Newsletter - January 2010

Happy New Year to all my beautiful students and readers of the Meditation Pathways Newsletter.

Life is wonderful

Gaining the most from life happens when you appreciate the moment. And, how easy that is to do during the holiday season.

During the past few weeks, I have been indulging myself by sleeping in, trying new recipes, looking with fascination at the different shades of green in the trees outside my windows, admiring my orchids and meditating at night under the full moon and star-filled sky. 

Even when your holiday ends and life resumes a more hectic pace, you can still enjoy the feelings of delight, peace and contentment.

Make the time to sit in a quiet space, close your eyes and visualise some beautiful moments you have enjoyed during your holidays.

Creative visualisation

Creative visualisation is a simple and powerful process. It is the art of creating pictures (a clear impression) in your mind of what you desire. 

Start by sitting or lying down comfortably, and then progressively relax each part of your body.

The second stage involves recalling the scene with its colour, sounds, people and emotions. To do this, you may use your sense of sight, hearing or rely on your feelings – or a combination. Usually, one sense tends to be more dominant than the others.

Stay in your special place for as long as you want. Then at the end, take a few slow, deep breaths and open your eyes.

Stay in this beautiful quiet space that you have created for a few moments longer. Become aware of the feelings in your heart centre, and how your body and mind feels. Let those feelings stay with you during the day.

As Buddha said: ‘The mind is everything: what you think, you become.’

New Year’s resolution – be happy

“Every moment there is a choice to be miserable or to be happy,” writes Osho in Body Mind Balancing.

While he proposes that you should be aware of feeling blissful, he suggests the reality is otherwise. He says people are conditioned to be miserable because it has become a habit, a pattern in their life, and also it is something that they tend to do very efficiently. 

For instance, if you have a headache you are conscious of it, but when you don’t have a headache, you pay little attention to your feelings of wellbeing. Similarly, you are conscious about any pain in your body, but you do not pay the same attention to your body when it is healthy.

Osho acknowledges the role of nature in ensuring you are conscious of pain so you survive challenging situations. However, there is no similar built-in mechanism to make you conscious of joy and pleasure. This has to be learned.

Begin to become aware of joy and pleasure by reflecting on the many things that happen during a day for which you are grateful.

Then as Osho suggests, ‘become more and more conscious of pleasure, joy, the positives, the flowers, the silver linings in the black dark clouds.’

Wishing you a wonderful year of tapping into immense happiness.

*Osho, a modern-day Indian mystic, fosters the emergence of what he calls Zorba the Buddha - the combination of celebration, dance and song of Zorba, and the silence, stillness and meditation of the Buddha,

Meditation courses for beginners in Melbourne

“I found it amazing to completely minimise thought through meditation. I am always thinking and planning, but something as simple as sitting and focusing on the present moment was lovely.” SARAH

“We learnt a great variety of meditations. Eileen is a wonderful teacher, making everyone feel welcome and relaxed.” ROBYN

"The meditation course was excellent – very well structured and offering techniques that are suited to a busy lifestyle.” MARLENA

Join a meditation course for beginners and learn practical strategies to help you to stress less and really relax...

Meditation courses for beginners are available at several venues in Melbourne.

Beginners meditation course in Caulfield (5 weeks)

~ Free introductory meditation class: Monday 8 February at 6.30pm
~ Meditation course starts: Monday 15 February, 6.30pm – 7.45pm

Beginners meditation course in Donvale (5 weeks)

~ Free introductory meditation class: Wednesday 10 February at 1.30pm
~ Meditation course starts: Wednesday 17 February, 1.30pm – 2.45pm

Beginners meditation course in Doncaster East (5 weeks)

~ Free introductory meditation class: Thursday 11 February at 8pm
~ Meditation course starts: Thursday 18 February, 8pm – 9.15pm

Cost
~ $100 for the five-week course or $90 each if booking with a friend
~ Student/card holder concessions available
~ Includes weekly class notes

Bookings essential for all introductory sessions and courses
~ Phone Eileen (0407 881 285) or go to Contact Us.

Intermediate meditation courses in Melbourne

Valerie, an image consultant, has been attending Meditation Pathways’ intermediate meditation courses for three years. She notes the meditation class in her diary, as if it is a business appointment.    

Valerie (pictured above) kindly shares her impressions about making time for meditation - to nurture her mind, body and soul - during her busy working week…

“I like the continuity of a peaceful program… it is all too easy to go back into one's hectic lifestyle after learning how to meditate.
It (an intermediate meditation course) is a reminder about the mindfulness that one can experience in day-to-day living, and to mix with people on a weekly basis and share some of your soul.” 

Enhance your meditation journey, and experience peace and wellbeing at the following intermediate meditation courses…

Intermediate meditation course in Caulfield

~ Starts Monday 8 February, 8pm - 9.15pm
~ At: Caulfield School of Yoga, 101 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield

Intermediate meditation course in Surrey Hills

~ Starts Wednesday 10 February, 8pm - 9.15pm
~ At: 470 Whitehorse Road, Surrey Hills

During the intermediate meditation series you will:
~ Explore relaxation, concentration and mindfulness
~ Experience the beautiful power of creative visualisation

Cost
~ $100 for the five-week course or $90 each if booking with a friend
~ Student/card holder concessions available

Bookings essential for the intermediate meditation courses
~ Phone Eileen (0407 881 285) or go to Contact Us.

Thank you for taking part

A total of $110 has been raised so far for the Salvation Army, from the angel readings hosted by Meditation Pathways. As a couple more readings are booked in for this month, the proceeds will be directed to the 2010 Christmas Appeal.

Thank you to Aimee, Karen, Kristina, Georgie, Laura, Monica B, Monica and Ray for taking part in this fundraising event during December.

How wonderful that each reading was pertinent to the participant’s present experiences on their life journey.

If you wish to have a reading during January, please contact Eileen (0407 881 285) or go to Contact Us.

Meditation Pathways News

If this is the first time that you have read the Meditation Pathways newsletter and you would like to receive future editions, please go to Contact Us.

Enjoy your meditation journey
Eileen