Just Meditation represents a distinctive approach to the learning and practice of meditation, that is independent and inclusive, as well as simple and accessible. In short, Just Meditation is just meditation. I first got into meditation in the early 1990s. It was easily the best decision I’ve ever made, and I’ve been meditating ever since. …
People have been meditating for thousands of years: it is a universal spiritual practice, found in all cultures and traditions. And it is used in pursuit of a wide range of different goals, from the relief of stress and anxiety to the attainment of enlightenment. Today, there are probably more people practising meditation than at …
In this article we’re going to look at two of the most common meditation techniques: observing the breath and repeating a mantra. The good news is that both methods basically work in more or less the same way, so it’s not really a case of which one is ‘better’ or ‘worse’. The ‘best’ technique is …
From 2012-2018 I was the vicar of the church of St John the Baptist in Newcastle city centre. I’d been in post for about a year when one Sunday afternoon I received a telephone call from a woman asking if the church was open and whether she could pop in for a visit. She also …
When I first started meditating, nearly 30 years ago, I was travelling in India and staying in Ashrams, where I attended yoga classes and regular meditation sessions. I was taught in quite a traditional way, with a strong focus on ascetic discipline and instruction in the religious and philosophical teachings from which meditation practices have …
Meditation is not about being ‘good’ at meditating Read More »
In March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world, we suddenly found ourselves in ‘lockdown’. Those early days, as the crisis escalated, had a surreal quality. Many aspects of life, previously taken for granted, changed in unprecedented ways as we learnt a new vocabulary and reluctantly came to terms with the ‘new normal’. Just …
Meditation can, in theory, be practised anytime and anywhere – but it usually helps to choose a time and a place that is reasonably quiet and where you are unlikely to be disturbed or interrupted. It is not essential to meditate in a location that is completely silent. If it were, very few of us …
I’ve been wondering whether to start a Just Meditation podcast, as another way of promoting the learning and practice of meditation, alongside my Blog. Over the years, I’ve been a guest on other people’s podcasts, and it does seem to be a good medium for talking in greater depth about more serious content, like meditation …
Why do we meditate? Well, there are lots of reasons. But two in particular stand out. Calming the mind and seeing things more clearly. These are two of the principal outcomes of meditation, and they can be of benefit to us in a variety of ways. For example, calming the mind helps us to be …
