Living in a fast-paced environment in this day and age, we all crave some sort of solace and relaxation. Introducing meditation to our daily lives brings about positive change in our minds as we reflect inwardly, grow to be less impatient and hopefully increase our attention span since it trains our mental focus and clarity. I remember when I was first introduced to yoga, I had no idea that in actual fact, yoga is asana and beyond, which includes meditation and pranayama etc. Later on, as I delved deeper into the world of meditation, I realized that our breath is a powerful tool and we are nothing without it. Additionally, to meditate, does not mean to think of nothingness or forcefully drive all thoughts away, rather, it is however, to focus on our breath and observe the thought should our mind wander, and gradually let our breath guide us back to our inner self without entertaining the thought further.
There are various meditation styles and techniques which include kundalini meditation, yoga nidra, mindfulness meditation etc. I have tried soundscape meditation twice this year, led by the folks at Palm Ave Float Club and both times I found renewed clarity and inner peace. Prior to the session, I had no idea what to expect so I entered with an open heart and mind to learn and experience. It started with a sound bath using shruti box and Tibetan singing bowl to help ease us into the meditative state and thereafter followed by guided meditation and listening to binaural beats using headphones. Binaural beats create an illusion when two different pure-tone sine waves are transmitted through each ear. There were also original 3D nature, ambient sounds played which created an immersive experience and strangely enough, I did not find my mind wandering off, instead, I felt very calm and present in the moment. In my most vulnerable state with my eyes closed, my heart listened intently to the transition of the sounds, especially the sounds of waves transitioning to the tropical rainforest. After the session ended, we were told that we were brought into the theta (5-7HZ) state where it refers to the “dreaming, meditative state”. It was a very fresh experience for me and definitely further piqued my interest in the world of meditation.
Done By: Mabel Sim
YTT September Weekend 2017
