Meditation and mindfulness practices have gained immense popularity in recent years, offering individuals a way to find inner peace and balance amid a hectic world. These practices often involve focusing the mind and achieving a state of deep relaxation. One powerful tool that can enhance these practices is using Essential Oils in Australia. They are derived from plants and carry aromatic compounds that stimulate your senses and promote a sense of calm and well-being. This article explores some of the best essential oils for meditation and mindfulness, their benefits and how to use them.

Lavender Oil:

It is a popular choice for relaxation and stress relief. Its gentle and soothing aroma has been used for centuries to calm the mind. When utilised during meditation, it can help to alleviate anxiety and create a peaceful atmosphere. You can dilute it in a carrier oil and apply it to your temples or pulse points.

Frankincense Oil:

It is often used in meditation rituals. It’s warm and woody scent can deepen your connection to your inner self and create a sense of tranquillity. It is also known for its grounding properties, making it an excellent choice for meditation. Apply a few drops to your diffuser to your wrists or chest before starting your meditation session.

Sandalwood Oil:

It is highly considered in the world of meditation and mindfulness. Its sweet and woody aroma promotes mental clarity. It is often used to enhance focus and deepen meditation practices. You must apply it to the back of your neck or temples after adding it to a diffuser.

Patchouli Oil:

It is known for its earthy and grounding scent. It helps to centre the mind and promote a sense of balance and stability. It can benefit individuals who find it challenging to quiet their thoughts during meditation. Use it in a diffuser and apply it to your chest or the soles of your feet.

Bergamot Oil:

It has a citrusy and uplifting aroma that can help to alleviate stress and anxiety. It promotes relaxation and can create a positive atmosphere for meditation. It is also known for its mood-enhancing properties, making it a fantastic option for all those looking to uplift their spirits during meditation. 

Ylang-Ylang Oil:

It is used for calming and soothing effects on the mind and body. Its floral fragrance helps to induce a sense of tranquillity and relaxation, making it an excellent choice for meditation. It can be added to diffusers and applied to your temples or pulse points.

Chamomile Oil:

It is known for its gentle and calming properties, which are often used to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. Its soothing aroma can help create a serene environment for meditation, allowing you to let go of stress and enter a tranquil state of mind. 

Rosemary Oil:

Its refreshing and invigorating scent can help energise your mind and enhance mental clarity during meditation. It is often used to improve focus and memory, making it an excellent choice for individuals who wish to cultivate a sharp and attentive state of mind during their practice. 

In conclusion, Essential Oils in Australia can be a valuable tool for enhancing meditation and mindfulness practices. Lavender, frankincense, sandalwood, patchouli, bergamot, and ylang-ylang are among the best choices due to their calming, grounding, and uplifting properties. Experiment with different oils to find the scents most resonate with you. Incorporating them into your meditation routine can help create a serene and harmonious environment that supports your journey towards inner peace and self-discovery.

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To be able to put your entire focus onto something, you need consistent practice over time. However, there are certain ways you can enhance your practice. Read on to learn more about it. 

Don’t Expect Much

When a person starts meditation, their first goal always remains to get more clarity of thoughts and a peaceful mindset. Well, it’s time to break that bubble! If you want to reach the highest potential of meditation, keep your expectations zero. Just start, get comfortable with the discomfort, and allow yourself to explore your brain and body. In the beginning, people often experience negative emotions, such as anxiety, restlessness, and irritation. That’s absolutely normal. Instead of panicking and leaving the session, you should repeatedly try until you become comfortable. 

Be Consistent 

Consistency is what will help you grow in your meditation practice. It is far better to meditate for at least 10 minutes a day than to meditate for 30 minutes once a week. In order to feel the positive effects of meditation, you need to allow your brain and body to adapt to the practice. And that happens when you indulge in conscious breathing every day. Even simpler, you can try mindfulness at any point in time. It simply means focusing on the present moment and giving your 100% to it. 

Environment Matters 

If you’re meditating while your kid watches his favorite cartoon, you’re not meditating but just passing your time. And if you’re a beginner, you must sit in a calm and peaceful place where you are able to concentrate on your breathing and not other noises. In fact, studies have shown that you should choose the same place and the same timing to improve the effects of meditation. 

Try CBD to Improve Your Concentration 

Did you know CBD or cannabidiol could help you improve your focus and concentration? Many people prefer smoking their favorite CBD strain through bongs to get quick and effective results. Smoke half an hour before your session, and you’ll find yourself in a much calmer and more relaxed zone to focus on your practice. Besides, CBD also helps to treat anxiety, stress, and restlessness. 

Explore Different Types of Meditation

There are different types of meditation that you can try for yourself. Some might work perfectly, while others may not complement your personality. The most basic type, which also works for almost everybody, is breathing techniques. While meditation primarily focuses on breathing, keeping your practice entirely on different breathing exercises can bring powerful results. Common breathing exercises include box breathing, belly breathing, or ocean-sounding breath. 

Final Thoughts 

Meditation is probably the most beneficial form of accessing relaxation, peace of mind, and self-exploration. One must embrace these feelings of enlightenment, love, and peace and share them with others. This not only makes you feel good about yourself but motivates others, as well. 

The post Struggling to Meditate? Here’s How to Enhance Your Practice appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Moreover, indulging in nature meditation can help alleviate the experience, allowing you to reach mindfulness faster and easier in serene surroundings. It is the most excellent way to get your mind and body in perfect harmony, enabling you to enjoy a happier state of being.

Those yet to experience this incredible joy of being one with natural surroundings can refer to the following list of undeniable reasons to do so at the earliest possible.

Enhanced overall health

Research shows that one can address several health issues just by being in nature, and when you add mindfulness to the mix, it can enhance the experience vastly. It can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, boost blood circulation, and alleviate symptoms of severe ailments such as cancer and arthritis.

Some experts believe that meditation can spike gray matter concentration in the brain, boosting cognitive health and abilities. Ultimately, it will improve your overall health, enabling you to keep various ailments at bay.

Decreases stress and anxiety

Mindfulness techniques to combat feelings of despair, stress, and anxiety are a better alternative than responding negatively to unpleasant situations. It will reduce emotional stress, ensuring you remain calm without being adversely affected by inevitable situations, such as losing a loved one.

If you cannot get outdoors, you can simply take to your balcony, the backyard, or a local park to surround yourself with fresh air and scenic beauty, taking in positive vibes and letting out negative energy.

It makes you more alert

Meditating amid stunning natural beauty can help one become more alert in their mind and body, achieving that perfect harmony. Also, it can put practitioners in a good mood, ensuring they take complete advantage of the remarkable calmness around them. This heightened alertness can help them focus better on optimal mindfulness, eliminating stress and lowering the chances of panic responses.

A re-energized focus can also help improve your family life, rather than just boosting your quality of life. You will have more profound, meaningful relationships with friends and family, helping them achieve the same sense of fulfillment as you. You can take a quick vacation with them to a scenic natural place, which will be a far cry from living in a noisy suburb surrounded by constant traffic and other distractions.

Professionals to guide you

The most spectacular thing about nature meditation is that you can rely on experts to help you begin your journey to mindfulness. Look for industry leaders with unmatched experience in assisting people to become one with the brilliance of the natural world. You can enroll in courses that teach you to tap into all your senses and gain a deeper insight into nature’s many circles.

Moreover, several reputable teachers can teach you how to stargaze, take gratitude walks, and immerse yourself in the various natural sounds to lift your spirits. So, find a trustworthy resource and check their list of courses, details of the teachers, number of sessions, reviews, and other information to determine the best meditation course provider for your needs.

The post Indisputable reasons to consider meditating in nature appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Mindfulness is the art of paying attention. Focusing the mind on something specific and allowing external thoughts to pass. It is an effective tool that you can use in all areas of your life to thrive and live to your fullest potential.

What can mindfulness do for you?

Mindfulness can help us in many aspects of our day to day lives, by:

• Improving memory
• Improving brain function
• Improving decision making abilities
• Improving the ability to focus on one task at a time.
• Reducing levels of anxiety
• Reducing levels of pain
• Reducing the risk of self-destructive behaviour

Benefits of practicing Mindfulness can also include the enhancement of:

• Creativity
• Emotional resilience.
• Clarity of thoughtIt can help to reduce:
• Stress
• Powerlessness
• Fatigue
• Somatic Illness

If we can encourage our minds to “be in the moment”, which is a term we give to the state of mind when there is a neutral and accepting awareness to the present moment, we have the opportunity to feel more alive and in control. You can sense the tug of the past and the future, but you have chosen to focus on the opportunity and potential of the present moment.

Our top tips to be more mindful;

1. Meditate
2. Focus on one thing at a time.
3. Slow down
4. Eat mindfully
5. Exercise
6. Spend time in nature
7. Practice gratitude

For more information and support to improve your mental, physical and emotional well-being head over to; https://www.mentor360.com/

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“Meditation has significantly increased in popularity in the past few years,” IRunFar expert say. “More of us are giving it a go and really seeing the benefits for ourselves.” However, how can a beginner start meditating, or how can someone keep up a meditation routine? And can meditation really help improve health conditions?

IRunFar explain below the science behind meditation and how the practise can help make a difference. They also offer tips and advice on how to start meditating and stick to a routine.

What is meditation?

Meditation is a practise which will result in a mentally clear and emotionally calm state, which can be achieved by focusing your attention and eliminating excess thoughts. Meditation has been practised for thousands of years, across hundreds of cultures and religions, although a rich religious or spiritual belief isn’t necessary to benefit from meditation.

You may have heard influencers on Instagram posting about practising “mindfulness” which is actually a form of meditation, where you focus on how you feel in that precise moment, to relax the body and help reduce stress.

How can meditation really help me?

Meditation can offer a sense of calm and peace, which can benefit both emotional well-being but also your overall health. Emotionally, meditation can help reduce negative emotions, manage your stress and increase patience levels. However, meditation doesn’t just help you on an emotional level, but it can also be effective as a way of improving medical conditions, especially ones which may be worsened by stress.

• Meditation can reduce blood pressure.

High blood pressure is when the pressure in your blood vessels is unusually high, which puts extra stress on your heart as it forces it to work harder in pumping blood around the body. A study conducted by Kent State University shows that those who practised meditation and mindfulness had significant decreases in blood pressure measurements.

“Meditating affects activity in the nervous system and alters the expression of genes linked to the immune system,” IRunFar explain. “Although meditation should not be used a sole remedy for high blood pressure, it’s proven to help alongside a balanced diet and frequent exercise.”

• Reduces stress.

Stress is something we have all experienced, whether at school or in the office, it’s a universally understood emotion. When you experience stress, your body releases hormones like adrenaline, and prolonged feelings of this can cause damage to our bodies, by increasing our blood pressure. Meditation triggers the body’s relaxation response and restores the body to a calm state, which is the exact opposite reaction to stress. Practising meditation can calm your mind and body by stopping the stress-induced thoughts.

• Controls depression.

Now, it is completely understandable to feel sceptical at suggesting meditation can be a cure for depression, however a study conducted at John Hopkins University proves exactly that. The study looked at the relationship between meditation and its ability to reduce symptoms of depression and found successful bouts of frequent meditation can have similar effects as taken anti-depressants.

“Successful meditation practise can alter your reactions to feelings of stress and anxiety, which are triggers for depression,” IRunFar explain. “Over time, meditation will train the brain to achieve sustained focus.”

Of course, if you’re struggling with depression then make sure you see your GP in order to get the best advice for you.

• Reduces anxiety.

Anxiousness, much like stress and fear, is a feeling we can all relate to. Whether we feel anxiety before a big event, or even a Zoom call, it’s caused by an inability to regulate emotions. Research has shown that a consistent meditation practice reprograms neural pathways in the brain, which improves our ability to regulate emotions. A study conducted by Harvard Medical School showed that meditation may be associated with important structural changes in areas of the brain, which are important for emotional processing.

“A regular meditation practise has been proven to help reprogram the neural pathways in the brain, therefore improving the brain’s ability to regulate emotions.”

How to start meditating

Although starting to meditate may feel daunting, getting started is a straightforward process. “You don’t need any equipment to begin. Firstly, all you need is a comfortable and quiet place, where you won’t be distracted.” IRunFar advise. “Try and find a time which best suits you. Avoid squeezing in meditation when you can’t prioritise the practise, as this will result in the meditation simply not working for you.”

Follow these steps to get yourself ready:

1. Find a time and a comfortable area which works best for you – this could be your bedroom floor, the living room sofa, or a camping chair in the garden. Wherever you feel most comfortable.
2. Work out how long you can take to meditate – but it is best to start small as a beginner. “Successful meditation doesn’t need to be hours long, even just a five-minute practise can work.”
3. Sit comfortably.

There are different meditation methods out there, so it is a good idea to try a few methods and see which one works best for you. Beginning with focused attention, or Zen meditation, is an ancient Buddhist tradition, which involves following your breath and letting your mind be. This is a fantastic way to get started with meditation, as it’s a way to bring in a sense of presence and being at one with yourself.

Other types of meditation for you to try, as you explore it further:

• Body Scan – this is where you perform “mental scans” of your body, starting at the top of your head and working down your body. This is a good way to synchronise the body and mind.
• Mantra Meditation – like focused attention meditation, where you focus on a mantra. Mantras can be words or phrases, with the idea to encourage a positive change.

Tips to further your practice

Meditation is all about practise and discovering what works best for you. Are you better at meditating as soon as you get up in the morning, or do you find a quick 5-minute breather at 3pm works best for you?

“It’s also important to be consistent with your practise and avoid setting yourself too high expectations. As you are growing into your practise, you will find meditating at some points of the day don’t work as well as others. You will also find certain methods work better for you. The key is having an open mind and trying what works for you.”

Article written by By IRunFar

The post The science behind meditation appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

From zoom yoga to online cookery classes and a new educational platforms created to support families, individuals and even corporate teams.

This month we have being testing out the Vitacodis platform. Founded by three entrepreneurs with more than 20 years’ experience in healthcare, wellness and educational services.

Their mission is to connect health conscious individuals and families with wellbeing practitioners from around the world – no matter where they’re located.
Through the right diet, exercise regime and stress reduction techniques they allow their clients to feel physically and emotionally well and take with them the skills for a long-standing positive mental attitude.

There comprehensive course cover a whole range of topics. Health and Wellbeing, Image and Style, Mental Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing, Positive Psychology, Pursuit of Happiness and Stress Management.

Each self-paced course is created as a set of modules with video content lessons and a short quiz for you to access in your own time. Each course is delivered by an expert in their field.

We tried & tested Meditation

We tried Meditation – A powerful tool for wellbeing by Caroline Desmarais, an Executive Life Coach, Certified Meditation Teacher, Speaker, Author and Philanthropist based in London. The course took us through the principles of meditation, looks at mantra based meditation as well as practical tips for perfecting your practice and how you can use meditation to create your dream life.

This is a fantastic course for someone who is new to meditation or has just started out on their meditation journey.

To access this and other educational courses with a 20% discount, use our unique discount code WMR20D21.

Access the course https://vitacodis.com/courses/meditation-a-powerful-tool-for-wellbeing/

About Vitacodis

Vitacodis Wellbeing Academy online courses are recorded in professional studio settings. They also offer One-to-one Wellbeing Consulting sessions and will be offering Wellbeing retreats later in 2021

The post Learn to meditate with a self-paced online course appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

So I ask are you meditating?

The chances are you fall into one of 3 categories; those who are nailing meditation, those who are thinking yeah sure but it doesn’t sound like my thing and those who have tried it and just cannot make it work. If you are in the last two categories, and let’s face it most of us are, stay with me I am about to change your perspective.

I am a sceptical person, so before believing that I wanted to go down a meditation route in my life I did ALL of the reading, and then I read some more. I tried several different methods of meditation and they just weren’t working for me. I did what any self-respecting sceptic does, I read some more and I found out why it wasn’t working and then I figured out a way to make it work and now I can share this with you. You can calm your monkey mind without meditating.

Meditation has grown in popularity around the globe in recent years but is there any real science behind its effectiveness?

Over the past two decades there have been numerous scientific studies around the effects of meditation but let’s look first at brain in general. For hundreds of years the brain was commonly understood as a non-renewable organ we now know, due to studies; Karl Lashley and his work with rhesus monkeys in the 1920’s, Justo Gonzalo and his work in the 1940’s that looked at inverted perception disorder and brain plasticity, we know that the brain is not a fixed organ.  Marian Diamond produced the first scientific evidence of anatomical brain plasticity in her published works in 1964. We know that neuroplasticity is a real and it has huge implications not only in physiological benefits such as cochlear implants but this also means that we can transfer this knowledge to psychological aspects of the brain. This is demonstrated in multiple studies into neuro linguistic programming (NLP), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or the multiple papers written by Eleanor Maguire on hippocampal formation.

Many studies have investigated meditation for different conditions;

• For Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• For Ulcerative Colitis
• For High Blood Pressure
• For Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia
• For Smoking Cessation

I suffer with chronic mental illness. I know it is not on trend to say suffer with but it is in fact the truth. It makes my life harder, every day. I also manage chronic illness and a disability. Many people with long term health conditions and disability are more prone to depression and anxiety. They may also face some very practical issues that hinder traditional meditation methods. For instance I have both PoTS and Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome. Both of these conditions cause irregularities in my breathing and heart rhythm, a little bit of a hindrance when you are focussing on breath and heart rate to meditate

That is only one issue that the traditional methods of meditation throw up for me. I am also neurodivergent, that is a whole other ball game to navigate.

Meditation & mindfulness can cause harm in some people.

Meditation practice is not about stopping your thoughts, it is about finding peace with them, recognising what is happening in your brain and not judging. This is can be a huge problem for the vast majority of people as quiet time alone with your thoughts can be hugely damaging if your thoughts are very negative. So many of us have trauma in our past of varying degrees and being alone with those thoughts can send a person into a downwards spiral. It takes an incredibly well trained mind to not descend into despair at times. By offering your mind a conscious focus you are better able to find clarity and deal with those thoughts that are swimming around aimlessly and offer them direction.

Doodling, (a form of fidgeting), actually helps to focus the mind. How many times as a child you were told to stop fidgeting and concentrate? In fact people who doodle have far better memory retention. Continuous thought or concentration actually puts your brain under strain. Guess what meditation can cause strain. What if I could tell you that you can harness the power of the doodle and creative activity to aide your mental well-being.

Before I developed this method of creative meditation the only thing that I had at my disposal to help calm me was a walk alone in nature. That was all well and good but in reality when the children are in bed and it is late at night and anxiety hits I could hardly go out and take a walk. After speaking with people and reading articles about those who struggle I knew I needed to make this into a course that others could follow and out it out into the world.

The post The art of meditation, have you mastered it yet? appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Meditation is one of those practices that you look at as an ‘outsider’ and wonder what on earth they are doing! If you’ve never meditated before, you shouldn’t just write it off without trying it just once.

What is Meditation?

There are many different ways of explaining meditation, my favourite is ‘The Art of Silencing the Mind.’

Every meditation is different, whether you are meditating on your own or in a structured class, everyone’s experience will be different. Meditation invokes both a physical and emotional response in the body and the outcome is dependant on your thoughts, experiences and expectations.

You will find for each meditation that sometimes you can silence your thoughts really easily and other times it can be a struggle. The idea is to silence ALL thoughts, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Isn’t meditation religious?

From the outside, meditation can seem like a religious practice. The truth is, anyone can do it. You do not have to believe in a ‘divine being’, the focus is on yourself and your breathing and your inner thoughts. Anyone and Everyone can meditate.

You are finding belief in yourself.

Why should I meditate?

Meditation has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety. If you’re having a tough time, if life is feeling stressful, then meditation is the perfect ‘medicine’ to help keep your mental health in tip-top condition.

Meditation slows down the brain waves and slows your heart rate. It calms and focuses the body and mind.

The beautiful thing about meditation is that you aren’t necessarily doing it to gain something, but more particularly to ‘let go’ of discomforts, stress and negativity. Letting go of anything that isn’t serving you.

Just a few of the many benefits;

You will sleep better

Do you lie in bed with your mind racing a million miles per hour, going through every detail of what happened that day, wondering if you should have done something differently, wondering what’s for dinner tomorrow, wondering where your favourite shoes are to wear to work? Meditation will teach you the skills to quiet the mind, to focus and order your thoughts and to listen to your breath in order to find peace for sleep. If you sleep better, then your overall health improves too.

You become more aware of yourSELF

Meditation helps you to connect with your self. You become aware of your breath, aware of how your body moves and feels. It also helps you to understand your thoughts, you learn how to control your worries and you learn where your meditative focus is – what calms you down, what imagery defines you and focuses you.

You are flustered less easily

If you’re the type of person that ‘turns mole hills in to mountains’ then meditation will help you to knock those issues back down to size! Meditiation helps to put things in to perspective, it helps you to quiet the mind and order your thoughts. You’ll find it easier to stop dwelling on your problems.

Increased concentration

You will be able to focus your thoughts on a task more easily, distractions will be fewer and easier to dismiss.

I don’t have time to meditate!

There is always time. If you find yourself sat on the sofa every evening watching the soaps or the football and not feeling overly inspired by them, then turn off the TV. Sit on the floor and meditate.

Just a ten minute meditation can make a huge difference and you’ll feel the benefit. You don’t need to light candles and burn oils (although this can help with preparing the mind for meditation), just find somewhere you’re comfortable and where you can sit quietly – this might be in your bedroom or even in a meeting room at work!

How do I meditate?

For a basic meditation, find a quiet, calm place where you won’t be disturbed.

It’s important to be seated, with a straight back. If you’re sat on the floor then sit on the edge of a cushion. By sitting on the edge you allow your hips to tilt forward and open, this prevents your lower back from curving (slouching!) and helps you to sit up tall.

Decide what you will focus on, this could be imagery like imagining you’re walking along a beach and the waves are your thoughts, or something physical, like a candle flame.

Start your meditation by sitting tall and rolling your shoulders back, letting them relax.. Close your eyes and rest your hands on your thighs and relax your arms. Concentrate on your breathing, don’t try t change it, just listen to your breath, observe how it feels as it enters and leaves your body through your nose. Continue to observe your breath and draw your focus to either the candle flame or imagery that you have decided to focus on. As you focus, continue your breath in silence. Remain silent for as long as you need, this can be 3 minutes or 30 minutes. When you need to come out of your meditation, deepen your breathing and listen to the change in your breath., bring your hands together and rub them together to feel the heat generated. Gradually open your eyes and notice how different you feel.

There are lots of guided meditations available online, if you are unsure of how to start why not try this free course from Ojaya FREE ONLINE MEDITATION COURSE.

Gemma Dobson is the owner of The Mummy Maintenance Project, an Online Interactive Group Exercise Class platform for Women.

The post Why you should Meditate appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

In a society where there still exists a very distinct dichotomy between the heart and the mind, a regular practice involving meditation is a powerful tool that has the potential to bridge the gap between the two, if the both the heart and mind of the individual are open to it. The only way to establish that connection between heart and mind is to practice regularly, and if life ‘gets in the way’ then why not consider bringing the practice into schools and the workplace?

Spiritual Teacher and Master, Sri Swami Purohit believes, “When we live from the heart, we receive true clarity about our life and can make decisions without attachment” meaning we become better workers and students because we are clear in our thinking.

Our formative years are defined by the World Health Organisation as the ages between birth and eight years old, which means that the introduction of a form of meditation practice as early as at primary school level cannot be anything but a positive step.

And various studies have shown that children of school age (5 – 11yrs in particular)  across the world have benefitted enormously from the introduction of meditation and “quiet time” as part of the school day, along with gentle encouragement from their teachers to sit and notice their breath, their thoughts, perhaps tuning in to some gentle music, even for just 10-15 minutes per day.

These studies have shown that, as a result, children are less prone to aggressive behaviour, more compassionate towards their peers, more empathetic and overall less worried about the pressures of their schoolwork and exams. In an era where technology and social media are a vast part of life from an extremely young age – bringing with them their own double-edged plethora of benefits and anxieties, meditation incorporated into the educational environment is a particularly potent anchor and balm for the busy young mind.

“When we as children practice meditation and connect to our heart,” says Sri Swami Purohit. “We are learning the skills we need to navigate life as an adult, it is important that we are able to teach our young to master their thoughts and emotions from an early age. They will as a result, grow up with a calm mind, good concentration, increased clarity and improved communication.”

So, what about the wider family – and adults in corporate environments also experiencing their own level of stress.

It is widely known that many adults suffer as a result of busy lives: burnout is a real illness, juggling responsibilities, juggling work, money worries, fear from the instability of the current economic climate and the stories we see and read about in the news each day about the state of our planet…the list goes on. These stresses in turn manifest themselves as (for example) anxiety, depression, insomnia, panic disorders, high blood pressure, time off work and accidents due to the mind being otherwise consumed by things outside of that present moment.

This begs the question of how we as adults can nurture future generations in their meditative practices whilst effectively practising what we preach by developing our own. Given that we spend so many of our waking moments at work, it makes sense for businesses to pay close attention to the many benefits that supporting mindfulness and meditation at work can bring: less employee sick days for the above ailments, increased morale, overall productivity levels rising as a direct result of staff feeling like more than just an employee number to name but a few.

This doesn’t have to be an expensive or fussy exercise. Simply providing a quiet breakout room if location practicalities permit, where staff can retreat for a few moments to simply breathe away from the clamour of a frenetic environment without fear of reprisal, could make all the difference for someone who is anxiously debating whether they can face leaving their warm bed in the morning to tackle a busy working day.

All is not lost however, because there are businesses who are open to bringing mindfulness practices into the office. With mental health becoming a serious issue for many, businesses who aren’t taking a closer look at staff health and wellbeing will pay the price.

“The exciting thing about the growth of mindfulness in the corporate space is that these practices are helping individuals to not only cope better with stress and dial down at the end of the day, but become more emotionally intelligent team-players contributing to a more compassionate and conscious leadership culture,” says Neil Seligman – Author of Conscious Leadership.

A business that nurtures the wellbeing of its employees by utilising the power of mindfulness and meditation is inevitably a happier place for everyone to be.

To learn more about how you can integrate such practices in your business or educational setting and experience a range of inspiring talks, meditative practice, mindful movement and creative workshops, please come and visit The Mindful Living Show on 6/ 7 March 2020.

The post Why Meditation practice is an essential tool in businesses and schools appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

To truly live a whole life, the student must be willing to commit to changing his or her habits and life, through introducing a daily spiritual practice.

It is important to note, that people who meditate without connecting to their heart, will only ever learn good concentration, and those who get tired whilst meditating are simply practising good concentration. Neither is correct. Meditation is not meant to be tiring – it is meant to be enjoyable and effortless.

Our thoughts are always in our mind and are activated when we pay attention to them. Meditation acts like a pause button, allowing us to control our thoughts so that they don’t distract us.

To truly practice meditation in a way that nourishes and enables you to totally clear your mind, you must learn to connect to your heart.

If your heart is not fully developed, you will always operate from your mind.

If your mind does not have clarity it will create fear, doubt and uncertainty around anything that has not processed properly.

To live a limitless life, the heart and mind need to be fully developed and in harmony with each other.

To live from the heart means that the mind becomes the servant; we are no longer simply chasing success but rather doing what makes us happy.

When we live from the heart, we receive true clarity about our life and can make decisions without attachment.

When we regularly practice meditation and connect to our heart, then we can be truly present. This is an opportunity to release the past and any thoughts that are not serving us, and an enabler to regulate breathing and time to really connect within.

The benefits of meditation include; a calm mind, good concentration, increased clarity, improved communication, relaxation and rejuvenation of the mind and body.

With meditation the physiology of your body undergoes a change and every cell of your being is filled with more prana (energy) through the breath. This results in joy and enthusiasm as the level of prana increases.

Physically, meditation is also known to reduce high blood pressure, decrease tension related pain – such as headaches, insomnia, increases serotonin improving moods and behaviour and boosts your energy levels.

When you practice meditation your mind empties, cleanses and nourishes you from within, bringing a state of calm.

With regular practice you will see a decrease in anxiety, your emotions will stabilise, and you will become more connected to your heart and eventually be able to tune into your intuition.

For many of us it is hard to set aside time to meditate, so I have devised a short 10-minute breathing exercise that can help beginners to start to see results.

10-minute practice to enrich your life: Nadishodhanama Pranayama – Alternate nostril breathing.

This is one of the best practices with which to enrich and make a difference to your life, in just 10 minutes each day.

Try to do the exercise every day at the same time.

• Sit in a comfortable meditative position, keep your spine straight and head erect. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax.
• Place your right thumb on your right nostril, gently, to close it. Inhale through the left nostril.
• Close the left nostril with your right forefinger, and hold for a second. Now, remove your thumb and breathe out through the right nostril.
• Inhale through the right nostril, close it with your thumb, hold for a second and exhale through your left nostril.
• Now inhale through the left nostril, close it with your right forefinger, hold for a second and exhale through your right nostril.

This is one set of alternate breathing.

Do a total of 5 sets, resting for 1 minute between sets.

Breathing should be slow, steady and controlled. The main purpose of this exercise is to purify the main energy channels of the body. This nourishes the whole body, induces tranquillity and improves concentration. The exercise also increases vitality and lowers stress and anxiety levels.

To truly experience the benefits of mediation regular practice is necessary.  I coach my students to get up early and start their practice before they start their day. Before you get caught up in daily life, gaining clarity of thought is essential to ensuring that thoughts are processed completely so you can live from your heart.

Once you get into the habit, the practice of being in a meditative state can be the most enjoyable part of your day.

It is like a seed – the more you cultivate the more it blooms. The more clarity of thought the more limitless your life will become.

About:

Sri Swami Purohit(Swami Purohit), one of India’s great spiritual masters, welcomes you to learn the truth about the ancient secrets of Indian Spirituality, when he visits the UK to talk at the Mindful Living Show on the 6 and 7 March 2020 for the first time. In his talk, he will explain the importance of living from our heart and how meditation can give us clarity of thought.

Sri Swami Purohit was born in 1964 in India. He studied mathematics and science at Delhi University and worked first as a math teacher and later as a business consultant. He has studied the Vedic science and practiced meditation and all branches of Yoga with great teachers of all traditions for more than 30 years.

Since 2006, he teaches all aspects of the ancient Vedic traditions: Yoga, Meditation, Mantra, Ayurveda (natural medicine and physical health), Vedic astrology, and today, is considered one of the greatest experts of Yoga and Meditation.

Swami Purohit lives in Granada and disseminates knowledge of the Eastern teachings throughout Spain, making them affordable and practicable to Western minds.

For more information about upcoming courses and retreats: https://www.swamipurohit.com/en/class-list

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