Dear Meditator,

Thanks to those of you who came along to the Meditate09 Conference. We had some entertaining and informative speakers, including an inspiring talk from Petrea King, a practical one from Janet Lowndes and an irreverent one from Paul Wilson to conclude the day. You can listen to recordings of  most of the talks on the Meditate 09 website, or check the direct links below.

Simply Silence CBD Update

Please note that Simply Silence sessions in the CBD have been discontinued while we search for a new venue. And on that note, if you know of a good space in the CBD from which we could run meditation classes please let me know. We need a space that's available on Thursday afternoons from 5.30 - 7.00pm, and also on Wednesday evenings. Ideally, it will be relatively quiet, relatively central and will accommodate between 15 and 20 people on chairs.

Teacher Training July

Registrations for our final Meditation Teacher Training course for this year are now being accepted. The course starts on July 27 and there are still one or two spots left.

I hope you enjoy the newsletter. Feel free to email comments, questions or suggestions to: matt@melbournemeditationcentre.com.au

In This Issue...

• Spot Meditation
• Meditation Tip
• Course Schedule
• Events
• Free Meditate09 Conference mp3s

5 Ways to take a short break from work

1. Take a short walk around the block
2. Listen to your favourite song
3. Take a minute to look out the window
4. Drink a glass of water
5. Think about something that makes you smile

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.

Meditation Tip — A MINI Meditation

I often use driving as a metaphor for life. In this metaphor our minds are the engines, which drive our bodies around. Emotions, feelings and pains are the dials and warning lights on the dash, reporting back on how we're going and letting us know when something is amiss.

Now, if you see someone perpetually driving around with their foot flat to the floor, accelerating as hard as they can, braking suddenly and overtaking at every opportunity you might expect that their car will suffer, especially if they never check the tyres, the oil and fuel levels and so on. This car is going to wear out quickly and the driver might even have an accident or two. He or she will certainly aggravate fellow motorists, will probably miss a few important turnoffs and, despite all the rushing about, will probably not arrive at his destination any sooner than anyone else.

The moral of this story? Firstly, a balanced life does not involve continual speediness. It requires time for reflection. For optimal performance you need to tune your engine periodically. In the case of a car, it's every 10,000km. In the case of your mind, let's say every 10,000 thoughts. Yep, that means you'll need a major service daily. 10 to 20 minutes should do it.

Secondly, you need to pay attention to the dials and lights on the dashboard. Leave any of those blinking red for too long and you'll come to a sputtering, if not screeching halt. So, in between these major services, it pays to tune into your body and the feelings within. How's it handling? It is taking the corners OK? How's the engine oil? Are the brakes in good working order? Did you leave the left indicator flashing? Are the back tyres getting a bit flat? Are you filling up with discount fuel?

Take a moment now and use this metaphor to get a sense of how you're traveling. How fast are you moving? Have you had a tune up lately? How's the engine sound? Are you giving your 'car' everything it needs to function well?

And yes, I'm calling this one a MINI meditation.

Course Schedule

Our next term of meditation courses commences towards the end of July. You can register online for any of the following.

Term 4, July/August 2009

Meditation Events

Simply Silence

Get your regular dose of relaxation and calm at one of our Simply Silence sessions in Northcote, Elwood or the CBD. It's a great way to discover and explore meditation in a friendly group environment.

Elwood Schedule

• July 13 - Kate James
• July 27 - Adam Nicoll

Northcote Schedule

• July 16 - Rita Cattivera

CBD Schedule

Sessions discontinued until we find a new venue.

Virtual Meditation Conference

For those of you who didn't make it to Meditate 09, or would like to review what you heard, here's a selection of the talks that were made, all downloadable as mp3s.

• Dr Craig Hassad
• Kevin Hume
• Timothea Goddard
• Petrea King
• Janet Lowndes
• Andrew Wells

The talks can be downloaded directly from www.meditate09.com.au and you may like to check back in a few weeks when we hope the talks by Paul Wilson, Steven Philips, Dr Chris Walsh, John Thomas and Stephen Penman will also be available.

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.)