While most of the Yogis call it meditation, I call it centering. If you ask me why I call it centering and not meditation, I would tell you because the word meditation has a very deep meaning and was even frightening for me at the beginning of my wonderful Yoga journey. I think most of the people experience the same feeling if you speak about meditation to them.

Centering is this nice, quiet, and relaxing time at the beginning of my class. The delicious time, where you just need to lie down, let go, release, relax, center, and connect with yourself and where the awareness of the present and the current moment takes place. This connection occurs only when you focus on your breath, using it to let go of all the tensions and all of the day’s concerns.

Having clarified that and for the purpose of this article I will still refer to it as meditation – in order not to confuse you.

So – as for my students, you can congratulate and be proud of yourselves, you are able to meditate 🙂

The benefits of meditation on health in general and the state of the nervous system in particular are clearly felt by those who practice it and are also proven scientifically.

Combining the practice of asanas and meditation, which is also called the meditation in motion, will give you the balance and stamina needed to face the challenges of daily life and to live your life stressles.

Meditation is beneficial for almost all of us, as we all live in a hectic life. We are all under work and life pressure. Most of the people come to meditation, not because they want to hide in a cave in the Himalayas withdrawing from the mainstream, but because they feel unfulfilled and empty, with stress, anxiety, frustration, and depression playing a much larger part in their lives than they would like. They realize there is a restlessness and dissatisfaction in their daily life and they search hopelessly for happiness, peace, and contentment.

Meditation is the key for all of us, which ensures relief from the high tension, and the rollercoaster speed of today’s technology-led culture.

Meditation gives this relief and much more. It teaches us that there is a power within each one of us; an energy, a peace and a wisdom, which we can tap into once we know it is available. This power inspires, encourages, reinforces, and gives strength to those who seek to grow in a positive and healthy direction.

Believe me, this power is there and available to all; we just need to connect ourselves with the current moment.

In Yoga the mind is like a lake, with the ripples on the lake representing our thoughts and emotions. When the ripples subside the lake is still and we can see the precious jewels lying silently in their glory at the bottom. So sit still, still your thoughts, connect with your breath and body and find inner-peace.

Meditation is the art of slowing down and focusing the mind. If you take a moment to look within, you will find a mind constantly conversing with itself, jumping from one thought or emotion to the next, caught in the continuous motion, running away from this or running towards that, robbing us of the ability to focus and to be still.

Instead of looking inwardly and being aware of what’s happening inside, we use drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, television, we overeat or do not eat, oversleep, do not sleep, or overwork in the hope of stilling the mind.

Take 10 minutes per day to turn your awareness inwardly, to be aware of your breath, body and emotions. Do not try to change anything, just take this time, to focus on your breath, breathe smoothly and deeply to finally quiet the mind, recharge your batteries to find an inner-peace and to live healthy and happy.