MEDITATION FAQs

Take a short time out from your day and conect with your inner self via these gentle, guided meditations.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What is Meditation?

Meditation can be defined in many ways and has been practiced for thousands of years across ancient religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. In its simplest form it is a brain-training mechanism for achieving greater awareness, concentration, calmness and positive emotions. Each meditation session will be slightly different, because meditation encompasses a variety of techniques and methods designed to train attention and awareness, quieten the mind and connect with internal thoughts and feelings. In traditional classical yoga practice, asanas (or poses) were only incorporated as a way of aiding meditation as this was seen as the highest form of enlightment.

Why Meditate?

Well, if you’re like most people, you experience great amounts of stress in your daily life, without giving much time or thought to helping yourself reduce it. Many people work throughout the week, try and relax at weekends, before rolling straight back into a stressful work week packed with daily tasks and pressures. This also applies if your work is family related; looking after children or other family members for example, can take a large emotional toll for even the most resilient people.

This constant stream of uninterrupted stress sends the autonomic nervous system into a state of “sympathetic overload”, which creates higher blood pressure, lowers testosterone, heightens cholesterol and affects our thyroid. By practising meditation daily, you can help trigger the parasympathetic nervous response, which encourages the mind and body to go into a state of “rest and digest” rather than a state of “fight or flight”. Therefore, mindfulness meditation is a useful tool for developing peace of mind, reducing stress and offering relaxation; but it’s also much more than that.

Meditation will provide a greater insight into your mind, shining a light on the fact that much of our suffering is created by the way the brain operates. Meditation also gives clarity and equanimity, helping us experience a clearer sense of self, as well as reducing the boundaries between ourselves, others and the world.

What is Sound Bath Meditation & How Does It Differ From Traditional Meditation?

Sound bath meditation draws from the belief that everything is in a constant state of movement and emits a vibrational frequency that can be measured and recorded. For example the electromagnetic fields of the heart can be read using magnetcardiography which is used to monitor the heart and diagnose certain cardiac conditions. We can't see these magnetic fields but they can be noted and felt.

We receive sound in 2 ways; audibly via the ear canal and on a phychacoustic level which is where we feel the vibrations helped by the water in our bodies. 

Typically, there are 2 types of bowls used in sound meditation - metal Tibetan singing bowls and quartz crystal glass bowls. In some cases both of these bowls are used simultaneously.

The human body is composed of 70-80% water and water is known to be an excellent conductor of sound.

This means that when the vibrations from the sound bowls reach our physical bodies they are receptive to absorb the frequencies and calm the body and mind.

The crystal quartz bowls used are also tuned to 432 Hertz ,which according to music theory is the frequency at which the universe vibrates and research has found that you feel more calmer, happier and relaxed when listening to music at 432 Hertz.

In relation to traditional meditation, the goals are the same, however unlike incorporating candle gazing or the repeating of mantras, the physical manifestation of meditation can often be felt more strongly when sound bowls are incorporated.

Should I Attend A Sound Bath Session If I have a Pacemaker Or Hearing Aid?

You should not attend a sound meditation class if you have a pace maker fitted to your heart. This is because the frequencies can interfere with the unit. Hearing aid users may need to make adjustments therefore should seek professional advice prior to attending.

I've never meditated before, how do I prepare?

The key is not to over think what is required as the only true preparation is to be open to the practice as you are simply accessing resources you already have within. Just as if you were training a physical muscle, the sessions and practices will build slowly with the aim of providing a mental "toolkit" that can be drawn upon at any time, not just during the session.

What's the best time to meditate?

There are no hard or fast rules and as referenced above, whenever you feel yourself moving away from your calm equilibrium state, you can draw on meditative practices wherever you happen to be. Many traditional yogic teachings recommend that planned meditation sessons take place at either dawn or dusk, however, this has evolved and changed over time. It's more important to tune into how you're feeling relative to your norm, for example if there's a particular day or time when your mind is likley to be easily distracted, cluttered or tired, it may be best to avoid meditating.

What's the difference between Meditation & Relaxation?

Both provide stillness and peace within the body, however, the mental processes used in relaxation compared with meditation, are very different.
In relaxation the mind is allowed to wander so you can focus on many things to bring about dreamy, peaceful and trance like feelings.
In meditation, the aim is to keep the mind as alert as possible not permitting it to drift or switch off in any way. The mind stays completely focused on a single point or subject area.