We meet twice monthly in The Royal British Legion hall and have continued to enjoy practising different forms of meditation. We mix the different techniques in each session so that group members have a chance to investigate what works best for them. Meditations may include guided imagery, mindfulness, and silent meditation – with the use of a mantra, or ‘mala’ beads, if necessary - or, simply listening to a piece of music.
Group members also really enjoy Yoga Nidras. Yoga Nidra means ‘yogic sleep’, and it uses a systematic method to move from external awareness to internal awareness. The beta brain waves which are dominant in the normal active waking state become less dominant, and are replaced by alpha waves, which allow thought to become more gentle or meditative. When Yoga Nidra is achieved the alpha/theta boundary is experienced; this helps us to connect both to our unconscious, and conscious mind, and it is the state in which the mind is most flexible. This is the space in which we can connect to our creativity and break unwanted habits.
Apart from the actual practice of meditation, we have looked at the energetic aspect of the body, and learnt a bit about how the chakras function. We have also gained an understanding of the auric layers in the human energy field in both health and ‘disease’, and how these layers relate to the chakras.
Please do come and join us if you feel this type of thing would interest you. We have a cup of tea/coffee at the end, we always maintain a sense of humour, and we certainly don’t all eat lentils and sit in a half lotus position.
Ann Pearcey