Meditation

Meditation is “the uninterrupted flow of the mind toward one object or concept, and with this flow intuitive knowledge dawns” and is “self-regulation of one’s attention in the here and how”  (Swami Veda Bharati).

The aim of meditation is to still the mind and take it away from the daily happenings to focus on a pre-selected object.​

Benefits:

• Entails mindfulness and concentration which help the mind from wandering around and focus on a subject of one’s choice
• Increased focus on work tasks
• Increased energy levels
• Balanced mood
• Meditation can help overcome physical and psychological problems
• A large percentage of diseases is psychosomatic, arising from conflicts, repressions, and suppressions in the unconscious mind.
• Meditation leads to an awareness of these conflicts and helps one to analyze and then erase them, thus establishing harmony at the unconscious level.

Pranayama (Breathing)

Pranayama is control of prana, the vital energy that sustains the body and mind. Prana is “energy or life force” and yama is “the control of that energy.” The grossest manifestation of prana is the breath, so pranayama is the ‘science of breathing’.

Regulation of breathing leads to regulation of the mind, for if the mind is disturbed, there is a corresponding disturbance in the breathing and vice versa.

Benefits of breathing optimally:

• Decrease stress response in the bod
• Improve digestion
• Relieve tension in the neck and shoulders
• Increases confidence, strength, and emotional stability
• Increases physical and intellectual alertness
• Increases perceived control over environment
• Learning to establish a diaphragmatic breath with decreases stress, anxiety, & phobias

Learning various breathing techniques can be an integral part of your wellness journey. Join us in one of our Pranayama Classes or ask Tanya for more details on a private breathing session. Below you will find an example of Pranayama techniques that I use.

“Real growth and transformation move you not only from things that you don’t like, but also from pleasures and habits that you’re attached to. You cannot be certain how you would be if you were different or in what direction growth will take you. Real growth has aspects of unpredictability in it that can not only alter your habits, but even the very likes and dislikes, or preferences, that underlie them.”
~Joel Kramer