My first meditation workshop with @capitalyoga: It was an experience…

Posted In: Wellness January 12th, 2015 divider 3 Comments »

It’s often said that it’s beneficial to do things that are not easy for us. That’s what comes to mind when I used to think about meditation. My mind works 1000 MPH so when it comes to slowing it down, I had some learning to do.

This worshop was led by the lovely and talented Jamine Ackert, a local yoga/meditation instructor and a ChiRunner to boot! She had showed a good documentary late last year showcasing the healing powers of yoga and meditation so I had to check it out.

The room was full of about 20 people but only one other gentleman. I guess men don’t need to meditate.

It was nice and informal, especially since I sensed most people were nervous about the subject. Jamine was great at making meditation accessible to most of us and making it relate for our lives.

This workshop was a great introduction as we looked at four different types of meditation and tried each one. I can’t get too technical but the first one we concentrating on counting our breaths, then just concentrated on our breath in our nasal passages, then a guided love spreading session and finished with an awesome guided relaxation session.

I’ll be honest, when Jamine first mentioned we would be meditating for 7 minutes I got nervous. Not think about anything for 7 minutes? Are you kidding me? I failed miserably each time but it was very informative. And they all seemed to get shorter and easier. And I survived!

She made it okay to fail and it seems most people do, especially at first. The mind, like most muscles, needs some training. At first 30 seconds is long but then you get okay with it.From what I’m gathering, it’s all about being aware of your thoughts and bringing it back to a blank slate whenever a thought creeps in. Easier said than done though…

Needless to say, I will be doing it again. And again. I plan on starting most days with a short session and go from there. We’ll see where my mind takes me!