MEDITATION
Meditation is a state of relaxed body and focused mind. It is a technique for training the mind and experiencing the 'Self' using various methods of concentration. It is also a spiritual discipline promoting balance, peace, inner strength and ultimately self-realisation. Regular practice reduces stress levels, increases inner strength and improves health and wellbeing.
Beginners Meditation
In this course we explore what meditation is and the benefits that can be gained from regular practice. As well as looking at correct posture and breathing, we will practice a range of meditation and relaxation techniques including working with the breath, candle gazing, colour breathing and guided visualisation, so you can find out which practice suits you best. There will be time after each meditation to share experiences. You will also learn the importance of grounding, the role of the emotions and how to overcome resistance. This course will give you the basics to begin meditating on your own.
Meditation Intermediate
Deeper meditations to assist with personal growth and insight. This course covers sensory perception, guided and creative visualisation, the role of the breath and the three stages of meditation - concentration, tranquility, insight.
Meditation Advanced
Reach out beyond the ‘self’ and begin to understand the nature of true reality. This course covers meditation upon formlessness, prana and universal breathing, the nature of True Reality and the Self, and sets meditation within the context of yoga.
Each series of 3 workshops runs approximately twice a year and there is no obligation to take all 3 levels. Cost is £40 per workshop or £100 for all three. Workshops run from 10am - approx 4.30pm each day.
QI GONG (CHI KUNG)
The term Qi Gong embraces numerous different exercise routines originating in China many thousands of years ago. The earliest references to special 'dances' for warding off illness date from the period of the Yellow Emperor, Huang Ti, who reigned perhaps as early as 2700BC.
'Qi' or 'Chi' means 'energy' and 'Gong' ('Kung') means 'work', so basically Qi Gong is about working our chi or energy. A literal translation is "the cultivation of energy through breathing". It also about learning how to relax, how to let go, relinquish attachment to stress and staying focused on the present moment. Qi Gong teaches you how to align yourself with your own inner energy and empowers the Yin and Yang energy in the body, which in turn empower you internally and externally.
There are many styles of Qi Gong but the movements themselves are usually easy to learn and do not require any particular degree of physical fitness. The techniques themselves are designed to effect the movement of energy around the body, aiming to gently shift stagnant Qi and release 'blockages' and to send Qi to areas low in energy. The challenge is to co-ordinate the movements with the breath. When this is achieved, the body's natural vitality (Qi) can circulate far more efficiently than usual. Qi Gong can therefore improve the overall general state of health, give you more vitality and increase resistance to illness. On a physical level Qi Gong exercises the limbs and gently massages the internal organs. The relaxed, slow tempo of the exercises calms the mind while the full awareness of the mind during the exercises helps to promote growth and repair of nerve cells. Qi Gong promotes self-healing and is an excellent preventative measure to maintain good health.
Qi Gong gives you total freedom of practice: once learned the exercises can be practiced anywhere, indoors our outdoors, in sickness as well as in health, from youth to old age, alone or with others. Ideally it should be practiced for short periods every day.
A health screening questionnaire must be completed prior to attending a workshop or weekly class and can be emailed in advance. Please note that unfortunately the exercises are not designed for pregnant women.
Qi Gong Workshop No. 1
3 1/2 hrs with comfort break half way through. Cost £20.
Course outline:-
· Definition and benefits of Qi Gong
· definition and role of Qi
· what depletes Qi and what energises it
· energy blocks - causes and symptoms
· Series of exercises to raise and increase Qi to boost energy levels.
· Working with the energy circuits of the body to shift stagnant Qi.
· The meridian system and exercises to help rebalance and strengthen individual meridians.
· Meditation/relaxation.
Qi Gong Workshop No. 2
3 1/2 hrs with comfort break half way through. Cost £20.
This workshop will be available from early 2010 and will focus on the series of exercises known as 'Eight Pieces of Brocade' and 'Standing like a Tree'.
Weekly classes will commence at Little London Herbal Store early September 2009 and will run on Tuesdays for 6 weeks at a time. There will be a morning class from 10am-11am (£33 for 6 weeks) and lunchtime classes from 12.10-12.50 and 1.10-1.50 (£24 for 6 weeks). Please see under 'Diary Dates' section of this website for further details.
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