iAM: meditation & mindfullness

There is nowhere to go. What you are looking for is right here.

Open the fist clenched in wanting and see what you already hold in your hand.

There is no waiting for something to happen, no point in the future to get to.

All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now.

The Call

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Is it possible to be unconditionally happy? Who isn’t really caught in the vicious cycle of wanting more: more things, more money, more time to get more? And how does meditation fit into all of this?

Is happiness really an outside matter?  How do we find that inner peace and peace of mind?  Some study self help books from the ever expanding isle in the local bookstore; others go to church or listen to motivational speakers. More and more people are turning to eastern teachings, trying to achieve those goals through the practices of yoga and meditation.

A number of researches in the United States have worked in cooperation with His Holiness The Dalai Lama in hopes to untangle the secrets of meditation. As it turns out, the benefits of meditation are far reaching. They go above and beyond anything researches were expecting.

Not only the parts of the brain that help to resolve difficult emotional problems are better developed in meditators, but also the left prefrontal cortex, the brain region associated with happiness and positive thoughts and emotions has shown especially strong activity. This data is still only scratching the surface! The remarkable advances in technology have given scientists an opportunity to finally look inside the brain; to obtain the empirical evidence that supports the practice of meditation.

Isn’t it ironic  though, that we need the scientific evidence to confirm the simple truths known, it seems, forever?

There are  ups and downs in every existence. The only thing that can be controlled is our emotional response. A goal of yoga and meditation is cultivating the art of positive emotions. Happiness comes in bits and pieces, powerful and joyful moments – a walk in the sunshine, the smell of rain, the eyes of the child, a beautiful song – that  are needed to be noticed. They have a wonderful quality – once perceived, they will expand, filling your whole being with love and laughter.

The advice coming from the age old traditions of India is simple and powerful. Seek solace and comfort deep inside the soul. Learn to still the mind; just like the peelings of the onion, the superficial layers will come off. The happiness is right there, shining through, waiting to be discovered!

Satori Yoga Studio offers monthly  Introduction to Meditation sessions and Group Meditation Classes. Group Primordial Sound Meditation workshops are taught every second month; private workshops are available, please contact us for more information.

Come Explore!