Meditation & Mindfulness

What is meditation?

Meditation is not about sitting cross legged but about discovering your inner peace though breathing and visualisation. There are so many different meditations techniques are available and we each need to discover our own, the one resonates with us. When we change and evolve during our personal journey we will search for different form of meditation. You will feel it when you get there, simply follow your intuition.

Why meditate? What are the benefits, and how are they measured? How do you learn to meditate? Is there a difference between meditation and mindfulness? Will you need to sit on cushions and find perfect silence?

When you start meditating you may find sitting still for 5-10 minutes is a challenge. As you start developing your daily practice and dive deeper into your meditation you will find it easier to dedicate the time to yourself.

Time has no meaning in meditation and space has also lost. You don't know where you are. If you break the meditation all of a sudden, you may wonder, "What happened to my body". Even the body is forgotten in real meditation. You are above time and space; you are out of your body. When I say "out of your body" don't think I mean that you are travelling in space or anything like that. I mean, the mind transcends the body's consciousness.

Sri Swami Satchidananda

What is mindfulness?

You may have heard that mindfulness — the ability to be fully present in the moment — can have numerous benefits, everything from decreased stress and sadness to increased levels focus and happiness, according to general mindfulness research. But what exactly is mindfulness? And, how can you recognize it and reap its many benefits? Mindfulness meditation practice is one way to truly experience the current moment and integrate that awareness into your everyday life. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

First, it’s helpful to become familiar with the meaning of mindfulness, as well as how it relates to meditation. Mindfulness is the quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment — free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.

What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

Here’s the thing that many people find confusing about mindfulness: it’s not a temporary state of mind that is present during meditation and then vanishes for the rest of the day. Rather, mindfulness is a way of living in which — when we remember — we are able to step back and be in the present moment in any situation.

Mindfulness doesn’t eliminate stress or other difficulties; instead, by becoming aware of unpleasant thoughts and emotions that arise because of challenging situations, we have more choice in how to handle them in the moment — and a better chance of reacting calmly and empathetic when faced with stress or challenges. Of course, practicing mindfulness does not mean we never get angry — rather it allows us to be more thoughtful in how we want to respond, whether that's calmly and empathetic or perhaps, occasionally with measured anger.

Meditation is the training ground for learning mindfulness. At first, we meditate to become familiar with the here and now for a limited period of time. Over time, however, regularly practicing mindfulness helps us develop the ability to be present throughout the day, every day.