meditation | Bikram Yoga North Brisbane

14 Aug 2019

Sticky Post By Rachel Posted in Benefits, happiness, health, meditation Permalink

Create the time for meditation

Sticky Post By Rachel On August 14, 2019

While we may have heard a daily meditation practice brings with it many benefits to our overall happiness and wellbeing, there’s often resistance to committing to it. Common resistances include thinking ‘I don’t have time’, ‘It’s boring to just sit still’, or ‘I am not good at it, my mind just runs the whole time’. These last two examples are similar to expecting an untrained puppy to sit still the first time it is asked. Whereas the first, simply requires you to have an honest conversation with yourself about what your priorities are, and perhaps shift the expectation of exactly how much time you need to dedicate towards mediating.

Just like your asana, meditation is a practice, not a performance. So a good place to begin is removing any outcome you perceive you need to achieve, which may be ‘successfully meditating’. I know this is one I’ve had in the past. Benefits and blessings will come to you over time, but for now, all you need to do is sit down, try to be still, and practice the meditation technique shown to you. If you don’t have one already, don’t worry, there is one included at the end of this blog.

Initially, sitting still for a period of time can be challenging, especially because we’re so use to ‘moving’ and ‘doing’ constantly. In our modern world, it seems even sleeping is becoming something we ‘do’, rather than being really enjoyed. So to begin, simply designate a specific time window, duration, and place to practice on a regular basis. Begin with five minutes, and set a timer so looking at the clock won’t distract you. Commit to practicing meditation before you have your breakfast in the morning, in a quiet corner or room in your home. Another option is to close the door at your office, and practice your meditation at your desk. Otherwise, you may choose to commit five minutes at the end of your yoga class, when you’re in savasana. Regardless of where and when, we can all create 5 minutes of space in our day. Over time, you can gradually lengthen your practice.

For most people the normal state of the mind is a constant chatter. Don’t be put off by this; Rather, use the stillness, use the quiet, to bring awareness and observation to how much your mind chatters. With repetition of practice, you can use this awareness to soften the chatter, and delve deeper into your consciousness. The associated benefits to this such as a calm mind, eased stress, anxiousness, and depression, healthier sleeping patterns, increased creativity, improved relationships, and self-appreciation and respect, make the practice even more enticing, and even easier to commit to.

Again, just like your asana practice, meditation will bring with it a new experience each day; some will seem ‘easier’ than others. If you a miss a day, feel distracted throughout, or finish early, just start again. Have faith your mind will come to settle down and feel at ease with regular practice and eventually longer periods of sitting. Be as gentle with yourself as you would a puppy you love, and allow your mind to learn to release in the same way it has learned to hold on.

Meditation Technique:

Sit or lie comfortably, with your spine straight. Set a timer on your phone or meditation application (we recommend 1 Giant Mind, or, Insight Timer) so as not to be distracted by looking at the clock. Close your eyes and take a few slow breaths in and out of your nose to calm your body down and prepare for meditation.

Next, place extra attention on your breath. Stilling breathing by your nose, bring your inhale and exhale to the same steady length, and then continue to observe your breath. Feel your chest rise on the inhale, and then the chest fall on the exhale. Feel the coolness of the air on the inhale, and warmth of the air on the exhale. Maintain your focus and observation on your breath. If at any point, you notice your mind wandering, gently come back to the awareness of the breath. For some extra support, you may choose to silently say in your mind ‘inhale’ as you breathe in, and ‘exhale’ as you breathe out.

At the end of your practice, give a statement of gratitude. For example, ‘I am thankful for making the time to do this meditation’, ‘I am thankful for my breath’, ‘I am thankful for how relaxed I feel’, or, anything that naturally arises in to give thanks for.

Some general recommendations to support your meditation practice include, not eating or consuming caffeine/ any other stimulants just prior to meditating, finding a private and quiet space where you won’t be interrupted, and keeping a journal to track your insights and progress.

Let us know how you’re going with your meditation practice. Leave us a comment on this post, share in our facebook group, or talk to any one of us at the studio! We look forward to hearing of how meditation is supporting and enriching you in your life.

Namaste

15 Oct 2017

Sticky Post By Rachel Posted in happiness, health, meditation, Yoga Permalink

Not a creative person? Meditation will change that

Sticky Post By Rachel On October 15, 2017

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso.

Creative people. They’re the rock stars, authors, and artists of the world. They’re the ones we look up to for their imagination and their talent.

They’re special, aren’t they? Those creative artists who create the music, books, and art we turn to when we want to dream.

People flock to La Louvre in Paris, one of the most impressive art galleries in the world, oggling the works of artists like Gericault and Da Vinci. They were people born to create works of creative genius. Many dream that one day they may create works that would be one hundredth the creative brilliance of those paintings adorning the walls of France’s most important gallery.

Yet many think that only those alike to Da Vinci and Gericault were born for creative brilliance, the rest of us are not. Right? If we were born with creative talent we would surely know about it, wouldn’t we? Talent like that couldn’t be hiding somewhere, unbeknownst to us. Could it?

But what if creative talent isn’t reserved for just the lucky few? What if creative talent is actually inside us all?

Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

Sure enough, every child is indeed an artist. Give a two-year-old a crayon and they’ll draw you a picture. True, it might be a mangled mess completely uninterpretable until said child tells you it’s a cat, but they will grab that crayon and they will draw to their heart’s content; they will have a go.

Trouble is, most adults will not have a go. Give an adult a crayon and they’ll probably just put it right back in the box and tell you to grow up. It’s like the mere idea of being creative seems absurd to them.

We lose our creativity as we grow old. And no wonder. “Stress is a well-known creativity killer,” says psychologist Robert Epstein, PhD. “Time constraints are another.” As we age we are gradually exposed to both increasing levels of stress and tightening time constraints, and our creativity is stifled.

Stress and time-constraints kill creativity in many ways:

Stress prevents the mind from being playful, which is essential to creativity.
Stress makes us obsess over worries rather than thinking about possibilities.
Stress prevents us from living in the moment, cutting off our main source of inspiration.
Stress is tiring, sapping our creative energy.
Time constraints mean we’re forced to do things the way we know rather than looking for alternatives.
Both time constraints and stress make us hyper-focused on action and results, preventing us from looking outside the box, from considering alternative options, and, ultimately, from being creative.

Put all these factors together and it’s easy to see why the modern world is custom designed to kill the average adult’s creativity.

But that doesn’t mean adults cannot be creative. It just means we have to make a concerted effort to actually use our creative powers.

The key to reclaiming our creativity, perhaps surprisingly, is this: We need to chill out.

Sounds jovial. It’s actually both vital and incredibly accurate.

If we want to be creative we have to let our minds play. We have to stop being so darned focused on the time and on productivity and results. “Chilling out” truly is the answer.

To say we need to “chill out” really means we have to let go of stress so we can be more mentally flexible.

We can liken this to yoga.

Physical stress kills a yoga practice like mental stress kills creativity, and for precisely the same reason.

When we are tense (in other words, physically stressed) our muscles are cramped in one position, making it impossible for them to take up an asana.

Similarly, when we are mentally tense (stressed) the mind is too forced in one position, too focused on one way of looking at things, making it impossible to be creative.

We can solve both these problems in the same way.

When we are tense in yoga we don’t immediately stretch out into full expression of standing bow. We begin by helping the body to relax. Only once the body is relaxed we can then move with more ease and grace into the posture.

It’s the same with creativity.

When we’re mentally stressed we don’t pen A Tale Of Two Cities. Rather, we have to take steps to relax the mind so that we can start to be more creative.

To relax the mind, we meditate. But in a specific way.

The majority of meditation techniques are focused. These are techniques in which we focus the mind on one thing, such as the breath. This, however, is not conducive to creativity because creativity is not about focusing on one view. It’s about being open to myriad different views.

The opposite of focused meditations is Open Monitoring.

These are meditations in which we do not focus on one thing, but rather we extend awareness to the entirety of our environment. It’s as though consciousness were butter in a warm pan. The butter expands evenly to cover the whole pan. Same with open monitoring meditation. Consciousness spreads evenly so we are aware of our whole environment.

If you have ever found yourself fully absorbed in beautiful scenery you will have experienced open monitoring meditation. It’s the state in which we feel one with our environment, when we seem to breathe with the world, when we are calm and yet aware of the fullness of our environment.

Scientific research proves that open monitoring is an incredibly powerful technique for creativity.

Cognitive psychologist Loenza Colzato studied the affect that open monitoring meditation has on divergent and convergent thinking. These are mental processes that enable us to come up with new ideas and bring those ideas together into one cohesive unit (such as when we conceptualise a story, first brainstorming ideas and then bringing them together into one story).

Colazato’s study showed that open monitoring meditation significantly improved these mental processes. This, Colzato said, showed that open monitoring meditation is an incredibly powerful tool for creativity.

The reason open monitoring meditation boosts creativity is, essentially, because it is freeing. It undoes the damage that too much stress and time constraints do to us.

As adults, it is far too easy to become hyper-focused on productivity and results, always choosing the trusted way rather than being free to experiment. It’s a self-imposed cage in which we cannot see the infinite possibilities that are always within us.

Open monitoring meditation opens the mind, limbering us up like those warm-up moves in yoga. It creates mental flexibility and freedom with which we can realise our creative potential.

Why not try open monitoring meditation today. It’s easy.

To do open monitoring meditation:

Go somewhere quiet and relaxing, a place you would want to be one with (such as a beautiful countryside).
Sit or lie down.
Count your breaths up to 50 just to relax.
Be aware of your senses. Listen, feel, smell, taste, and see the environment around you.
Let your consciousness rhttp://dailycupofyoga.com/wp-admin/index.phpeach out so that you are aware of everything.
If thoughts and feelings arise, let them come and go while still paying attention to the environment.
Continue for 20 minutes.
Notice how you feel more open, more relaxed, and freer.

Practice this technique whenever you want to get in touch with your creativity. It will open your mind and give you the mental freedom and flexibility with which to be creative.

10 Aug 2017

Sticky Post By Rachel Posted in Events Permalink

The power of gong meditation and sound immersion

Sticky Post By Rachel On August 10, 2017

A Gong Meditation is often called a Gong Bath. No….you do not undress, nor do you get drenched in water! We like to say you are b-a-t-h-e-d in sound. It is one of the easiest ways to go deep into a meditative state. And this is why:

In a Gong meditation you lie down, or sit, softly closing your eyes and giving your body the PERMISSION to relax. You are usually taken through some gentle belly breathing, and as the gongs and other sound instruments are played, you drift from a beta, into an alpha and then, a theta estate.

But what are these states/waves related to?

Beta is a 14-40 Hz, waking consciousness and reasoning brain wave
Alpha is 7.5-14 Hz, a deep relaxation brain wave
Theta is the 4-7.5 Hz, light meditation and sleeping brain wave

Most people drift between these states throughout the session while some others will go deep immediately. It´s not unusual to hear a symphony of snores (!) and deep sighing, from time to time. You finally wake up deeply refreshed, rested yet energized. And almost everyone who attends a session tells us how, besides other positive effects, they enjoyed an amazing night of sleep thereafter.

Gong Meditations are very adaptable:

Some sessions have a guided visualization topic that deals with a particular area of life.
They could be accompanied as well by a Laughter Yoga session or physical exercises to release anger.
Can be used as well to cleanse and clear a room, to inaugurate a space or as the closing session for an event.
It can be a session for individuals or groups, for staff or for students, and all different ages.

It is, basically, for anyone and everyone. As Grand Gong Master, Don Conreaux, envisions: “A Gong in Every Home”.

During the session, the facilitator would play, besides the gong/s, intuitively some other instruments such as: singing bowls or crystal bowls, conch shells, bird whistles, feathers, ocean drums, rain sticks, tongue drums, hang drums, chimes, bells, harps, rattles, xylophones and shruti boxes, or a myriad other sound instruments which will bring you into a blissful state of body -mind.

Sessions usually end with a brief, silent, couple of minutes that is called the “Shuniya” or “Sunyata”, literally meaning “emptiness” or “void”. This is the time for the sounds to settle, so the inner peace and the oneness will remain with you for the rest of the day.

We have a Gong Immersion night coming up on Saturday 12th, 6pm – 7pm, at our Nundah studio, and we would love to see you there!

03 Nov 2015

Sticky Post By Rachel Posted in Yoga Permalink

Yin Yoga: Love it or hate it?

Sticky Post By Rachel On November 3, 2015

I see two types of people in the studio – those who love Yin and those who hate it. Here’s the top reasons people dislike Yin and why they need to give it another go:

I hate being still
It’s boring
I can’t stop thinking
It’s not a workout

1. I hate being still

For busy, active people, Yin yoga can seem a waste of time. “I can’t sit still, I have too much to do”. Think of a car. We turn the car off when we’re not using it otherwise we’ll run out of petrol and it will overheat. Think of your phone, it stops working when your battery is flat and needs to be recharged. Have you ever thought that constantly being on the go or ‘on’ will leave your inner energy reserves depleted? What if you were always on standby, waiting for the next thing – what does this do to your devices? Being always busy or ‘on’ drains our energy and also over-stimulates our nervous system leading to chronic stress.

How many times have you experienced after a busy, stressful day that your body is exhausted yet your mind is over-active or wired? How many times have you found yourself unable to switch off mentally? This is what happens when we are always ‘on’. This constant state of ‘on’ leads to anxiety. Being still is our chance to switch off, power down and recharge. It can be difficult and uncomfortable but being ‘on’ is a habit that can be broken. You and your body need to switch off and learning to be still is the first step. You will get the urge to fidget, to shuffle around, to scratch or adjust your clothing – these are all tricks of the mind trying to keep you from powering down and switching off.

2. It’s boring

Boredom is a sign of a busy mind. The inherent nature of the mind is movement, so left unwatched, the mind jumps from one thing to another. When we ask it to be still, such as in a Yin Yoga class, it rebels like a naughty child that doesn’t want to be told what to do. If we learn to practice mindfulness and become engrossed in the fullness of what we are doing there is no boredom.

Boredom exists when we are not paying attention or concentrating on the present moment. Boredom is a distraction of a busy mind. We have become so accustomed to multi-tasking that some people watch TV while playing on the computer and phone (3 screens!). We multi-task so often that we’ve forgotten how to single-task. Ever been out with friends or family to find them regularly reaching for their phone to check emails/Facebook? Maybe this is you?

We really struggle to give our full attention to anything these days and the result of our shortened attention span is boredom.We find everything boring and nothing satisfying. We are always seeking something better, something more interesting. Yet this is just a vicious cycle, leading to more boredom and less satisfaction. The antidote, as boring as it seems, is concentration. Coming back to focusing on one thing at a time and in our Yin Yoga practice this means our body and our breath. If we are truly present we will not be bored.

3. I can’t stop thinking

This is something I hear all the time. Guess what? You’re not the only one. The Yoga Sutras written approximatley 2500 years ago define yoga as ‘the stilling of the movements of the mind’. So a busy/active mind is not a new phenomenon, as it was recognised by the ancient sages as the barrier to inner peace.

So what to do? Most people ignore it and don’t realise it’s a problem until you ask them to be still for 5 minutes and focus on their breath. “But I can’t stop thinking!” Welcome to the club! Acknowledging the issue is the first step to transformation. “But I like thinking”, sure you like thinking when you want to, but isn’t it annoying when you want to stop and you can’t? It is this constant, incessant thinking that can lead to anxiety and even depression.

The only way to slow down the mind is to turn it upon itself. Ask your mind to watch and become aware of what it is doing. Don’t try to control the mind (for that is a losing battle), rather try to create space for your thoughts and watch what your mind does. Bringing awareness to our mind and its’ activities will help it to gradually slow down. The same principle applies when we observe our breath – it starts to slow down without effort. Most people give up as it can be confronting and uncomfortable to pay attention to your thoughts. But what’s the alternative? Do you prefer to be a slave to your mind?

We begin to cultivate mind/body awareness in our Yin yoga practice and this is why so many people feel lighter and refreshed after practice – they’ve stopped being a slave to their thinking and have found some mental space.

4. It’s not a workout

There are many people who come to yoga for a workout. I get that. However, the true essence of yoga is a ‘work in’. We do inner work. The whole intent behind the physical poses is to prepare the body and mind for meditation. It’s not the latest exercise fad. People often think that if they’re not working up a sweat or burning calories then they’re not doing anything and there’s no point.

So let me tell you the point of Yin yoga. Yin doesn’t use muscle activation, it is a release of the myofascial tissue that surrounds the muscles, ligaments and joints. It is in this tissue that tension and stress is stored. Yin is designed to work on releasing this tissue and the energetic meridians contained in the tissue that support our major organs. It promotes relaxation, improved vitality and brings balance back to the body.

Yin is passive and is about softening, releasing and surrendering. There’s no effort or struggle (this is something people often fail to grasp), we let go of any holding, clenching and tensing. One of the key benefits of our Yin yoga practice is that is soothes our over-stimulated nervous system helping to restore the body and mind to equilibrium. For those of you looking to lose weight, you won’t be able to if your nervous system is over-stimulated and your body is filled with stress hormones. Cortisol, the body’s hormonal response to stress increases our appetite, increases our cravings for sugary food, leads to fat storage and is often responsible for us not being able to lose weight. So if you’ve been trying to shift those kilos with a strict diet and heavy exercise then maybe you need to chill out and calm down with a Yin class.

27 Mar 2015

Sticky Post By Rachel Posted in Uncategorized Permalink

5 Do’s and Don’ts for your first meditation

Sticky Post By Rachel On March 27, 2015

We receive many benefits from our hatha yoga practice – one of which is the ‘physical preparation of the body for meditation’. That is to say, through the asanas or postures, our bodies become stronger and more flexible, allowing the muscles to relax. As our body becomes more supple, we can sit comfortably and for longer periods of meditation. Combine this with the breathing techniques taught in the yoga class, where we learn how to still our minds, our meditation experience is further aided or enhanced.

There are many parallels between the benefits of hatha yoga and meditation – increased mood, decrease in tension-related pain, improved energy levels, emotional stability, developed intuition, greater ability to focus and concentrate, and better stress-management are just a few. The benefits do come through consistency of practice, it’s not an overnight fix. Yet those who have combined the two practices and continue to do so, say they have never felt better or more at peace.

You may have heard about the benefits of meditation, you may already have a morning meditation practice at home. There are classes, events and often groups in the local community you can join to begin your meditation practice. No matter how or where you meditate, here are a few do’s and don’ts to keep you inspired and maintaining a daily practice.

Dos

Do ease your mind by knowing what to expect. Expect thoughts. Many beginners believe that meditation is the absence of thoughts, when in fact that isn’t the goal at all. What we will come to experience are pauses in our thoughts, known as “the gap,” where you can let go, sink down, and connect with your essence. The gap manifests in different ways for different people. If, outside of meditation, you experience peace, synchronicity, coincidences, creativity, abundance, or joy then you are spending time in the gap.

Also, know that experiences in meditation provide exactly what you need. Some people feel physical sensations, see colors or have emotional swells. You might even fall asleep during meditation, which is your body’s warning sign that perhaps you need to get to bed earlier.

Do find a quiet space. In your home this means a place you can go to be alone without interruptions. If you’re going to a guided meditation or a group session, this might mean sitting in a place where you aren’t distracted by things like cold breezes, noises, or sitting somewhere physically uncomfortable.

Do have a timer. If you’re on your own, make sure you have a timer to signal the end of your meditation. The Insight Timer app is designed for meditation and chimes gently at the designated time. Startling out of a meditative state to an oven timer or peeking at your watch every few minutes may not give you the peace you need. If a timer isn’t available to you, you can certainly open your eyes to check the time once in a while if you don’t find it disruptive to your practice.

Do avoid interruptions. Turn off your cell phone and your home phone. Pick a time when there are the least number of people home, especially children. Tell your family or roommates what you’re doing—and why—and give them the information they need to avoid interrupting you. For example: “When the door to my office is closed in the morning that means I’m meditating. It helps me to have a peaceful day. If you open the door and see me sitting with my eyes closed, please don’t talk to me.”

Do stay seated. Your body equates the position of lying down with sleep. To help your body to recognize that meditation and sleep are different, you should find a comfortable seated position for meditating. Use pillows and blankets or lean against a wall if that helps your comfort level. If you have a physical limitation that makes seated meditation impossible, meditate in whatever position works for you.

Don’ts

Don’t judge your experience. You are always given exactly what you need in each meditation. One day you may feel a total stress release and the next day you might feel irritation or disappointment. Instead of judging your meditation, practice gratitude for the experience you got and be curious as to why things may have been different.

Don’t worry if you get interrupted. Releasing control of outcome is a big part of the meditation process. When you expect to have a quiet and uninterrupted meditation and instead you get a UPS delivery and two phone calls, don’t sweat it. You’re learning to go with the flow. Next time you might want to unplug the phone or put a note on your door. But for this time, be glad you got a chance to practice how to get back into the meditative mindset multiple times in one sitting. This probably isn’t what you wanted, but it was perhaps just what you needed.

Don’t compare your experience to others. As they say, “comparison is the thief of joy.” If you ask others about their experiences, you run the risk of comparing it with yours. Meditation is different for each person. Some will see colors, experience profound thoughts, and have physical sensations, while others will feel distracted and fall asleep. None of this has anything to do with your meditation, so avoid comparisons. In fact, don’t even compare this meditation to your own prior experiences. Trust that you will always get what you need from every session.

Remember that these are just guidelines to help you get started. Once you get into a routine with your meditations, you’ll be able to figure out what works best for your personal practice.

Enjoy xx