National Vegetarian Week 2008 - Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

29 September- 5 October

At the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga, we promote healthy living and have a number of people coming along who are interested in making the change to vegetarianism or reducing their meat intake National vegetarian week can give you lots of tips and advice for getting started.

Following is the press release for National Vegetarian Week;

Want to save money on your groceries, improve your health and reduce your carbon footprint?

Mark 29th September in your diary now to join millions of Australians in giving vegetarian meals a go and do your wallet, health and the environment a big favour.

Australia's second annual National Vegetarian Week, sponsored by Sanitarium Health Food Company, runs from 29 September to 5 October and features a comparison of high meat, plant-based and vegetarian seven-day meal plans and tasty, contemporary recipes the whole family will love.

With NewsPoll research showing that seven in ten adult Australians eat vegetarian meals - with almost half wanting to know more interesting ways for cooking them - a range of community events will be held around the country to shine the spotlight on the vast array of scrumptious plant-based dishes that can be quickly whipped up at home.

For more information: http://www.vegetarianweek.com.au/aboutvegetarianweek/about-vegetarian-week.a

Gayatri

Instructor

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Yoga Breathing

A great way to reduce stress, release toxins from the body and energise the body with some fresh oxygen is to practice some yoga breathing on a regular basis. If you come along to our meditation and relaxation classes at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End, chances are you'll get to experience yoga breathing. However, if you'd like to practice at home, here are the steps to follow:

• Sit comfortably with your back supported.

• Close your eyes and bring your awareness onto your breath. On the inward breath, feel your chest expand as you bring fresh prana or energy into the body. On the outward breath release of all the tension that is being held in the body.

• To derive the best benefit from the breath, bring the breath down into the abdomen by expanding the abdomen. Then move the breath up into the chest, into the middle chest and ribs, then move the breath into the upper chest. Become aware of these three areas of breathing.

• On the outward breath relax the upper chest, followed by the middle chest, and finally draw in the abdomen to expel all the stale air. Try to feel the breath flowing like a wave, the inward breath connecting with the outward breath in a nice rhythm.

• Feel the inward breath rejuvenating the body; feel the outward breath relaxing the body, releasing the tension from the body. Feel the shoulders relax and feel them dropping as you relax, releasing the tension in your shoulders, down through your arms and into the hands. Feel the entire body relax with each outward breath.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga - West End - Timetable of programs

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Australian School of Meditation and Yoga - West End - Timetable of programs

Meditation Helps your Memory!

Is your mind sharp and clear? Is your memory as good as it used to be?

Most people past 40 years of age will agree that they have experienced a decline in mental ability, their brain may be a little slower to understand things, their retention may not be as good and who amongst us has not heard of someone they know who has declined in their old age into some type of dementia?

But it’s not just old people who have memory problems. Not everyone breezes through their studies with A’s and A+’s. Many students know the grind and pressure of study and parents may even know the expense of having to provide tutors so their sons and daughters can pass their exams.

Many people from all walks of life would agree that a sharper clearer mind would be a wonderful asset.

Well good news! A study carried out by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 2007 has provided good evidence that just 12 minutes of meditation a day can improve cognitive abilities.

This heartening study was conducted amongst the 52 – 70 age group who already had some form of mental decline and after just eight weeks of daily meditation their memories showed startling improvements.

Andrew Newberg, M.D., the study’s principal investigator, said, “For the first time, we are seeing scientific evidence that meditation enables the brain to actually strengthen itself, and battle the processes working to weaken it.”

Other studies at Massachusetts General Hospital show that regular meditation thickens the cerebral cortex in the brain by increasing the blood flow to that region and some researchers believe this can enhance attention span, focus, and memory.

There are many, many good reasons to add a regular meditation practice to your life and a sharp clear mind is just one of them.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT? TRY MEDITATION

The latest National Health Survey shows that 58% of men and 42% of women are either over-weight or obese. While medical conditions such as an under-active thyroid or polycystic ovary syndrome do have an impact on levels of body fat, many weight issues can be addressed by lifestyle changes. Most of us are aware of what those changes are. But the big factor is whether we consistently apply them.

The struggle is to actually follow that regular exercise program, and to keep our intake of food balanced with our energy output, by cutting down on fats and sugars and eating a healthy diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc.

How can meditation help? Consider the following scenarios. Each of them gives a situation where many of us “fall off the wagon” in our attempts at healthy living. Meditation can help with them all.


• You have an argument with someone, or hear some bad news, or feel sad and you reach for the (you fill it in … chocolates, ice cream, sweets, biscuits, etc.)

We are reaching for that sweetness because it releases endorphins in the brain and makes us feel good. That’s why it’s called comfort food. Meditation also releases those endorphins, so in the same scenario we might reach for our meditation beads or our meditation CD. Meditation is a stress buster. It is calming both for the body and mind, lessening the emotional impact of the inevitable difficult times in our lives.

• You love food that you know is going to put on weight, you know you shouldn’t eat it but it tastes so good, so you do it anyway. It’s a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.

With meditation we gain both the perspective and the inner resources to make intelligent decisions about our food intake and life in general. We also gain a positive source of happiness which eclipses the temporary pleasure which eating comfort food gives.

In these and similar situations meditation gives us awareness of how our mind is working, and we develop the ability to step back from what our mind is telling us. Meditation also gives us bodily awareness so that we develop an appreciation of how good we feel when our diet and exercise are balanced nicely. Then meditation gives us the strength of mind to follow what we know we should do. There are many wonderful benefits of meditation and helping us to lose weight is just one of them!

Try some of the many free meditation classes held at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Meditation for a Peaceful Mind

Have you ever thought about how much time and effort we put into keeping our bodies clean? We wash our clothes and keep our houses and cars clean but how many of us ever think about cleansing the mind?

The mind is a storehouse for everything we have ever seen with our eyes, heard with our ears or experienced through our other senses. It can be compared to a TV set that’s switched on 24/7. It’s constantly jumping from one thought to another, one worry to another responsibility and so on until we’re burnt out and want to rest. Even at night our minds don’t rest, keeping us awake or filling our heads with restless dreams.

Through the process of meditation, the mind begins to find comfort, relaxation and peacefulness and we become relieved of a certain amount of built up stress, tension, anxiety and worry. Over time, meditation has the effect of gradually clearing our minds and hearts of anger, envy and hatred. It has a purifying effect on the mind. We begin to experience more insights into the meaning and purpose of life, more tolerance towards others, more ability to forgive, more concern for others and more love for others.

The effect that meditation has on the mind is beautifully described in the yoga scripture, Bhagavad-gita:

As a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist, whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on the transcendent self.

Bhagavad-gita 6:19

Free meditation courses and classes held regularly at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Deep Peace at the Australian School of Meditation & Yoga West End

Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you

Deep peace of the gentle night to you

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you

Deep peace to you

Traditional Gaelic Blessing


Who is not looking for peace? A deep inner peace. But where is that peace to be found? We may find glimpses of it in the beauty of nature, in the sleeping child, in a mother’s touch or in a sweet song. Just a glimpse and then it is gone. Deep within us we have a place of abundant peace. Beyond the temporary cares of this world, beyond our aches and pains and beyond our fears there lies a world of love and peace. Meditation can bring us to this sweet wonderful world.


As we tread the path of meditation we see the obstacles which are within us and which are preventing us from attaining that deeply peaceful state. The simple process of meditation allows us to feel truly peaceful and at the same time provides us with a source of transcendental joy.


In our 2-Part Meditation Course, called Discover Meditation, we teach three different methods of meditation and in our Deep Peace sessions we practice them along with some guided relaxations and complete yoga breathing. Come along to one of our sessions and you’ll wonder why you hadn’t tried meditation a long time ago!

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Stretch and Relax at the Australian School of Meditation & Yoga West End

For a great combination of stretching, meditation and relaxation, come along to Candace’s stretch and relax class at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga West End. This class is held on a Wednesday morning from 9.30-10.30am. There is a small charge of $5 for this class which includes half an hour of gentle stretching and ½ hour of guided meditation and relaxation. Limber up and relax at the same time.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

Free classes Australian School of Meditation and Yoga Open Day

The Brisbane community is invited to chill out this Sunday 14th September when the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga (ASMY) hosts its popular free Open Day from 9.30am.

This is a chance for many in the community to try yoga, meditation and relaxation classes for the first time, discover how they can improve people’s lives by bringing balance to the body mind and soul.

Set yourself on the path to health and wellbeing. Learn practical yoga lifestyle skills that will really benefit your day to day life.


WHAT: ASMY holds free Yoga, meditation and relaxation classes

WHEN: Sunday 14 September 2008 from 9.30am

WHERE: Gauranga Meditation Centre, 23 Kurilpa Street, West End

For more information on the free classes, please phone 07 3895 8944.

The Australian School of Meditation and Yoga is a non-profit organisation with centres in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Gayatri
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga