"The meaning of our self is not to be found in its separateness from God and others, but in the ceaseless realization of yoga, of union."
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Contemplation and Meditation
Why practise?
Here you will find a selection of meditation, contemplation and visualisation practices for personal use. This includes some typical mindfulness and compassionate practices.
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There are many forms of meditation and there can be different intentions for each. A common aim is to find an inner stillness and sense of peace. There is a long tradition of contemplative practices in many of the world religions.
There is a growing body of evidence to show that meditation practices such as mindfulness can help with well being, and for example with issues such as stress and anxiety or depression. You can find some of these research studies by doing a quick internet search if you would like to do some further reading.
'Mindfulness' meditation is basically about developing awareness and acceptance; Jon Kabat-Zinn is considered the founder of mindfulness. You can find various recordings by him on Youtube. According to Kabat-Zinn, the mind and the heart are interconnected, like the two wings of a bird.
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Meditations usually involves quietly paying attention to internal or external sensations. Mindfulness and compassion meditations may be done sitting down, lying down or moving. It usually involves bringing a kindly awareness to our breath, the sensations of breathing. It may also include noticing thoughts or feelings, parts of the body, or sights and sounds.
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Visualisation practices are guided practices that make use of the imagination. This may be in various forms such as words, senses or imagery. These are used in a wide range of spiritual and personal development arenas as well as in Compassion Focused Therapy - CFT.
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A few preparation tips:
Meditations can be done anywhere but most people like to find a time and place when they are less likely to be interrupted. Take some time to get comfortable and make sure you have everything you need before you begin. Some of the shorter practices are also very portable. You are the best judge of what is right for you, so please only do as much as you feel comfortable with and always seek advice from a medical practitioner when needed.
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Here are some recorded practices for your personal use. Remember no one practice will suit everyone every time.
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