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?

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. 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 Dip.Clin.Hyp.NLP.Coach.EFT

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 completed her diploma in advanced clinical hypnotherapy and NLP in 2008.  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:

1. The importance of ‘grounding’ in meditation, and its role generally in health and well-being.
2. The body/mind connection – the power of suggestion and the importance of healthy inner dialogue.
3. How less can be more – letting go of expectations and going with the flow.
4. Being in the present moment – using natural resources in the ‘here and now’ to support us.
5. The role of the ‘witness’ in meditation, and the art of mindfulness in daily life.
6. Creating positive resources – affirmations and mantras.
7.  Meditation skills as simple life skills – taking them into everyday life.
8. 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 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:

This really is the very best thing I've done (and I've done lot) in the 14 years ME has been in my life.
Anna Barclay, Yorkshire

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