What is Meditation?

Meditation is a process of exploring our inner space. It is a way of moving beyond the mind’s noisy chatter into a state of awareness. Meditation is based upon the principle that, as limitless and immeasurable the world is outside of us, it is equally vast on the inside.

WHY MEDITATE?
The internal dialogue that frequently goes on in the mind revolves around stories about our work, health, finances, family, memories and anticipations. We might not even be aware of this spinning disk, and yet, it is the birthplace of stress in our lives. Unmanaged stress and the accumulation of toxins in the body will make you sick and accelerate the aging process. Meditation is one of the most efficient means to dissipate accumulated stress and cultivate delicate emotions such as compassion, empathy and a sense of love. A continuously increasing number of studies have concluded that a consistent meditation practice produces measurable benefits for physical and mental health.

“We all have different reasons for wanting to learn how to meditate”

We all have different reasons for wanting to learn how to meditate. Some are looking for stress release. Others are interested in improving their physical health, happiness, increasing focus, improving relationships and expanding creativity.

THE PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

  • Stimulation of the body’s self-repair mechanisms and self-regulation

  • Lowered blood pressure

  • Decreased inflammation

  • Increased levels of the enzyme Telomerase which helps slow the aging process

  • Down regulation (turning off) of genes that contribute to diseases 

  • Up regulation (turning on) of genes that are responsible for good health

  • Reversal of aging at cellular level

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

  • Reduced feelings of stress and increased feelings of relaxation and peace

  • Expanded experience of healing emotions such as love, compassion, joy, equanimity and gratitude

  • Decreased experience of painful emotions that constrict your awareness including anger, hostility, guilt, fear, shame and depression

  • Ability to respond consciously rather than reacting in a conditioned melodramatic way

  • Improved sleep 

  • Decreased addictive behaviour 

“I’m in grade six and I get a lot of homework! Since I started meditating everyday, I don’t feel as annoyed about homework as I used to be.”
— Jaqueline M.