One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is the practice of meditation on a regular basis. It doesn't matter if you meditate alone or in a group setting. It only matters that you do it, even for only a short time each day.
Meditation isn't the same as visualization. While visualization is generally a guided exercise where you keep your mind active, meditation is a practice where you focus on a phrase or your breath. This results in a slowing down of the mind's chatter. Regular practice of meditation has been proven to:
· Improve health and well-being
· Increase creativity and intelligence
· Improve decision making and problem solving
· Improve productivity
· Improve motivation, flexibility and adaptability
Besides creating inner peace, the benefits linked to meditation reach all of those around you in the form of reduced crime, increased tolerance and increased cooperation. It's even been suggested that going without meditation is as detrimental as going without sleep and that sleep alone isn't enough to alleviate the fatigue of modern life.
One World One Vision offers two groups to help you get started. Heart Energy is a weekly meditation that helps connect to the deep love and peace of your heart center and also concludes with healing imagery. It's 7-8:30 p.m. every Thursday at Center for the Soul, 2905 Minot Ave., Oakley. Creating Peace is a weekly 30-minute lunchtime meditation at 12:30-1 p.m. every Wednesday at Butter-field Recreation Center, 22 Garfield Place, Downtown. For more information, call 859-468-8522 or check www.oneworld-onevision.com.
