Dear Meditator,

This month:

• Simply Silence commences in Elwood
• Sunday Workshops - September 9
• In The News - Meditation at School
• Meditation Tip - Mastering Meditation

In This Issue...

• Spot Meditation
• Casual Classes
• Recommended Website
• Course Schedule
• Meditation Tip

Spot Meditation

Relax NOW, in less than 60 seconds.

We're going hi-tech this issue. Here's a one minute video from You-Tube (actually 1:21). Unvwind with a peaceful walk in Yellowstone National Park.

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.

Casual Classes

Simply Silence - Now in Elwood

Join me on Monday July 23 from 7.30 - 8.30pm for our first Simply Silence session in Elwood.

Simply Silence provides you with the opportunity to practice your meditation in a group setting on a casual basis. Simply Silence is informal and relaxed; entry is by donation and you're invited to join us for tea and biscuits afterwards and also for a meal at a nearby cafe or restaurant.

Get along, make some new friends and enjoy guided meditations from a variety of teachers. For full details or to subscribe to our reminder service, which lets you know when the next session is scheduled, visit the Simply Silence website.

Meditation in Keysborough

Diana Thurbon, Naturpath and Herbalist, runs regular mindfulness and visualisation meditations at her home in Keysborough. A small friendly group suited to beginners Diana's group meets on Thursday evenings from 7.15 to 8.15. For more information phone Diana on 0400979868.

Lunchtime Meditations in the CBD

Join Jarek Czechowicz for twice monthly lunchtime Peace Music sessions on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month.
 
Participants have included city workers on lunch breaks, children, people with ABI, carers, friends, meditation teachers, musicians, yoga teachers, students, family members.  Everyone welcome.

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

Free Downloads

Many meditation teachers recommend that you find one practice and stick with it. Some even suggest that you will never get anywhere as a meditator if you keep changing your technique. You're welcome to try this dry, disciplined approach; however, if you're like me, you'll respond better to a changing diet of meditation styles and practices. I find that my enthusiasm for meditation is maintained when I'm exposed to new and different voices - if only because some of them remind me why I like my habitual meditations.

So with that in mind, jump over to the Buddhist Society of Western Australia's podcast page, where you'll find a huge archive of talks and guided meditations. With titles such as "Party in the Cave of the Heart", "Contemplating Death", and "Letting go of the body", you might just find something that piques your interest and sparks that meditating mind into action.

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

Term 5 October/November

Term 6 November/December

*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 - Simple secrets to help you master meditation

As I type this newsletter, we're in week two of the current meditation course. The most common comments I hear from people after seven days of practice are:

1. I didn't manage to meditate every day.
2. There were still thoughts in my head!
3. I didn't like all the techniques, but the breath/pulse was really useful.
4. I only did short meditations.

1. Practice! Make meditation a habit. Do it until a day without meditation feels like the day your forgot to brush your teeth or take a shower.
2. Take small steps. Implement one spot-meditation a day, then gradually find new times, places and ways to meditate.
   
3. Write down all the reasons you want to learn to, or continue practising, meditation. You could even do ten minutes research on the benefits of meditation and jot down the ones that appeal to you. This is your motivation.
4. Expect your mind to wander. Expect to have off days and poor meditations. You may even have the occassional uncomfortable experience. Give meditation the time to do its healing work upon you.
   
5. Attend groups or classes regularly. Musicians do not expect to learn their instrument in six weeks. Good ones learn up until the day they die.
6. Invent your own meditations to give yourself a challenge and keep things interesting.

In the News - Teaching Students to be Happy Equals Success

He was hooked up to an EEG machine, which measures electrical activity in the brain by way of a cap full of electrodes fastened to his head. On a screen behind him, four lines representing activity in different parts of his brain scrolled by, each unique and irregular. When he began to meditate, each wave immediately became a carbon copy of the other, with larger, more symmetrical wavelengths. Read more...

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.)