Why Meditate?

WHY Meditate?
Many people say they can’t meditate because they have too many thoughts. I know, because that was my belief as well. Every time I made the attempt, I found myself more frustrated, bombarded with more thoughts than usual and ultimately feeling like It just wasn’t for me. Since then, I have completed a 6- month training thru the Chopra Center where I studied and learned Primordial Sound Meditation instructed by Deepak Chopra, Roger Gabriel and David Frawley. This course has changed my life and I would love to share with anyone who is interested in learning more, my passion and gratitude for this ancient practice.

During most of our waking life our minds are engaged in a continuous internal dialogue where one thought triggers another. We hear a snippet of music and suddenly we are day dreaming about something that happened 10 years ago which then triggers an emotional response and before you know it, you are carrying emotional pain from years ago. This type of thing happens in our lives all day long. We have approximately 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. That’s about a thought every second and a half. That doesn’t leave much room for growth or change. We think we have free will but actually we are often controlled by the constant thoughts that trigger memories and then create an action based on our memories and desires. This pattern happens to us all until we learn how to go inward and find the peace and stillness that already exists in each of us, the perfection that is covered by the layers of stress.
Meditation is a journey from activity into silence. It is impossible to silence our thoughts but with a regular practice, we become more aware of our thoughts. When we start to discover this AWARENESS, our lives begin to change. During meditation we have the ability then to go beyond our thoughts into the infinite silence of peace and stillness.

 

Meditation is one of the best tools to counter the brain’s negativity bias, release accumulated stress, foster positive experiences and intentions and enjoy the peace of present moment awareness. A large body of research has established that having a regular meditation practice produces tangible benefits for mental and physical health, including:
• Decreased blood pressure and hypertension
• Lowered cholesterol levels
• Reduced production of stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline which increase weight gain especially in the mid-section
• Increased production of anti-aging hormones
• Decreased anxiety, depression and insomnia
• Improve immune function
• Improve focus, memory and ability to learn

These are some of the health benefits not to mention the spiritual benefits which are unlimited. There isn’t any area of life that meditation can’t enhance… so what are you waiting for???
I will be hosting a meditation class every Sunday morning at 8 AM for 30 mins. It will be a Mantra Based Meditation that will include awareness and intention. I hope that you will join me and give this ancient practice a try.

I will also be hosting a workshop … the date TBA for anyone who is interested in diving deeper into this practice and having a clearer understanding of the benefits, deepening your knowledge of meditation, perfecting the practice of meditation, learn about the higher states of consciousness and receiving your own personal mantra.

By: Julie Kingston

Certified Integrative Nutritionist, Yoga and Meditation teacher

*for more information or for a private consult contact Julie

Join Julie on Sunday morning for Meditation and Vinyasa