Hello there,

Do you meditate, or would you like to learn how?

Meditation helps to cultivate your mind so that you can have more clarity and calmness in your day-to-day life. With so much ‘noise’ and distraction in the outside world it is easy to feel overwhelmed or out of control in our internal world. Meditation helps to create inner stillness, which in turn makes us better equipped to deal with life in a more balanced and conscious way.

There is a huge body of research proving the physical and psychological benefits of meditation. Here are just a few of them:

Benefits of Meditation

The benefits of meditation are well researched and documented. There are literally thousands of studies showing the health benefits of meditation. These benefits include:

• reducing and eliminating stress, tension, and fatigue
• increasing happiness and joy
• enhancing physical health and general well-being
• better quality sleep and deeper rest
• increased creativity, energy, and vitality
• greater mental clarity and thinking
• development of one’s conscious state
• better digestion and lower blood pressure 

And we are still discovering more of the profound effects meditation has on our mind and body. For example, a Harvard study found meditation can rebuild the brain’s grey matter in as little as 8 weeks. You can read about the landmark Harvard University study here.

Insights from Mediation Teacher Kimberly Chan

This week I’m delighted to chat with Kimberly Chan about Vedic Meditation. Kimberly shares her journey from being a corporate lawyer to become a Vedic meditation teacher. Kimberly also has a very special offer for Nourishing Hub readers so be sure to check it out below.

In the interview, we discuss the following

• What Vedic meditation is
• The health benefits of Vedic meditation
• How meditation can be like getting extra sleep
• The difference between meditation and mindfulness
• A little meditation practice
• How to fit meditation into your busy schedule
  …..and so much more

LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW HERE
My apologies for the quality of this recording – hopefully you can hear the words without being too distracted by the sound 🙂

A few benefits of meditation that you might not know…

In case you are still wondering if mediation is for you – below Kimberly shares some of the lesser-known benefits of meditation:

A slimmer waistline (with no dieting)
We know meditation helps to reduce stress, and that stress is linked to overeating. Researchers at UC San Francisco studied a group of overweight women to test this idea. The scientists didn’t prescribe any diet changes but instead taught mindful eating, and participants meditated for thirty minutes a day. At the end of the research period, the control group actually gained weight when contrasted with treatment participants who maintained their weight and lowered their cortisol levels. Higher reductions in cortisol and stress also showed higher reductions in abdominal fat.

Reduce pain and heal faster
When researchers had people participate in four days of mindfulness-based training, participants reported less pain intensity and unpleasantness. In addition, MRIs showed reductions in pain-induced cerebral blood flow during meditation sessions.

Better manage our thoughts and reduce worries
Harvard Medical School found that meditation helped participants with generalised anxiety disorder, a condition marked by hard-to-control worries, poor sleep, and irritability.

Smiling more
Meditation teaches us to become aware of our thoughts and minds, so we can more clearly see negative thoughts and say “those thoughts are not me.” In the process, becoming less identified with our emotions and thoughts helps those thoughts lose power over us.

Not sweat the small stuff
The deep relaxation that comes with regular meditation helps us to stay centred when we inevitably encounter everyday stressors like traffic or having someone jump in front of you in the coffee queue. Practising meditation causes what is called the “relaxation response” – which is the opposite of the “fight or flight” response – our bodies’ response when we get stressed. The relaxation response alleviates stress and anxiety and has positive effects on heart rate, blood pressure and brain activity.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR NOURISHING HUB READERS
Special offer for Nourishing Hub Members who book and pay for any of the below courses by the 20th of August 2017.

Group Course
$660 per person for learning to meditate group course (usual price $880)

$1250 per couple / two friends learning together to learn to meditate group course (usual price $1600)

You may enroll in any group course conducted in 2017. Dates are available by clicking here.

One-on-One Course
$1500 per person for the learning to meditate one-on-one course (usual price $1800)

A one-on-one course of instruction is ideal for those who prefer to learn on a one-to-one basis or to accommodate personal schedules. This is usually conducted by arrangement. So, if you’re interested in having a private course of instruction, please email.

Kimberly is also available to meet for an introductory talk about meditation. This is your opportunity to ask all the questions you’ve always wanted to ask about meditation. Please email to organise a time.

Kimberly teaches her course in Sydney, Australia but is open to travel to other cities if the demand is there.

I wanted to extend a special thanks to Kimberly for her words of wisdom and for sharing this special offer to Nourishing Hub followers.

Happy Meditating

Simone.