Meditation to create the life you love

Our theme this month on the blog is creating the life you love. So, this month Lisa and John look at a few of the common questions that we receive about meditation, in relation to creating your life in the way you would like it to be.

Q. How can you use meditation to help to create the life you love?

A. Health is central to creating a life that you love, and meditation is one of the most effective ways of keeping health and balance in your life.

In Ayurvedic medicine (an ancient medical system), meditation is seen as a central element to bringing balance to the mind, and then this balance flows to the body. Balance in body, mind and spirit equals health. A similar philosophy exists in Chinese medicine where the “whole person” is treated (honouring mind body and spirit).

Personally, we feel more certain about things and feel more connection to our vision when we meditate. We also tend to attract wonderfully creative (and practical!) ideas.

Quietening your mind through meditation helps to keep things clear and simple. The balance in the mind allows you to connect with your heart and allow you to follow what you love.

Q. What forms of meditation work best?

A. There are many different meditation techniques that you can try and not all forms of meditation work equally the same for each of us. If it seems a little confusing, then take a look at our short article: meditation techniques explained.

If you are new to meditating, we suggest that you try a few different techniques to see what suits you best. Then pick one and practice that technique regularly. It is the regular practice of mediation that will impact the most upon your life, rather than the specific technique.

Q. How long do I need to meditate?

A. Meditation is really a way of being – and we practice meditation techniques to help us to become present. Rather than tying yourself down to a time, we suggest you embrace meditation as on ongoing practice. For example, if distracting emotions arise, you can use this as a trigger to accept things and become present.

However, if you are new to meditation we do suggest that you put time aside each day and learn one or two techniques to help you get present. If you do only have a short amount of time for direct practice, you can certainly still benefit.

In our article five minute meditation to find peace on the go we share a simple meditation that you can practice whenever you have a spare five minutes.

Q. I find it really hard to sit, do you have any tips?

A. This is one of the common problems we hear from guests. An important element of meditation is being able to sit still for periods of time with minimal distraction. You do not need to sit cross-legged with your feet on top of your thighs to be able to meditate. Practice different ways of sitting. If sitting on the floor is challenging for you, start by sitting in a high-backed chair, with your feet flat against the ground. We shared lots of tips and seating positions on our article: love meditation – how to sit comfortably

Q. How do I know if it´s working?

A. Meditation cultivates the attitude of acceptance. Key benefits of meditation include feeling more relaxed about life, being open-minded and less judgemental. This brings emotional balance too. If you are seeing any of these being cultivated in your life, then you are on the right track.

Q. Are there any other techniques that can help?

A. At the retreat we use other techniques in addition to meditation to release emotional blocks. For example, we teach EFT in one of our regular workshops which is a fusion of modern psychology and Chinese acupressure techniques.

We also embed NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) within other parts of the La Crisalida Programme. NLP can be thought of like a tool-kit for the mind. It can be used to release limiting beliefs, resolved inner conflict and unblock emotions.

Meditation for health and wellbeing at La Crisalida

Regular meditation practice can really help to improve your mental health and wellbeing in the longer term. Here at the retreat, we offer a number of different silent meditation techniques each week for you to experience and practice, including a mindfulness workshop. Meditating with other people can be a great way to start your meditation practice. For those people who have more meditation experience, it is also a powerful way to deepen your practice. For more tips for successful meditation, click here

To your health and wellbeing.