The course is well structured and the advice is pragmatic, straight forward and easy to understand. I really liked the
fact that Susann made meditation fun. I feel like I have started on a journey of discovery, I’m just sorry I
didn’t start it earlier.
Yvonne Roach, HR Manager
News
Knowledge database about Meditation
Did you know ...
... that the ancient tradition of yoga and meditation began in Indian prehistory as a system of mental, physical and spiritual exercises?
In approximately 500BC the physician and sage Patanjali formalised this tradition into a science with four major and four lesser branches involving ethical restraint, self-discipline, mental focus, physical exercise and meditation. The entire system was used in an integrated fashion and directed at the attainment of a unique state of spontaneous, psychological integration.
Modern psychologists have described this state as "individuation" or "self-actualization" and it has been traditionally termed "self-realisation".
A great deal of meditation research
has occurred over the last fifty years with various results.
A huge source on this topic is the following website:
Source: http://www.researchingmeditation.org
Date: 2008-07-23
Psychiatrists promoting Meditation
At the annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Imperial College, London,
1 - 4 July 2008:
"Meditation is a way of life rather than quick fix achieved
by paying for eight sessions or using gimmicks such as incense, music and light,"
Dr Avdesh Sharma, past president of the Indian Psychiatric Association,
said. "It doesn’t work immediately. You need to practice it for several weeks
before the effects begin to be felt. If meditation was a drug, we’d all want shares
in it. It has a beneficial effect on most physical health problems and is very effective
for mental health problems significantly reducing levels of depression
and anxiety by improving relaxation, oxygenation of the brain, insomnia and energy
levels."
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Date: 2008-07-07
Pavlov a meditator?
Russian scientist Ian Pavlov, most famous for his research on salivating dogs, was once very ill with a fever at a time prior to the availability of antibiotics. To have some relief from the fever, he made a strange request: a bucket of mud.
He placed his hands deep in the bucket, and recalled in detail his favourite childhood memory. Pavlov imagined himself playing in the mud by the river, listening to his mother tell him stories as she washed the clothes.
This meditation brought him a feeling of deep peace and his fever
broke soon after. Deep relaxation tumbles into peace, which can then boost the immune
system.
Source: http://www.NorwichBulletin.com
Date: 2008-06-19
Batman trauma for Christian Bale
Christian Bale had to practice meditation to put on Batman's batsuit because he didn't want claustrophobia to cost him the role. The movie star admits he was terrified the first time he had to be encased in the iconic black bodysuit and he had to overcome his fears.
Meditative breathing techniques helped him to overcome his fear
and to get into his famous Batman outfit to act as the superhero in black...
Source: http://www.myparkmag.co.uk
Date: 2008-06-06
Stay smarter, slimmer and healthier in 60 seconds
Meditating also can keep you trim. Demanding jobs with long
hours -- the kind that leave you whipped and seeking solace in the fridge -- are a siren
call to excess pounds.
So a mini-dose of meditation (meditation for busy people) can mean not needing
bigger belts. So can walking or having a good laugh. But if your day feels endless
by 11am, meditation is easier to do surreptitiously at your desk or while walking
to another meeting.
Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com
Date: 2008-05-20
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)...
...which primarily consists of meditation
- brings full recovery about depression.
It is currently available in every county across the UK, and can be prescribed on
the NHS. One of the pioneers of MBCT is Professor Mark Williams, from the Department
of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. He helps to lead group courses which
take place over a period of eight weeks. He describes the approach as 80% meditation,
20% cognitive therapy.
The benefits of Meditative Therapy in general are
described by Dr Richard Davidson as follows: "By meditating, you can become happier,
you can concentrate more effectively and you can change your brain in ways that
support that."
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk
More information about our Meditative Therapy Programme
(one2one sessions and workshops) you
find here.
Date: 2008-05-01
Photo shooting after Dynamic
One of London Meditation's participants stars in a 4 pages feature about meditative techniques in the SPIRIT AND DESTINY magazine's June issue.
The photo shooting took place at Studio One and all the participants including the photographer had a lot of fun. Also impressions from one2one meditation sessions were captured. Before we had a 1 1/2 hour interview about the benefits of meditation in general and the Dynamic Meditation as well as Gibberish and Laughter work in particular.
For sure we let you all know when the article will be published...
Date: 2008-04-16
Can we train ourselves to be compassionate?
A new study suggests the answer is yes.
Cultivating compassion and kindness through
meditation affects brain regions that can make a person more empathetic to other
peoples' mental states, say researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"People are not just stuck at their respective set points," he says. "We can
take advantage of our brain's plasticity and train it to enhance these qualities."
The researchers are interested in teaching meditation to youngsters, particularly as
they approach adolescence, as a way to prevent bullying, aggression and violence.
Source: http://www.news.wisc.edu
Date: 2008-03-31
Dynamic Meditation
every Sat and Sun - for the next 5 weekends
For a limited period of time London Meditation has the chance of using a sound proof room of a former recording studio for Dynamic Meditation.
Dynamic Meditation is recommended to be done in the morning. This hour-long method is
a powerful way to kick-start your day. It provides an outlet for tension and withheld
emotions as well as being a great energy-booster!
More details about this morning meditation class you find here.
Date: 2008-03-13
Monday Evening Drop-In 3-Month-Membership
Now you can go for a regular meditation practice by becoming an official member
of London Meditation's Monday Evening Drop-In.
To join the 3-month-membership costs £ 60 and allows you unlimited participations
of the Monday Evening Drop-In during the validity of your membership card.
Take the advantage and become a member. You know: Don't wait - meditate™.
More details about our Monday evening meditation classes you find here.
Date: 2008-03-07
The Times: Relax
Meditation may offset age-related cortical thinning.
An increasing number of studies are revealing that as well as providing a much-needed breather in our busy lives, stress-busting techniques such as yoga, meditation and breathing exercises may also help to rejuvenate the brain. A study this year at the Boston University School of Medicine found that meditation increased the amount of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain, low levels of which are linked to depression.
Research also indicates that meditation may improve memory,
especially in older people. A 2005 study at the Massachusetts General Hospital
in Boston found that regular meditators had thicker prefrontal cortexes
than non-meditators did. This brain area is linked with short-term memory.
The researchers suggested that "meditation may offset age-related cortical
thinning".
Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk
Date: 2008-02-28
Don't Wait - Meditate™
One of the biggest obstacles to developing a regular meditation practice is
TIME. People say they don't have enough time to meditate! Did you know that we spends
42-60 minutes a day waiting? We wait for doctor's appointments or meetings. We wait
on hold on the phone and for computer programs to download. We wait in line at
grocery stores and banks and we wait in traffic. The Don't Wait - Meditate™
pledge invites people to convert waiting time into meditating time. If each and every one
of us did this, we would all have a regular meditation practice and experience the
beneficial results!
Source: http://www.earthtimes.org
How?
Join our meditation course and Susann will teach
you "meditation techniques for busy people".
Date: 2008-02-18
Eat consciously!
"Sorry, but food combining is just a silly fad!" says Jane Clarke.
Our state of mind has an enormous impact on how comfortable we feel eating different foods. Hormones released when we're feeling negative or angry make the muscles of the stomach and the intestine tighten. These hormones also constrict the blood vessels supplying the gut, therefore our food can feel very uncomfortable inside and can cause symptoms of irritable bowel or indigestion.
This mind-body effect is why relaxation and meditation can work with people with digestive problems, as they can reset the way the gut works.
The converse of this is that if we're feeling happy and
positive about the food we're putting into our body, the muscles of our gut are far
more likely to relax and be in the best state to digest the food - which explains
why we can feel good after eating specific foods. This mentality also comes into
play when we feel great about not putting foods together, and this is no bad
thing. So it's really up to what you think suits you. Eat consciously!
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Date: 2008-02-18
What's new...
...under the label London Meditation?
First of all - let us introduce the idea to design another healthy workshop called Gibberish and Laughter weekends for the seriously "crazy Meditator" with the ability to have fun whilst preparing for the state of meditation. This workshop will be a part of our Meditative Therapy Programme – the holistic alternative to deal with stress, anxiety, sleeping disorder, fears and other problems. Scientific studies continue to reveal an ever-expanding list of disorders which are able to be tackled effectively using meditation.
Date: 2008-01-26
A new research confirms...
...the successful synergy of coaching and meditation
For years we have been working with a special approach in learning and development - coaching based on introspection and meditative techniques. This approach is designed for the more mind-oriented learning type, who wants to "talk to see" by using the oldest and constantly scientifically tested awareness tool... Guess what? Meditation. It's true!
And that's not all. This coaching approach was identified in an European-wide research over 3 years and funded by the European Union as the best way to develop Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). For more information about the research and its result - use the following link to the detailed Final Report of the RESPONSE project.
Date: 2008-01-26
Happy New 2008 with our new website!
London Meditation has a new website since 1st January 2008. We hope that it will be easy for you to find the information you need at a glance. You also have the opportunity now to book your courses and sessions on-line.
Have a wonderful, prosperous 2008 with many Me-moments!