What is meditation?
Meditation is quieting of the mind to aid relaxation and tune into the body's needs. It is excellent for contacting the higher self and intuition. It helps individuals to identify areas of unrest and helps them to find the answer to their problems, which is particularly helpful for releasing blockages and aids healing on a mental, emotional and physical level.

Some individuals find it helpful to understand where they are and what they want. Most people have no problem identifying what they don't want but struggle to pinpoint what they actually do want – meditation is very good for getting in touch with the subconscious mind and helping them to find the answers.

It is particularly good for relieving stress.

How does it work?
modern society promotes stress which in turn makes the body release ‘stress' hormones such as cortisol, over time this has physiological effects such as raising the pulse rate and blood pressure. If prolonged regularly there is an increased risk of developing heart problems or having a stroke.

Focusing on deep breathing and quieting the mind lowers the heart rate, pulse and blood pressure, which if practiced regularly can reduce the risk of these health risks.

Can anyone do Meditation?
Yes it gets easier with practice. Some individuals find it easier to do in a group with someone leading the session while others prefer to do it alone with the aid of CDs or tapes.

Meditation like any other form of complementary medicine is not intended to replace orthodox medicine. It is helpful if used in conjunction with other factors such as medication and lifestyle choices. It is not intended to work on its own, there is little point in meditating every day then eating all the wrong foods, smoking and drinking alcohol in excess as the risk factors will outweigh the benefits. This is the same with all other treatments both complementary and orthodox.

What will I experience?
Generally speaking individuals feel relaxed peaceful and contented during the meditation. Following it the body and mind feel rejuvenated and more ‘alive'.

Sometimes individuals experience emotions coming to the surface that they weren't expecting such as anger or sadness. They may even cry during the meditation (sometimes tears of joy), this is not a bad thing as it is a form of detoxification. Dr's have agreed that bottling up emotions can be unhealthy and can manifest in physical forms of illness if not addressed. Meditation is an effective and safe way to acknowledge and release bottled up emotions, allowing healing to take place on a deeper level.