Yogi London recently attended a one day meditation course in the centre of London, organised by our friends at Headspace. We loved our experience and strongly encourage our readers to take some time to ‘get some headspace’ too.

No chanting and no incense

The day really did do what it says on the tin: Andy Puddicombe, Headspace’s figurehead, taught us all about everything to do with meditation – however, he did it the Headspace way, which means that it was approachable and non secular.  To quote from the Headspace themselves: “there’s no chanting, no sitting cross-legged, no incense and definitely no gurus. There’s no religious agenda or mystical mumbo-jumbo, just simple, practical tools to help you find a bit more clarity and calm in your everyday life.”

More science than religion

Well, whilst we at Yogi London aren’t usually adverse to a little mystical mumbo-jumbo, we also realise that such esoteric incantations simply don’t appeal to or work for most people. And Headspace understands this too. So they made the day relaxed, open, conversational and practical, choosing to focuses on the ultimate reality of the situation: whether you like it or not, regular mediation provides unbelievable health benefits, proven by countless scientific studies:

Scientific benefits of meditation

• Meditation shown to improve levels of blood pressure and heart function
• Meditation shown to have positive effects on depression
• Meditation shown to improve sleep quality of people with insomnia
• Case-study showing the positive effects of meditation on anger, aggression and addiction
• Meditation shown to be more effective at reducing stress levels than music
• Meditation shown to improve heart function

Daily “take 10″

By the end of the day, attendees were given all the tools and techniques to understand meditation. We felt ready to practice meditation on our own – with a daily ‘take 10’ (watch the take 10 video online) – and enthused about enabling the wonderful benefits to improve our lives too. Plus, helpfully, we were provided with access to personalised online support and resources helping us to get the most out of our Headspace experience.

Get in Touch

www.getsomeheadspace.com

When?

Help! I can’t stop thinking. London – Mar 26/2011

Help! I can’t stop thinking. London – May 21/2011

What else?

Follow Andy on twitter and hear his informative musings on all things meditative

Read the Headspace blog

Get the Headspace App

Read the Get Some Headspace book