Each person experiences meditation in his or her own way. Our classes teach everyone a set of basic meditation techniques that have been evolved by our own teacher, Sri Chinmoy, called “Heart Meditation”.
There are several entry points into deeper consciousness. Sri Chinmoy teaches that basing our inner development in one of these, the spiritual heart, is by far the safest, easiest and fastest way to master meditation.
Heart meditation offers an entirely new way of experiencing yourself and the world around you. It develops a sense of deeper intuitive awareness and oneness, and promotes a feeling of peace that is unshakable amidst the turmoil of life.
These techniques are based on the eternal teachings of all the great masters. They include creative visualisation, proper breathing, various forms of concentration such as closed and open eye, mantra, meditating on the form and the formless and meditating with music.
The aim of the classes is to give you firsthand experiences of these techniques so that you can develop an on-going practice and establish yourself as a meditator. The classes are informal and are usually held in the evenings and weekends in city and suburban locations.
Our teachers are experienced meditators who have studied directly under the guidance of Sri Chinmoy for many years. The classes are designed for both beginners and those who have some previous experience and may be looking for new inspiration.
Sri Chinmoy Centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, as well as Auckland and Christchurch, also offer free meditation classes.
Many people want to know how they can meditate when they are very stressed or exhausted. The key is simple: slow, regular breathing has a calming effect upon the mind.
Try this easy breathing exercise for stress relief.
- Step 1: Don’t think of meditation right now. To go directly from a state of stress or exhaustion to a state of meditation and inner peace is too big a jump. If you try to force meditation at this point, you may only end up even more stressed! Certain preliminaries are necessary before you are ready to begin meditating.
- Step 2: Meditation is best done in a sitting position.
- Step 3: Breathe in as slowly as possible. Sri Chinmoy continues, “While breathing, you have to feel that peace has descended and entered into your mind. From head to foot it is going. Feel that all the nerves are getting nourishment. Breathe as slowly and as quietly as possible, so that even if you put a thread right in front of your nose, the thread will not move to and fro. If the thread moves this side and that side, it means you are not breathing slowly and quietly. You can use the thread to examine your breathing. If it does not move, that means your breathing is correct.”
- Step 4: Feel that peace is percolating inside your entire body.
- Step 5: After five minutes, you will be ready to sit up and begin your meditation. You will feel renewed energy, mental clarity and inner peace.
Checklist
- Find a quiet, private place in your home.
- Clear the area of distractions.
- Set up your area with things that inspire you – use flowers, a candle, a picture of a peaceful
scene or a photo of your meditation teacher. - Keep this area for your daily practice.
- Sit upright with your spine erect.
- Set aside 10 or 15 minutes.
