Welcome to Guildford Meditation

Mindfulness gives us a powerful toolkit to work with the stresses that life throws up at us, as well as the difficult thoughts and emotions that arise within us from time to time. By learning to bring our attention to what is happening in the present moment, we can interrupt our stress reaction and patterns of over-thinking by shifting to seeing things from a different perspective, from a place of calm and spaciousness.

Most importantly, we can access this spacious awareness in the very moment when we need it the most, in that moment of feeling our shoulders tense up, of feeling overwhelmed with thoughts or powerful emotions, we have the power to step back and gain the perspective of a wise impartial observer.

At Guildford Meditation, we offer non-religious (all faiths are welcome) mindfulness and meditation in the form of courses and day retreats which enable participants to:

• Step out of automatic thinking patterns such as worrying and ruminating by bringing your attention to present moment body sensations.
• Learn to recognise that thoughts are just thoughts, that they are not reality, they are not you. Learn to see thoughts as mental events and consciously choose whether to act on them.
• Work with difficult emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, frustration etc. by becoming aware of sensations within the body, holding them in awareness.
• Learning to relax by recognising and letting go of the tendency we have to want things to be different, learning to realise when we are pushing away the unpleasant, holding onto the pleasant and ignoring the neutral.
• Spend more time living in the present moment, cultivating the resiliance and wisdom to enable you to lead a flourishing life.

Benefits of Meditation & Mindfulness

Meditation and mindfulness have been proven to benefit physical and mental wellbeing by a range of studies including projects at the Oxford Mindfulness centre and University of Massachusetts centre for Mindfulness. When integrated into our daily lives, the practices of meditation and mindfulness can (to name but a few):

• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Improve levels of happiness
• Manage pain
• Boost immune function
• Improve memory and concentration
• Regulate blood pressure

By learning to simply be present in the moment, accepting of physical sensations, emotions and thoughts, we can lead calmer, happier and more fulfilling lives. In this way, we can truly be alive to the human experience.