Improve your well-being with Meditation at Monona Terrace
Going into our 12th year, Meditation at Monona Terrace provides meditation classes for all ages and experience levels. Your meditative guide is Sarah Moore M.D. who has been practicing meditation for more than 20 years. Her classes are welcoming, peaceful, and wonderfully beneficial for your mind, spirit, and health.
If you’ve never tried meditation, this is a wonderful first-time experience. And if you’re a seasoned expert at meditation, you’ll discover a familiar balance, focus, and peace that inspires your continued practice of mindful meditation.
What is “meditation?”
For the curious who’ve never tried mediation, it is a combination of physical and mental techniques that help you clear your mind from all the stress-inducing elements of your life. Once you’re in your meditative happy place, you’ll be more relaxed, calm, and centered. For many people, meditation is a way to be more aware of their emotions, more compassionate towards others, and better able to handle stressful situations.
Why is meditation helpful?
Meditation is more than a stress-relieving exercise. It can have all kinds of benefits, including on your physical well-being. Most of us worry about all we have to do during the day, problems in relationships, issues at work, paying bills, and all of the things that cause anxiety. Being stressed out can result in the loss of sleep, spur negative emotions, and lead to unhealthy and addictive habits. Reducing stress can only have a positive impact on your life.
Meditation can be a key factor in reducing stress and recognizing that you have the power to add balance to your daily routine. In fact, studies show that routinely practicing meditation can reduce blood pressure and improve the quality of your sleep. Even healthy weight loss can be achieved since regular meditation can help eliminate stress-caused bad habits, like overeating and excessive alcohol consumption.
And, if you’re an overall happier and less-stressed person, you’ll be in a better mindset in relationships with family, friends, and co-workers.
What are some of the other benefits of meditation?
Besides reducing daily stress, mindful meditation can help:
- Reduce high blood pressure
- Improve focus
- Manage physical pain
- Reduce insomnia and improve sleep quality
- Reduce the impact of PTSD and ADHD
- Increase awareness of triggers of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as eating disorders
- Treat clinical depression and other psychiatric disorders
Multiple studies have shown that meditation is a holistic solution to your physical and mental well-being, and once you become more comfortable with meditation, you can do it anywhere at any time. It’s a perfect complement to other forms of exercise too!
How do I get started with meditation?
Clearing your mind is perhaps the most challenging part of meditation. For many of us, our minds are constantly flying from thought to thought. The first step is gaining control over your mental “airspace.” Find a spot that is comfortable and peaceful to you and ideally a place where you won’t be interrupted. Start in a seated position (although many meditations are done standing).
Next, breathe slowly and think about the in and out of each breath. Pay attention to your breathing and be present with yourself in the moment. Right here. Right now. If your mind starts to wander to your grocery list, go back to thinking about each breath. After a few minutes, you’ll realize you’ve put the worries of the day aside. But it may not happen the first, second, or even your third attempt. Meditation takes a lot of patience and practice, so keep trying.
It is also helpful to set a time limit. It shouldn’t be too short or too long. Start with 15 minutes. At first, it will feel like an eternity of sitting still and trying to focus. But before too long, it will feel as if no time has passed, and your meditation sessions can go longer.
What can I expect from a meditation session at Monona Terrace?
Meditation at Monona Terrace is exclusively an online experience via Zoom. All our classes are free, but advance registration is required. We post all our meditation sessions on our YouTube channel, so you can go back any time and redo a particularly rewarding session.
Dr. Moore conducts her classes from wherever she happens to be. We often find her in her living room, outdoors, or even from the various places where she’s traveling. Dr. Moore’s sessions highlight the fact that meditation can be done from anywhere you happen to be and anytime you need to refocus, balance, and relax.
We invite you to Meditation at Monona Terrace and welcome all levels of meditative practice.