Meditation Classes in Canberra

Yes, you can learn meditation online. In fact Art of Living offers many online courses including; . 

• Online beginner Happiness Program,
• Full Moon Meditation online course,
• ART Excel Online courses
• Sudarshan Kriya Practice online course,
• Advanced Breathing Techniques online course with the powerful Sudarshan Kriya which reduce stress, raise energy and give you a clear, positive state of mind.
• Mind Mastery Develop online course a stress-busting attitude that gives you more perspective on life, and helps you deal more effectively with frustration, impatience and other difficult emotions.
• Online Meditation expert training in breathing techniques that can benefit you for the rest of your life, including a practice you can continue at home.

Also learn meditation online with these guided meditations in Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s voice are a great solution to calm and rest our minds. 

There are many places to learn meditation in the world, but Art Of Living truly is one of a kind. Art of Living provides certified Yoga Alliance and TM Registered Teachers with over 40+ Years of teaching across 156 Countries. Art of Living has been changing 450+ Million lives with meditation worldwide. Art of living offers easy, natural, Guided meditation & Yoga for all levels, scientifically tested and proven to produce positive results in resting deeply, releasing stress and getting your balance back. 

As beginner we recommend you start with 5 – 10-minute meditations and then gradually build up to 20 minutes or even longer (not required). As a general guideline, 20 minutes is an ideal length of time to meditate. However, if you feel you are particularly stressed and wish to create calmness or increase concentration, we recommend you work up to 30 minutes including implementing and learn breathing technique such as the one breath-based meditation called the SKY Breath Meditation technique and Modern Mantra Meditation. We also recommend you read our article A beginners guide to meditation or 8 tips to get started with Meditation and watch our video 10 Minute Guided Meditation for Beginners to help you find out some trick and tips to start you on the way.

You should let your thoughts and mind go calm when meditating. Therefore, we recommend using various techniques to slow or quiet your thoughts during meditation. Meditation, in its truest sense, is about letting go and a state of pure consciousness. Although some breathing techniques require a degree of focus, a gentle awareness of breath can be a great aid to meditation. By concentrating on your breathing, you are keeping your mind active, and therefore it cannot fully relax. Simply observe your thoughts, but do not let them overtake your meditation. Sometimes it’s hard to quiet the mind but with practice, you will learn to navigate distractions, which is an important part of your meditation journey and experience. Quietening the noise of your mind and life.

Therefore, we recommend using the one breath-based meditation called the SKY Breath Meditation technique that uses rhythms of the breath to help you open the door to calm and clarity, letting go of your thoughts and going into a state of meditation. 

We also recommend Modern Mantra Meditation that uses silent repetition of words and phrases to ‘slow down’ your thoughts and focus them, guiding them

and ‘slow down’ your thoughts to focus them. 

If you are new to meditation and using guided meditation, music is fine. But sometimes music can act as a distraction and hindrance than a help. Once you are a pro and have established yourself in your meditation practice, you may not need any music. Here is what our experts share about the pros and cons of using music while meditating 

There is no such thing as meditating properly or “good” or “bad” meditation. There is no “success” or “failure”. Just like there is no such thing as the perfect meditation. It’s best not to judge your meditation. Meditation is about your growth and journey and is individual to you. However, you can take classes and read guides such as our Beginners Guide to Meditation and 8 tips to get started with Meditation to help you learn some tricks and tips to start you on the way. Take your meditation day by day. There is no one size fits all. It’s hard to quiet the mind, and sometimes you can feel like you are not meditating correctly and feel like giving up. That is completely normal. With practice, you will learn to navigate these negative thoughts and distractions, which is an important part of your meditation journey and experience- quietening the noise of your mind and life. Meditation is a lifelong journey. Take it session by session, day by day. And don’t expect instant results. Meditation is a skill that grows with patience and practice. You will experience some benefits with each session. And you may start noticing even bigger changes gradually over a period of time. Rather than analysing your present emotions, stay more connected with yourself and enjoy the benefits that follow.

Yes, it is completely okay and normal to cry while meditating. In fact, many people experience crying and strong emotions as meditation release stress, emotions and anger that have been bottled up in the body. Whatever the reason for crying during meditation, even if you are unsure why and just feel yourself crying for reasons unknown, it is good to let it out and not bottle up your emotions. Whether they are tears of happiness, sadness, joy, anger or gratitude, crying during meditation is another layer of letting your emotions go and opening yourself up to the world, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and strong all at the same time. 

Crying during meditation is good for the body, mind and soul, it is your body and minds way of healing itself from all the emotions that could be making you ill, depressed and stressed. Meditation is linked to the mind, in fact The Mayo Clinic says meditation is a simple fast way to reduce stress and many experts believe that you cannot find a better, natural way with no side effects, to manage stress than through a meditation practice. Crying during meditation releases and manages this stress.

After breathwork, such as SKY Breath Meditation, some people may cry and feel closer to their emotions. Research shows that the stress hormone, serum cortisol, has a 78% reduction and crying may be the body’s way of releasing these emotions. Many people describe crying after Transcendental Meditation which reports a 30% reduction in cortisol. Crying during meditation may be your body and mind’s way of releasing anxiety. In fact, many people say they have experienced crying after Mindfulness meditation which has grown in popularity in recent years and may be beneficial for reducing anxiety. Recently Yale published a study comparing breathing meditation to mindfulness for managing stress and anxiety. Read here to see the results.

No, we do not recommend that you meditate lying down. Meditation is a form of conscious relaxation where the mind is alert yet relaxed. When lying down, the mind tends to fall asleep and may cause you to lose your alertness. 

The time you choose to meditation varies from each person. Realistically, the modern world with all its task, schedules and appointments requires a balance that suits your lifestyle and life.

Most people choose to meditate in the morning, rested for the day. Others prefer at night ready for sleep and relaxation. A modern lifestyle requires a modern meditation schedule

You may find that you experiment and try different times, lighting and locations that suit your lifestyle, your schedule and your preference.

This is YOUR journey; therefore, you need to find what works for you. There is no correct answer, there is no perfect time, you do what is right for you.

With that in mind, there are certain times of day that you may find it easier or preferable to meditate:

• Rise with Sunrise. 

Many meditators find Sunrise an effective time to meditate. If you are an early-rise this time may suit you perfectly, to start your day off and set the tone for the rest of your day. At Sunrise, the outside world is quiet which is perfect to quiet the mind and a great time for reflection.  

• Sunrise, Sunset. 

The natural transition from day to night and reversed is also an ideal time for meditation and reflection and is truly a perfect way to start or end the day.

• A quiet time to relax and be present 

Choose and reserve a time that suits your household and schedule. If you know there is a particular time when the kids have gone to school, you have some time to yourself or that you know that the house is quiet, then use that time to meditate. Meditation is your time to relax and be present with yourself, a time away from distractions, disruptions and the outside world. Free yourself from distractions and allow yourself the time you deserve.

• Try to create a schedule and meditate the same time every day. 

A daily routine helps consequence any hinderances, start finding preferences and eliminates any questions on if you have time or what time is best. At first, try out different times, note down what works for you and then STICK TO IT. Or try at least.

There is a great power in habits, it allows for you to schedule, to plan and to reserve a time for you to allow yourself to focus on you. 

Yes, we recommend you sit whilst meditating. Meditation is a form of conscious relaxation where the mind is alert yet relaxed. When lying down, the mind tends to fall asleep and may cause you to lose your alertness. Alternatively, standing or walking will cause the mind to stay active and not relax. Therefore, sitting is the best way to meditate. 

How long you meditation depends on your preferences, life circumstances, and the time available. You can begin with 5-10 minutes and then gradually build up to 20 minutes or even longer (not required). As a general guideline, 20 minutes is an ideal length of time to meditate.