Meditation courses teach the practice of training the mind, using a variety of techniques, to filter out excess activity and achieve a state of composed alertness, also known as thoughtless alertness .
Though meditation appears in various guises in Islamism, Judaism and Christianity, its roots can be traced back many thousands of years to eastern cultures and spiritual traditions. Meditation techniques are therefore varied and have been used and refined over countless generations. They may be practised for many reasons, such as to help reduce stress, promote physical relaxation and psychological balance, cope with illness, or to enhance overall health and well-being.
What does it involve
The constant flux of daily activity does not leave us with much time to reflect on our lives. Stresses and anxieties force their way into our thoughts and disrupt our energies (psychic or otherwise). Meditation courses offer us the means to transform our minds and remove such obstructions.
Though there are several different types of meditation, they each teach the practitioner to focus their minds on the present moment rather than on the unchangeable past or the unknowable future. Over time, students on a Meditation course will learn to leave behind the common obstacles to their mental and emotional stability, such as greed, insecurity, jealousy and worry, and to replace to things with a heightened awareness of self, social role and moral responsibility.
Students on Meditation courses will be shown how to achieve this state of tranquil alertness by learning effective breathing techniques, meditative postures, visualisation techniques and relaxation methods.
Why do it
While some may be sceptical about the benefits of meditation, its virtues are taken quite seriously by the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine an official US government agency who have conducted studies on the efficacy of meditation and found that it can be used to reduce stress, improve concentration, relieve symptoms of chronic back pain and relieve asthma symptoms.
Other research has indicated that practising meditation on a daily basis can enhance the efficiency of one s ability to process information, increase one s ability to empathise with others, reduce blood pressure, and help one deal with depression and anxiety all of which are remarkable, considering the fact that the practise is entirely independent of other prescriptive treatments or chemical ingestion. In essence, any changes to an individual s temperament or physiology are brought about solely as a result of his/her powers of concentration.
What comes next
In order to feel the benefits of meditation, it needs to be practiced on a daily basis. Once students have learned to integrate it into their lives, they are certain to feel calmer, more focussed and more aware as they go about their day-to-day tasks and obligations.
At a glance
Meditation courses can help improve your powers of concentration for work or study. It has also been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and blood pressure levels.
Meditation courses generally last for 5 to 10 weeks and are priced in the region of 100 to 160.
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