Why is meditation useful? by Nathalie Roth

Stressed? Having the feeling to be pulled through your life?

Around 6 years ago I’ve been introduced to meditation through yoga. I tried different techniques and was meditating daily. It became challenging when I was away from home and at some points I lost it and did not practice at all. I finally came back to it and it makes such a difference in how I approach life, how personally I take things and how I interact with others. It allows me to see things more clearly and creates a sense of calm and grounding.

Imagine your brain as a beautiful blue sky… where the stresses and worries create many clouds… With Meditation you pass the clouds and reach the beautiful blue sky… a place of calmness, clarity, strength and peace. Meditation helps you to connect to your underlying stillness.

How to begin?

Choose a time that is convenient, preferably when you are alone. Some people meditate daily others may meditate twice a week. They key to success is to commit yourself to practice when you say you will. There will be times when you don’t want to, but do it anyway and before long you will have cultivated a life enhancing skill. If you don’t exercise you lose the benefits of fitness and it’s the same with meditation. As the old saying goes ‘if you don’t use it you lose it!’

You don’t need to sit on a mat, cross your legs and be in a yogi position to meditate! Find a quiet place with minimum distractions. Later, you will be able to meditate anywhere: bus stops, trains and buses…

Meditation requires patience: it is not easy to watch the mind reveal its worries, its self-criticism or its old memories.

There are different ways to meditate. You can begin by focusing on one point and continually bring your attention back to that focal point when it wanders.

Breathing meditations are probably the most easy to follow. You begin your meditation by simply watching your breath. You allow yourself to gently observe your breath as it enters and leaves your body. You can concentrate on either the nose or the abdomen.

Or you can use a flame of a candle or a flower or a «mantra» (repeating a word or a phrase).

The point of focus plays the role of an «anchor» which helps especially when you begin your practice.

What is going on inside us when we meditate?

When we meditate, it affects us physically and mentally. First, we are «focusing internally» and letting go of the outside world. When we can reduce our brain frequencies to alpha/beta levels while staying awake, we are able to bring the unconscious mind to the conscious level. This allows us to control and harness the power of the unconscious mind.

By letting go and going within, we «switch off» some of the brains neurological pathways. In particular many studies have shown that «switching off» our survival mechanisms: eg the stress response (the Sympathetic Nervous System) and allowing our body’s natural health and rejuvenation abilities to be activated (the Parasympathetic Nervous System), we can actively enhance our well-being.

Why choosing Meditation?

Researches on Meditation have identified the following benefits:

. reduced stress

. less rumination

. emotional strength

. deeper enjoyment of life

. greater clarity

. better health

. increased compassion and ability to love

. deeper sleep

My clients who tried it and have continued with their practice feel more content with their life. They don’t have anymore huge ‘ups and down’, their levels of stress have decreased significantly and also some of their physical pains.

Ready to give it a go? Places are limited so call us now on 0203 659 2711 or contact directly Nathalie on 07 984 453 357 or nathalie.roth@nurseyourtree.com