What Is Meditation
Meditation is a state of being. It is a place of peace where we know who we really are. A possibility of safety and presence of mind. A place of being instead of doing. not doing. There are many different techniques to achieve a state of Meditation. A practice or technique is something that one does regularly overtime to achieve a level of tranquility. This translate to improved health and resilience or stress-reduction. The three types of mindfulness practices in which we offer training are Yoga Nidra (I-rest) and Meditation on the Twin Hearts (MTH) and a Vipassana based practice called mindfulness based stress reduction or MBSR.
Dr. Bailey has been a 20 year practitioner of meditation techniques. Her teachers include Gary Kraftrow, the founder of American Viniyoga Institute, Richard Miller, PhD., the founder of the I-rest Institute for Yoga Nidra practice, Master Choa Kok Sui of the World Pranic Healing® Association. She has studied Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with the Oasis institute at Mass General Hospital with Saki Santorelli, Florence Meleo-Meyer and Dr. Judsen Brewer. Her visits to India included time spent at Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India with the Guruji Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati.
Yoga Nidra (i-Rest)
The practice of iRest or Integrative Restoration is a form of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is an ancient form or conscious deep sleep. Yoga Nidra practice is a transformative practice of deep relaxation and meditative inquiry. iRest is being used in VA hospitals, military basis, hospitals and clinics, hospice, homeless shelters, community programs, and schools. Research studies have shown iRest effectively reduces PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain and chemical dependency while increasing health, resiliency and well-being. This type of meditation is practiced via guided awareness of the body, mind, breath, thoughts and finding an inner resource. An internal place of safety and retreat from the issues of the world.
It is a good practice for people who have had past traumas and feel pulled every which way by life. It affords a deep resetting of the inner buttons of reactivity born of trauma, life events and grief.
Twin Hearts Mediation
The twin hearts mediation serves as a way to give back to the world. It brings the essence of devotion to the heart of the practitioner. It is a technique developed by Master Choa Kok Sui of Pranic Healing. It provides a cleansing and healing effect on the body’s energetic system. Allowing connection with divine energy for transformation, peace and as a service to the world. By focusing on the heart chakra and the crown chakra and blessing the earth we give. As we give to others the presence of divine energy flows through us, cleansing our own energy system and allowing us to be conduits of love, divine energy and healing for all sentient beings. By increasing our capacity for love and pulling down high quality divine energy into the crown we improve our conscious contact with the soul. The life-energy or prana that this meditation produces greatly promotes healing on the physical and mental systems as well as provides a conduit to inner-illumination. It incorporates a time for stillness to make contact with your higher self for inner awareness, oneness and illumination.
This is a great form of meditation for those wanting to move into higher forms of consciousness and for spiritual seeker and healers.
Mindfulness Base Stress Reduction
MBSR is a form of Vipassana Meditation. It is a practice that focuses on the breath and training the mind to bring it into awareness of the present moment. Developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, MBSR incorporates a daily sitting practice and gentle yoga to relax the body and training the mind. It brings thinking out of the default mode network (the place in the brain where the thoughts get stuck and run around in the brain). Vipassana meditation is an ancient Indian technique of meditation which means to see things as they really are. It focus awareness on the true nature of reality and focuses on the three quality of human existence: 1. There is suffering or Dukkha; 2. Everything Changes or Impermanence, 3. Being in the present moment is a way to alleviate suffering. Research studies have shown effects on brain tissue to preserve and increase brain volume in areas affected by stress and anxiety.
This is a great form of meditation practice to help people who have a tendency to overthink everything and feel flooded by thoughts and emotions.
