Whenever I feel overly stressed, I lace up my running shoes and sprint down the road for a few miles to clear my head. I’m not sure why exactly, but when I return I find all the thoughts that were bouncing around in my brain have settled and things have become clearer.

The other morning, on my routine run along the water, I was a good three miles in when I realised I hadn’t thought of one thing; my mind was “thought free.” I stopped and wiped the sweat away from my eyes and had a laugh to myself. Had I found the self-fulfilment that many find during various forms of meditation? I wasn’t sitting in a dark, quiet room with my legs crossed while chanting some ritual-like mantra. I was outside; the sun was warm and just bright enough that I had to find relief under the small shadows cast by the trees along the street. It was a beautiful morning and my mind and body felt free.

I loved the way I felt, and so had to find the means to get to this place of calm again. So I set off on a journey of meditation discovery. I was surprised to learn of the several types of meditation that exist; most of which stem from various forms of yoga.

Diane Donovon, owner of BodyWorks Holistic Wellness Centre, has been teaching meditation and yoga for over 20 years. She introduced meditation classes and workshops at BodyWorks recently as part of her approach to overall mind, body and spirit well-being.

“The mind is the greatest of all mysteries. It’s an energy field. And delving into our mind is more incredible than taking a trip anywhere,” describes Donovon. “In our yoga meditation we begin by befriending the mind and our free-flowing thoughts. Noticing it and giving it even more space. From there we begin the practice of earnest introspection by reviewing our day — noticing both the positive and negative.”

Better news for those of us who might feel too busy to devote time to finding their inner peace: You don’t have to take an Eat, Pray, Love-style trip around the world to find self-fulfilment. “What most don’t realise is that they can meditate anytime and anywhere,” Donovon says. “It takes practice and discipline to achieve that deep state of meditation, but where you are or even how long you stay there is up to you. Even if you are there for 30 seconds, celebrate and next time you may be there for 35 seconds. Become aware and witness how you feel.”

The weekly, one-hour meditation classes at the BodyWorks Holistic Wellness Centre’s Yoga Studio focus on calming the mind, beginning with 30 minutes of breathing techniques. Donovon describes the session as utilising the breath to help calm the mind and body. Then she moves her students through a series of stages to facilitate a calm mind. “Breathing is so important. It repairs the body, both mentally and physically. Science has proven the benefits of a deep breath — it’s a way of detoxifying your body and ridding it of pollutants and the mental benefits help to slow the mind and bring things into focus,” adds Donovon.

Another form of meditation is Yoga Nidra, which is offered through Bliss Living and Yoga, in the Marquee Centre off West Bay Road. Janelle Kroon, owner and instructor of Bliss Living and Yoga, describes this form of meditation as yogic sleep or sleep with awareness. “We teach different types of meditation classes and encourage those interested in the classes to have practice of the physical body before they start meditation,” says Kroon. “Your body must be prepared to handle the state of meditation because it aggravates the nervous system.” Meditation, says Kroon, reduces the work of the sympathetic nervous system and encourages or energises the work of the parasympathetic nervous system, which results in enhanced breathing and blood flow.

In addition to Yoga Nidra, Bliss also hosts monthly restorative yoga classes for people who want to incorporate mind and body wellness into their health routine. “We have seen a tremendous amount of interest in meditation classes so we’ll incorporate it into our regular class schedule in January 2012,” says Kroon. “It’s exciting to see so many people embrace a method that helps people to slow down, focus on one thing and feel how good it feels to simply let go.”

Source: caymanairwaysmagazine.com