Before the early 1970s, these benefits were not even suspected. Meditation held little appeal for Western medicine until a young UCLA physiologist named L Keith Wallace proved that besides its spiritual implications meditation had profound effects on the body. In a series of experiments begun in the late 1960′s as part of his doctoral work, Wallace took groups of mostly college aged volunteers who practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM) and hooked them up to monitors to test critical bodily functions while they were in meditation.

Subjectively these young volunteers reported a sense of increasing calm and inner silence. Although it bad been previously thought that it took years of practice to attain a deep meditational state, the TM technique very quickly produced profound relaxation and significant changes in breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure.

TM is based on the silent repetition of a specific Sanskrit word, or mantra, whose sound vibrations gradually lead the mind out of its normal thinking process and into the silence that underlies thought. As such, a mantra is a very specific message inserted into the nervous system. Since mantras have been in use for thousands of years in India, their precise effect on the physiology is well known as part of the science of yoga, or union.

The aim of yoga is to unite the thinking mind with its source in pure awareness. In modern terms, “pure awareness” means quantum space, the silent, empty void that is the womb of all matter and energy. Pure awareness exists in the gap between thoughts; it is the unchanging background against which all mental activity takes place.

We would not ordinarily suspect that such a state exists because our minds are so preoccupied with the stream of thoughts, wishes, dreams, fantasies, and sensations that fill waking consciousness. That is why the ancient Indian sages had to devise the specific technique of meditation, in order to show the mind its own origins in the quantum depths.

For many of us in the west,  these foreign and sometimes hard to pronounce words are mumbo jumbo and meditation can work just as well if you come up with your own mantra.  ie  'I am peaceful, calm and loving.'  - or ' I am worthy ' and this kind of mantra helps build self worth and inner strength by their constantly being repeated over and over.

There are many other forms of meditation and TM is only one of hundreds of different ways of calming the mind and opening the thoughts to clarity.  You can even meditate on a dance floor with loud music and crowds around you - just as you can alone standing in a field watching the sunset.

If you wish to learn more, Hamilton Hall hosts Meditation Weekends to take you through many different kinds of meditations so you can find the one that best works for you.  If your staff or friends are stressed out a lot, or if you know of a group who would benefit from a weekend away learning some simple yet effective techniques that would help,  get in touch and we can arrange a weekend for you to learn some ways to relax the mind, body and soul through meditation. 

This helps you in work, rest and play ( Sounds like a Mars Bar... )

Meditation Myths, Busted


You might have some preconceived notions about meditation and what this practice involves, and some of those ideas might even be standing between you and the benefits of meditating.


1. You don’t have to turn off your brain.

Sure, sometimes you are able to fully quiet your mind, but turning off all of your thoughts isn’t a requirement in meditation. and most of us find it really quite hard to stop the chattering in our thoiughts, especially when we want it to. How many nights have we gone to bed - tired - and all of a sudden our minds wake up and start worrying about something over and over and we scream at the ceiling because we just want to go to sleep but our thoughts have other plans... Thoughts are going to naturally pop up, and meditation is about not fixating on them. Imagine instead that you’re floating down a river. Sure, flotsam and jetsam might float by, but you don’t have to pick it up or let it disturb your journey.
Many years ago,  my first lover and I had a large hotel in Guernsey - a very old massive farm house with 17 bedrooms, a Bar, Tea Room, Restaurant and all sorts, and when I cannot sleep or quieten my mind I take myself through the hotel, - the kitchens, stock rooms, bar, lounge, etc. and very rarely do I get to go upstairs into the bedrooms as because I am focusing my thoughts on a pleasant - long ago memory,  I focus the mind and it does not wander all over the place and I soon fall asleep. 

It’s OK to have thoughts while you’re meditating. What’s important is that when thoughts do pop into your head, that you let them go as soon as you realize they’re there. Acknowledge them, sure, but then bring your awareness to your breath and let those nagging thoughts float right by.

2. It doesn’t have to take a long time.

I thought meditating meant devoting at least 30 minutes to an hour to sitting quietly and breathing, but that’s not true! Even five to ten minutes of meditation can benefit your well being. You can sneak it in while supper is in the oven or just before you go to bed.

You are a Human Being - niot a Human Doing - and you can just stop - during a busy day - close your eyes and take 3 minutes out ;-  just 3 minutes with your eyes shut and taking a few deep breaths,  and allow your mind just to clear for those 3 minutes, and when you go back to what you were doing before, you will feel clearer and less cluttered.

3. You don’t have to tune out sounds.

Just like thoughts, you can’t make sounds disappear, and you can’t turn your ears off while you’re meditating. I sometimes hear cars and traffic, people outside, birds singing and all sorts, and this orchestra of sounds ( not noise as some see it ) is all partt of living ina town or a city and is to be expected. So welcome it,  thank it,  then let it go and take your thoughts somewhere else.  Focus on your inhalations and exhalations until they fade into the background.

4. Sitting up straight isn’t required.

Does sitting for long periods hurt your back? You don’t have to sit up in a chair or on the floor to meditate!  Instead of letting this hangup stop you, find a position that does work for you.  Ifd tis is laying down, the it can be easy to fall asleep. For a start, you have your eyes closed and for most of us the only time we close our ryes if when we go to bed to sleep, so our mind sees the closed eyes and assumes it is time for sleep and you can / will fall asleep.  Don't worry if this happens,  maybe you need a led meditation for the first few times ( there are many good CD's and I even sell a couple here )  as this focuses your thoughts and stops you falling asleep ) 

Sitting upright also helps stop sleep engulfing you.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/4-meditation-myths-busted.html#ixzz2PIJk06mi

5 minute meditation


Sit comfortable with your backj straight,  uncross your legs and sit with both feet on the floor - hands apart in your lap.  Close your eyes and take at least 6 deep breaths in through the nose - fill your lungs - and let the outbreath come out through your mouth. 

Bring your awareness to your feet on the floor - to your bum on the chair - to your hands resting in your lap - to your back, your shoulders and your nect - Bring your awareness to your In Breath - and your Out Breath - steady and deep, slow and peaceful.

In your Minds Eye see yourself sitting exactly as you are -  and see around yourself a white gold glow of light - pulsing all around and through your physical body -  and as this swirling light ebbs and flows,  see within you a small spark of white gold light, bright and intense but easy to look directly into.  This small spark of light within the Inner You is the core, the foundation,  of who and what you are ,  and this light has a powerful energy that you can now feel radiating out from within your physical self, and this energy is one of PEACE - CALM  - HEALING UNCONDITIONAL LOVE - the core of who you are - the foundation.

Take a few deep breaths and breath those energies deep into your lungs,  taking the light throughout your body, mind and soul.  Feel the energies flowing throughout your body and see and feel it in your minds eye in your hands and fingers,  your arms,  your feet and toes and all the different parts of your physical body.  See and feel it throughout your physical as you imagine it also throughout your spiritual body.  Filling all 'the space'  with white gold PEACE - CALM - HEALING UNCONDITIONAL LOVE ENERGIES.

Take a few more deep breaths - and in your minds eye see the white gold lkight start to fade from your view until you see yourself sitting - as before - peaceful and calm.

Sit for a few more minutes and allow your mind to think of nothing - and if it does wonder and start thinking of something - count your In Breaths and your Out Breaths in batches of 10. Concentrate on your breathing and bring your thoughts, your awareness - to your breath,  and allow all other thoughts to fade away.

When you feel the time is right, gently open your eyes and slowly get back to your day - your plans - keeping a calm space within and allowing negative energies to bounce off your invisible force field of white gold light.

Send me your meditations and I will upload and share them here .