Meditation

You cannot not think. From the moment you wake until you fall asleep at night, your mind is engaged in a constant chatter, leading you into unhelpful judgments and decisions.

Meditation is a technique that you can use at any time and place to still the mind and restore peace and harmony. By relaxing your mind during meditation, you will gain more control over the chatter, so that you take control of your life and become healthier and happier.

Meditating for a few minutes every day has been shown to reduce stress by 20 per cent. Clinical studies over 40 years show that meditation has many physical, psychological and spiritual benefits including stress reduction, strengthening of the immune system, reduction of high cholesterol or high blood pressure, and greater mental and emotional clarity. According to recent studies, more then 60 per cent of people in Hong Kong suffer from anxiety. Anxiety not only challenges your immune system, making you more vulnerable to illness, but it depletes your energy and adversely affects your mood.

We offer two forms of meditation: (1) Guided Kundalini Meditation and (2) meditation using the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique.

(1) Guided Kundalini Meditation

Guided Meditation group sessions with Neil Irwin are held every Friday from 7.0 - 8.30 pm. We start with gentle Kundalini Yoga stretching to get rid of stress in the spine, shoulders and neck, followed by breathing exercises (pranayama) to prepare for the meditation itself. The guided meditation covers the final 30 minutes.

Cost $150 (1 1/2 hours)

 
(2) Transcendental Meditation (TM)

Transcendental Meditation classes are given by Peter Herman. TM is a very simple technique practised for 20 minutes in the morning and evening while sitting comfortably with eyes closed. TM is easy to learn and practise and requires no concentration, mind control or change of lifestyle. During TM, your mind will settle down to experience the most refined state of awareness as your body becomes completely rested and relaxed. From this experience, you will feel calm and be able to think more clearly and see your problems resolve themselves more easily.

Accumulated stress is the root cause of a high proportion of illnesses, including many common and serious conditions. By eliminating stress, TM offers important benefits for the cure and prevention of a wide range of health problems and allows the mind and body to function with maximum effectiveness. Health and longevity improve and the benefits are cumulative. Extensive scientific research from more than 200 institutes in 24 countries has documented the many benefits that come from regular practice of TM:

• improved hearing and mental performance
• improved memory
• improvements in psychosomatic and stress related disorders
• more successful dieting
• better health for mother and child during pregnancy and childbirth

More than 4 million people around the world have learned TM and scientists have found that TM gives a profound level of rest and that this state of rest can dissolve deeply rooted stress and tension. A five year study of health insurance statistics on over 2,000 people practising TM found that they were half as likely to need to see their doctor as non-meditators and spent 70% fewer days in hospital. Some major health insurance companies now offer substantial discounts to people who practise TM. The study also found that the biggest difference is in the over 40 age group (65% fewer doctor visits and hospitalisations), the age at which the need for medical care usually increases sharply.

The same study found a marked reduction in hospitalisation for 17 major disease categories among the TM meditators, including:

• 87% fewer for cardiovascular disease
• 55% fewer for tumours
• 87% fewer for disorders of the nervous system
• 73% fewer for nose, throat and lung problems

Peter has taught the Transcendental Meditation (TM) Technique in Hong Kong since 1988. He learned TM, as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in 1974 while studying for his BSc in Geology and he has been practising TM as well as its advanced TM Sidhi programme, including yogic flying, every day since then.

He is a former airline training captain who has taught the TM technique to many of his airline colleagues for relaxation and health benefits and he is now offering classes from our centre.