Are
you aware of the benefits of meditation, but struggle to keep to
a daily practice?
Do you roughly know how to meditate, but could do with
some more expert guidance?
And, what difference would it make if you could learn
from someone who not only teaches meditation, but has also
recovered from M.E.?
Dear reader,
Many of our patients at the clinic are only too aware of the
benefits of meditation. And, it is something we regularly
allude to in our treatments, but rarely have the time to teach
in any real detail.
For a long time we have been thinking about how we can help our
patients to experience the extraordinary benefits of meditation,
and I think we’ve now found an extremely exciting way…
What is meditation?
Broadly speaking, meditation is a relaxed, centred state of awareness
and connectedness: a place of being in the here and now. During
meditation, brain wave patterns slow, taking us into a pleasant,
light day-dreaming state which induces overall well-being. Our
muscles relax, digestion improves, heart rate lowers, breathing
slows and deepens and we produce mood-enhancing endorphins.
What are the benefits?
- Meditation is well known to be a really effective way to
manage stress. As we enter this relaxed but aware state
of being in the moment, the everyday thinking part of our brain
takes a back seat; released from the busy chatter of our mind
we create a space for ourselves in which to re-balance and
re-charge.
- Meditation provides a gentle means for self-development. By
putting us in touch with our natural resources, we are able
to find balance, perspective and support within ourselves. We
need balance, perspective and support in order to function
healthily
– both on a personal and social level. With these
in place, we can begin to relate better to ourselves and others.
- Whatever our belief system, meditation also provides us with
an opportunity to explore the spiritual side to our nature. This
can be extremely life affirming, and help us to deal with the
psychological and physical challenges that come with ill-health.
What are the benefits of meditating in a group?
Meditating in a group creates a feeling of being held supportively
by others; this is especially important, as M.E. may sometimes
cause us to feel isolated and misunderstood. Also, sharing
feedback can be empowering and enriching, as hearing experiences
similar to our own reassures us and provides us with an opportunity
to learn from each other.
Linda Hall BA, MTI, dip TH
Born in 1952, Linda’s original vocation was as an artist.
In 1993 she moved into the complementary health-care field and
trained in holistic massage. She expanded her skills by
training for several years to complete her diploma in therapeutic
healing, followed by a one year course in counselling. After
being made an associate teacher of the Rowan School of Healing
in 2001, she started to teach meditation in her professional
practice as a self-help and self-development tool. She
loves this aspect of her work, and a large part of her time nowadays
involves running meditation courses, on-going groups and one-to-one
tuition. She is in the process of writing a book
called ‘Meditation without trying’, and her article ‘Meditation –
a way of life’ was published in Positive Health Magazine
in 2004.
Linda qualified as an NLP practitioner with the Optimum Health
Clinic in 2006 and is presently completing her diploma in advanced
clinical hypnotherapy and NLP with the clinic. She, herself,
had ME for eight and a half years, during which time meditation
provided her with a huge source of support, and was an important
part of the picture of her eventual recovery early in 2007.
Linda's website can be found at: www.resourcefulnessmeditation.com
Linda’s approach
Linda has a down-to-earth style that makes understanding the
process of meditation accessible, interesting and fun. Her
approach is a synthesis of Western psychology and Eastern philosophies
and is not aligned to any religion. As well as observing
the benefits of meditation in the management of her own health,
she draws from her many years of experience as a body-worker
and healer. Linda’s knowledge of the body/mind connection
and its link with the nervous system’s stress response
is particularly useful with ME. She sees meditation as
a way to learn fundamental life skills, and importantly, as a
means to develop a connection with our spiritual self.
The Format
The format of this group is going to be especially exciting. Because
patients of the clinic are based in different locations all over
the world, these groups are going to be run via conference calls.
For those of you who are members of www.SecretsToRecovery.com you
will already be familiar with one way of using conference calls.
The difference with these groups is that everyone on the call
will be able to speak, and therefore the groups will be fully
interactive.
The groups will run over eight weekly sessions, and some of
the topics being covered will include:
- The importance of ‘grounding’ in meditation,
and its role generally in health and well-being.
- The body/mind connection – the power of suggestion
and the importance of healthy inner dialogue.
- How less can be more – letting go of expectations and
going with the flow.
- Being in the present moment – using natural resources
in the
‘here and now’ to support us.
- The role of the ‘witness’ in meditation, and
the art of mindfulness in daily life.
- Creating positive resources – affirmations and mantras.
- Meditation skills as simple life skills – taking
them into everyday life.
- Setting up a regular practice.
The cost of these sessions will be £120 for eight sessions
(cost of telephone calls is not included, and will be around £3
per session).
And, for this price, students will also receive e-mail support
from Linda, along with a number of resources to support their
meditation practice. To ensure individual attention, and
a sense of support space for sharing, groups will be limited
to ten people. Participants will be encouraged to connect
with each other outside the sessions.
Sessions will be one hour and fifteen minutes, and will include
a combination of teaching, guided meditations, and discussions.
 Resource
1:
An Introduction to Meditation – A CD
interview with Alex Howard and Linda Hall
In this interview, Linda discusses how meditation is particularly
helpful for people with ME. She dispels some myths about
meditation, revealing that it is a natural practice and does
not require special skills. She explains the practise of ‘mind-fullness’ and
its use in daily life, and how all meditation skills can
be used as life skills. She also talks about the importance
of grounding and being in the present moment in order to
maintain health and well-being, and how these two meditation
skills are powerful stress busters. Finally,
outlines what she sees are the three keys to meditation:
intention, awareness and focus and how all meditative states
flow from these simple acts. |
 Resource
2:
Meditations for Life – Three meditations
on CD by Linda Hall, to help practice between group
sessions and beyond
Track 1: Connecting to the present moment
Track 2: Connecting with Ground
Track 3: Connectnig with the Whole
|
 Resource
3:
A CD recording of Linda’s Secrets to Recovery
interview, where she discusses the symptoms
of her illness, the main factors attributing to her getting
ill and what led to her recovery. She explains
how meditation not only acted as a primary support during
the years of her illness, both physically and psychologically,
but, also, how it proved a powerful resource in her journey
towards healing her life. |
 Resource
4:
A free support manual entitled 'Meditation For
Life', which includes : 'The first steps ’,
some simple body/mind awareness exercises to help you
understand how you ‘operate in the world’,
and how meditation can help you establish healthier patterns. |
If you’d like to join the group, please contact Linda directly
at Linda@TheOptimumHealthClinic.com to
confirm the next available dates and times. Groups run both during
the day and early evening.
To reserve your place on
the course and for payment details, please contact Linda by sending
an e-mail to Linda@TheOptimumHealthClinic.com
Kind regards,
Alex Howard
P.S. In case you are still not quite sure if meditation is right
for you… here are some comments from previous students
that have attended Linda’s courses:
I just wanted to say thank you for a lovely
session today. I
found it so helpful, practical wise and supportive. I could
feel my body coming down several notches and that felt such a
blessed wonderful relief, the way you taught the grounding was
just right for me. I thoroughly enjoyed doing the meditation
CD, I particularly like the way you talk about using the natural
resources around you, I find this tremendously reassuring and
supportive
Lucy Saunders, Bristol
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed
the session – I
felt so relaxed afterwards and quite surprised to feel energised. I
cannot relax at all at the moment and hence the sleep is back
to the odd hour. However, there was certainly an improvement
in my sleep last night, and I’ve no doubt it was due to
the relaxation at lunchtime.
Also, we had to leave this morning for a 250 round trip to the
dentist and I was very stressed by the time we left – consequently
the fast driving stressed me even further and I was frightened
a panic attack was imminent. I even thought of asking my
husband to turn back for home ... then I remembered what you
told us yesterday , so meditated on the connection with earth
and actually relaxed myself. I was thrilled to feel better
so thank you so much. I’ve already learned so much.
Looking forward to next week.
Ann Hardwick, Hartlepool
I thought the Meditation CDs were great. I
have been meditating for a few years now but have always found
it difficult to quieten my mind, although it has still calmed
my system down. Putting the emphasis on the body rather
than a mantra has really helped me over the last few days to
achieve a greater level of stillness in my mind. Thank
you.
Teresa Elliot, Warwickshire
Learning to meditate with Linda is inspirational. She
listens to the needs of every individual in the group and weaves
a series of meditations which leave me feeling uplifted and
renewed.
Eileen Ball
Linda creates a wonderful calming space where it is easy
to relax and let go. She is full of positive images and
ideas that help you explore meditation. I have found
it has helped me to calm down and be more attentive to my daily
life.
Richard Broughton
Linda’s meditation groups formed a core element of
my recovery from a serious depression in 2003. Since
then, I have taken the practice that I learned from them into
my everyday life, knowing that I could return to the beginnings
of calm and balance, with just five minutes of the breathing
techniques and visualisations I learned with Linda.
Jane Law
The group I am part of has become a source of real support
and fellowship, in a very informal way; we are all quite different
but bonded by similarities discovered in the course of our
personal journeys. I recommend Linda unreservedly to
anyone else who is seeking a route to peace and contentment
in the gales of 21st century stress.
Heather Peace
The meditation sessions enable me to connect to that quiet
place within myself where I can feel life’s possibilities. The
loving kindness and compassion within the group is heartfelt
and rejuvenates my spirit. The meditation sessions are a rich
and rewarding experience for me.
Elizabeth Farrell
|
Free
Download of Alex Howard’s interview with Linda Hall about
meditation.