Meditation class starts August 30
Perhaps you lay awake at night worrying or stressing about tomorrow or the next day or next week. Perhaps you wake up in the morning, jump on your email and start your day with adrenaline rushing, fight or flight response, anxious if you can get it all done or not, never really present for what you’re doing right now.
Perhaps your reacting to someone and then cringe at what you just said, wanting to take it back, but knowing it’s too late, wishing you could slow down and actually respond instead from a more patient place.
Or perhaps you feel distant from the people you love the most, like your sleepwalking through life, sometimes numb to caring, loving, or joy.
If so, join Angela Marie Patnode for an Introduction to Meditation 3-week class on Tuesday’s, August 30 – September 13 from 7:15 – 8:30pm in the Emerson Cultural Studio (West Wing), Pure Healing Yoga Studio, 111 South Grand Ave. #285.
Topics covered include sitting postures, comfort while sitting, the benefits of meditation, guided and walking meditation, and reflection. Participants express that they feel more calm, centered and peaceful following the class.
It is a hip word these days – meditation – or mindfulness. Kind of a trendy, new age word some might say, but in actuality, meditation started 2700 years ago. In general, meditation allows you to calm the mind, relieve stress, and live from a more “centered” place.
Many people believe they “can’t” meditate because they can’t stop their thoughts. Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, it’s changing the relationship with your thoughts. It’s about seeing your thoughts as just thoughts without attachment to them, changing the belief that what you think is fact, and learning to live more in the present moment.
There are many benefits of meditation, including: reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, a feeling of a sense of purpose, a feeling of fulfillment in life, clarity, peace, better sleep, and less reactivity to life’s unwanted situations and a deeper connection to those you love.
Scientific studies show through M.R.I. brain scan’s that people who meditate actually have increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory, and a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress.
It’s not just a fad – it’s a proven and effective technique for creating change in your life, whether it’s to reduce stress, calm the mind, enjoy some quiet time, or learn to live in the present moment. It does take a commitment to the practice for change to happen, but this is possible with some guidance.
As a Transformational Coach, Spiritual Teacher, and 14-year student of Buddhism, Angela brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to her classes and retreats. To register call 406-600-6307, email info@angelamariepatnode.com or go to www.angelamariepatnode.com. There is a suggested donation of $36 for 3 classes. All are welcome.
