Dear [First Name],

Is your biggest difficulty with meditation simply remembering to do it? Try this month's meditation tip for some simple strategies to overcome this 'forgetfulness'.

Good news too, if you've been waiting for a course in the CBD. We have a venue for our June term.

In This Issue...

• Spot Meditation
• Forthcoming Events
• Recommended Listening
• Course Schedule
• Meditation Tip

Spot Meditation

Are you too busy and stressed-out to meditate? Read no further. Here's a meditation you can do NOW, in less than 1 minute.

Seeing Eye to Eye

Stop. Focus on your eyes. Relax the muscles around and behind them. Let your gaze be soft and gentle. When your eyes are relaxed things will look less troublesome.

How and where do you meditate when you've only got a minute? Send your own spot meditations to matt@melbournemeditationcentre.com.au

The best suggestion each month will be published here.

Forthcoming Events

Meditate in the Gardens

Start your day in a calm frame of mind. Join me for the final two morning meditation sessions in St Kilda Botanic Gardens.

When: 7.00 - 7.45am on the 8th and 15th of May.
Where: At the rotunda in the Rose Garden.

Simply Silence

A relaxed, friendly group meeting on the first and third Thursdays of the month in North Melbourne. Get along, make some new friends and enjoy guided meditations from a variety of teachers. www.simplysilence.org

A Simply Silence group is due to start in East Bentleigh within a month or so.

Want to see your meditation event listed here? Email matt@melbournemeditationcentre.com.au with details.

Recommended Listening

Learning to meditate is like learning a language — for best results you'll need to immerse yourself in the new sounds. You can do this by attending a class or by listening to guided meditation recordings. Over time, you'll begin to internalise the instructions — and you'll be able to develop your own internal vocabulary — which you can draw upon to keep your mind on track. In this way you'll get the best out of meditation.

This months' recommended website, www.calming.org , reviews guided meditations (many of them free) which you can download.

Course Schedule

You can register online for any of the following classes. Note that most courses book out a week or so before they're due to start.

Term 3 June/July

Term 4 August/September

*To be confirmed.

Note: We're still searching for a permanent venue in the CBD. The venue needs to seat 20 people comfortably and be available on Thursday afternoons from 5.30 - 7.00pm.  We're looking for a nice convenient, central location and reasonable rent. If your workplace has a suitable space, or you know of a venue that might be appropriate please email matt@melbournemeditationcentre.com.au with your suggestion. Thanks!

Meditation Tip - Remembering to Meditate

Meditation is easy, if you can remember to do it. Unfortunately, it's also very easy to get caught up in the demands of the day. So how do you remember to take time out, even just a moment or two here and there, when everything seems to be marked 'urgent'?

One effective way to remember is to develop your own personal 'triggers' — colours, objects, sounds or events that remind you to come into the present. I've developed a whole collection of these triggers for myself — from McDonalds' "Golden Arches" to Parking Metres and Telephones.

I use these everyday objects as my personal reminders. When someone sends me a text message that's my cue to breathe. If I need to use a machine to purchase a ticket, that's my cue to do a quick body scan. If I need to use a public toilet — then the hand dryer is my cue to stop for a minute and to fully feel the warm air on my skin. It's a way of slowing down and appreciating where I am. These innocuous everyday objects are my 'portals' into meditation.

Find some of your own. Just two or three could be all you need.

Know someone who could chill out?

Do you have friends who are perpetually stressed or anxious, have trouble sleeping or could just do with learning how to relax? Do them a favour and forward this email to them. (Or if this is you, subscribe here.)