With an estimated one in every hundred workers suffering work-related stress, depression or anxiety, more and more of us need an antidote to the pressures of modern day life.
If you’re looking to make positive changes and start making the difference, meditation could be the key to starting a new journey in 2018.
Still Calm is a new venture by Beeston resident Louise Hallam who aims to introduce the benefits of mindful meditation. I was invited to experience a class earlier this year. It was the week of the Manchester bombings, what a time to practise Loving Kindness, an act which Is about developing views and kindness and warmth towards other people. First, though we need to start with ourselves. You may be a person who gives a lot away but if we don’t give to ourselves we aren’t going to feel the benefits.
Dr David Hamilton studied science PhD and developed an interest in kindness in people and the benefits. He found it helps you emotionally and is good for your heart, brain and immune system. making you feel connected to other people and therefore treat them with a degree of kindness
Louise has been practising meditation for over 5 years. She herself benefited from the positive effects of meditation when her professional and personal worlds collided and she needed an outlet for coping with a poorly relative and a job choice that she regretted. The results were so powerful that she wanted to be able to share this with others. Louise trained with and is accredited by the British School of Meditation and is already changing lives for the better. The BSoM provides expert training accredited by Ascentis. Their qualification is recognised nationally by the Government agency, OFQUAL.
Louise says
“I aim to show people that you don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor to meditate! Something this beneficial should and can be practised anywhere, be easy on the knees and fit easily into our already busy lives. Still Calm is committed to making mindful meditation achievable and accessible to everyone. The benefits of mindful meditation have been felt by cultures around the world and throughout history. My teaching of this age-old practice embraces the traditional ethos of meditation but is adapted to support modern lifestyles and pressures. You can do it sitting in a comfortable chair, in your joggers and even in traffic!”
At the class I attend we sit in a circle. We sit relaxed, legs uncrossed. head dipped, eyes closed, relaxed jaw, mouth and teeth. Take 3 or 4 deep breaths, feeling the air filling our abdomen. Settle our breathing into its natural rhythm without forcing or controlling. Letting our body settle and relax. We spend so much time rushing about we forget to live in the moment, so Louise begins by bringing our attention to our hearts. We are told to imagine a golden stream of light pouring directly into our heart, feel a warm glow, an openness and awareness. Imagine our heart as our favourite flower, maybe a rose which the light pours into your heart the petals open as if warmed by the sun until the flower is completely open. Imagine an image of yourself in the centre of our flower, in centre of heart see yourself as the warm, kind loving person you truly are, the person that is kind and compassionate to your family and friends. See yourself as this person. Enjoy this feeling and accept yourself,
We experience several of these practices throughout our session, which help us relax deeply
Louise offers group meditation classes, 1:1 meditation guidance, beginners courses, weekly drop-in classes and business support sessions.
One recent participant commented “I attended the taster session for this last night and I slept brilliantly and feel very calm & relaxed today.
For more information and details go to https://www.stillcalm.co.uk/
Or contact Louise on 07960 674 020
