 2.     Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest. 3.     Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move. 4.     Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out. 5.     Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. Take your time with each breath. 6.     Notice how you feel at the end o