Meditation
Why choose meditation?
Because punching people is wrong!
Unless you’ve been living nice and cozy under a rock these past few years, you’ve almost certainly heard about the benefits of meditation. You might be wondering just how powerful or beneficial sitting quietly could possibly be for you, and that’s fair! We don’t blame you in the slightest - in large part because we had some doubts ourselves when we first got into it.
We can say from personal, skeptical experience, that regular meditation is actually incredibly beneficial! Not only are there lots of proven scientific benefits, even just the practice of taking a few minutes out of each day for yourself - a few minutes where you don’t have to worry about anybody or anything else, is incredibly important for self-care.
One of the best things about meditation is that there’s absolutely no wrong way to do it, and you don’t actually need anything in order to do it! There are even countless different types of meditation, so you’re sure to find something that resonates with you! Before we get ahead of ourselves though, we’ll lay out some of the meditation basics for you!
What even counts as meditation?
Meditation is simply the practice of focusing your mind, with the goal of calming that ever present mind-wandering, or stream of racing thoughts.
Meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes for a couple of minutes, focusing on your breath, consciously releasing any tension in your body, and acknowledging the thoughts that enter your mind without judgement. Meditation can also come in the form of walking through the forest, being really present in the moment - noticing the feel of your feet as you take each step, enjoying the crisp air, hearing the birds or the rustling of the leaves, and allowing your mind to be free of chatter. This type of walking meditation can be incredibly powerful, and really allows us to view the world through a different lens. There are many different types of meditation - we love exploring all of them, and suggest you try out at least a few styles yourself!
There is no right or wrong way to meditate - however you are able to become present in the moment, relax your mind, and simply be, is exactly how you should be meditating.
Benefits of Meditation
There are many physical and psychological benefits of meditation that have been well documented over the years. Among them are:
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Stress and anxiety reduction
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Improved emotional health
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Enhanced self-awareness
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Lengthened attention span
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Improved sleep
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Pain control
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Improves relationships
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Improves memory
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Improves cardiovascular health
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Enhanced immune system
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Helps preserve the aging brain - more grey matter compared to non-meditators
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Reduces activity in the brain's "me centre"
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Can lead to volume changes in key areas of the brain
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Can help with addiction recovery
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Improves your sense of well-being
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Increases sense of well-being
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Increases sense of connectedness and empathy
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Improves focus
Want to learn more about each of these benefits, instead of just taking our word for it? That's totally fair - we'd do exactly the same thing! You can check out these sources for more detailed information:
"Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak."
- Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
I need more meditation in my life!!
If you’re looking for inspiration while meditating, are interested in trying a new style of meditation, or want to experience the unique power of meditating in a group of incredible like minded people, we’ve got some resources for you!
We are both meditation teachers and have a selection of meditations available for you to listen to for free on YouTube. We touch on a wide variety of topics and explore different types of meditation. It’s a great idea to explore different styles of meditation to see what really works best for you - it might be the style you least expect to enjoy!
Are you interested in experiencing the power of meditating in a group? It’s a pretty unique experience and can help you commit to and develop a meditation habit. Not to mention the collective energy of a group can add strength to our intentions. But I think most incredible of all is the ripple effect of peace and energy within group meditations - it’s something you need to experience for yourself!
We host a variety of in-person group meditations in Maple Ridge, BC. You can see what events we have coming up here. We’d love to see you there! Absolutely everyone is welcome - no need to have any experience meditating in order to join us. If you have any questions about these events, feel free to send us a quick message.
Ready to dive into meditation?
We've got just the thing for you! We wanted to create a course for our community to really help them on their meditation journey. This course is perfect for anybody that's new to meditation, or those looking to deepen their existing meditation practice.
Our online Learn to Meditate Course is a content packed 10 day course (okay we might have thrown in a couple bonus days as well...) that comes straight to your inbox! You'll also get lifetime access to our private Facebook Group!
Looking for some tips to improve your meditation practice?
We've put some of our favourite meditation tips and tricks into a free e-book for our incredible community! All you have to do is pop your email address in below, and we'll get it sent off to you.
Can you come to me?!
Are you interested in private meditations specifically selected and customized to fit your needs? Would you like to meditate with a close group of friends, get the rest of your family into the habit of meditating, or think your workplace could do with a little more zen? We totally hear you - it can be really incredible to have the meditation teachers come to you and plan something that will fit your needs exactly! We're more than happy to do this - check out our private events page for more details!
Still have questions?
We don't blame you! That busy little monkey mind is great at coming up with lots of questions, and is the absolute best at interjecting with potential problems or causes for concern. Don't worry, once you start meditating a bit more, that pesky monkey mind will become much easier to control!
In the mean time, why don't you check out our FAQ page to see if we've got the answers you're looking for! If not, don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions, thoughts, or experiences. We always love hearing from our community, and are more than happy to answer any questions you might have. We haven't forgotten what it's like to be at the beginning of our meditation journey!