MEDITATION

what you can expect

Meditation is the practicing of mindfulness and mindfulness skills for a period of time that you decide upon before you begin. Beginners may start with a short period of time, such as five minutes, for example, working their way up to longer periods of time. Meditation can be done in a variety of ways from sitting, standing, laying down, to even walking. 

There are many different forms of meditation and how they differ typically concerns what we are doing with our attention. We can focus our attention by paying attention to internal bodily sensations, how we experience our breath as it moves in and out, something we choose to think about, or what we are feeling, emotionally. Conversely, we can open our attention by being aware of whatever comes into our mind, labeling it as “thought”, and then letting it go.

Focusing the mind tends to be an easier method for those who are just beginning their practice of meditation due to the fact that you are being directed upon what to focus. This can be done by choosing what you would like to focus on or by being lead through a guided meditation by another. Opening the mind tends to be more challenging as it involves being aware of thoughts and then letting them go.

The emotional and physical benefits of meditation have been well established. They include developing the ability to gain new perspectives on stressful situations, increasing the capacity to manage stress, increasing self-awareness, reducing negative emotions and rigidity, increasing patience and tolerance, increasing the capacity for enhanced creativity and imagination, lowering resting heart rate and resting blood pressure, and improving sleep.

With all of these benefits, it only makes sense to include Group Meditation Sessions at Holistic Harbor as part of our Integrative Wellness Program. Please click on the Stretching, Flexibility, and Mobility Classes Tab and scroll down to see our Class Calendar. There you will find Group Meditation Sessions being offered as they become available.