Meditation
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What is Meditation?
Unfortunately there isn’t just one definition of meditation due to it being used in such a wide variety of ways.
The word meditation in English comes from a Latin verb: meditari meaning ‘to think, ponder, contemplate’.
At Gathering Thoughts, that’s what we encourage: breaking down the logical and anticipatory process built up in your brain, giving yourself the mental space to mindfully contemplate the here and now.
What is Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness meditations help people pay attention to the world around them, pay attention to the here-and-now. Children are naturally very good at this in their early years, but as they get older, with more responsibility, time constraints, and distractions, they tend to lose these skills. Mindfulness meditation can help them re-discover these skills, benefitting them in every area of life, especially when it comes to learning and development.
Why Meditation?
Lives are hectic. Some studies show that we process about 75 gigabytes of information every day. That’s over 70,000 thoughts, 100,000 words, or every episode of Game of Thrones(1). Every second we are hit with 11 million bits of information, however our conscious brain can only process 40-50 bits a second. (2)
Our brains filter this information by generalising and distorting based on past experiences, before filing away into memory banks (3). Like any filter, these often need cleaning, and mindfulness meditation can do just that.
By drawing attention to the here and now, you can choose the information to focus on in this moment, override those filters, and store it correctly (4).
This has a knock-on effect on your internal representation of the world, your emotional state, your thoughts, your physiology, and your behaviour.
Nowadays, children have to compete with so many things to be heard. Parents schedule, mobile phones and social media, parental energy levels, all make it more difficult for children to get the things they need from their parents.
Meditating together can not only give you time and space where your attention is focused solely on your child, it can also give you a way to relax and replenish your energy too.
Bonding with your child through meditating can also teach you and your child empathy for each other. It can help you tune into each others moods and behaviours, so there is better communication and understanding, and fewer undesirable behaviours in the future.
It is also a life skill that you can both practice outside the classes, alone, together, or with other members of your family, to help the whole family bond.
Our clients
Benefits for Adults
Not only can meditation change your thoughts and behaviours, according to the Mayo Clinic (5)
It can also help you:
reduce negative feelings,
become more creative,
build skills to manage stress,
lower your heart rate
lower your blood pressure
sleep better,
build your self esteem
Lengthen your attention span
generate kindness and compassion,
fight addictions
control pain
Benefits for Children and Teenagers
Children are still learning how to understand the world around them. Teenagers have a lot of stress. This can manifest in many ways, usually at the cost of their mental health. With mindfulness meditations they can (6):
Calm down
Reduce stress
Become more focused and develop concentration skills
Increase memory capacity and improve learning
Better their reading comprehension (5)
Listen and learn more effectively
Fall asleep easier
Alleviate worry
Manage emotions and behaviours
Become more patient
Improve decision making
Increase self esteem and confidence
Become more aware of their situation and surroundings
Develop stronger, more fulfilling relationships with others
Develop kindness, empathy, and compassion for others and themselves
Become more comfortable with their thoughts, feelings, and body
Prepare themselves with the skills to lead a full and meaningful life
Benefits of Meditating Together
Meditating with your children not only has all the benefits of learning a calming skill, it also helps you and your children bond. Spending time in this way with your children can (8):
model a safe and loving relationship
foster creativity and imaginatio
nincrease working memor
ydevelop their gross motor skill
sdevelop their cognitive flexibilit
yregulate their emotion
sdevelop leadership skills (9
)encourage production of oxytocin (love hormone) and help you bon
ddevelop mastery over their environment
express curiosity in safe ways (10
)sleep bette
rincrease self esteem and confidenc
edevelop stronger, more fulfilling relationships with other
sdevelop kindness, empathy, and compassion for others and themselve
sbecome more comfortable with their thoughts, feelings, and bod
yprepare themselves with the skills to lead a full and meaningful lif
e
Children and Teens Meditation Class Learning Targets
Unfortunately learning how to be mindful can’t be done from a text book. Neither can you put a time limit on learning a lifelong skill. With more practice, your children will become better. However, after 6 weeks they should be able to:
Focus attention on breath and heart rate
Begin developing skills to control breathing and heart rates
Notice emotional reactions in their bodies
Begin developing skills to express their emotions clearly and calmly
Notice and express what they need in the moment
Be able to focus on a task for a slightly longer time or with deeper concentration
Have some degree of control over their inner world without rejection or repression
Adults Bi-Lingual Meditation Class
Fridays 6-7pm Beijing Standard time.
¥100 for one class
¥500 for 6 classes
Due to limited space in the studio, please book in advance. Booking ends 24 hours before the class begins.
[book a space]
Childrens Bi-Lingual Meditation Class
(Children aged 8-12 years/Grades 2-7)
Mondays 6-7pm Beijing Standard time
¥75 for one class
¥375 for six classes
Due to limited space in the studio, please book in advance. Booking ends 24 hours before the class begins.
[book a space]
Teens Bi-Lingual Meditation Class
(Children aged 13+/Grade 8+)
Tuesdays 6-7pm Beijing Standard time
¥75 for one class
¥375 for six classes
Due to limited space in the studio, please book in advance. Booking ends 24 hours before the class begins.
[book a space]
Meditate Together
Parents and Children Bi-Lingual Meditation Class
Wednesdays 4-5pm Beijing Standard time
¥150 for one class
¥750 for six classes
Due to limited space in the studio, please book in advance. Booking ends 24 hours before the class begins.
[book a space]
References
(1) https://www.fastcompany.com/3051417/why-its-so-hard-to-pay-attention-explained-by-science
(2) https://www.npr.org/2020/07/14/891140598/understanding-unconscious-bias#:~:text=via%20Getty%20Images-,The%20human%20brain%20can%20process%2011%20million%20bits%20of%20information,bits%20of%20information%20a%20second.
(3) Langer (1992) Matters of Mind: Mindfulness/Mindlessness in perspective. https://doi.org/10.1016/1053-8100(92)90066-J
(4) Laukkonen and Slagter (2021) From Many to (n)one: Meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.021
(5) https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
(6) Kramer, Weger, and Sharma. The Effect of Mindfulness meditation on time perception. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/110179545.pdf
(7) Eline Snel. Sitting Still Like a Frog. Shambhala: Boulder.
(8) https://www.exchangefamilycenter.org/exchange-family-center-blog/2018/4/10/connecting-with-your-child-through-play-the-surprising-benefits-of-parent-child-playtime
(9) Dewar, G. (2019). Oxytocin affects social bonds and our responses to toxic stress. Can we influence oxytocin in children? Parenting Science. https://www.parentingscience.com/oxytocin-in-children-and-parents.html
(10) https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/articles/why-dont-parents-like-playing-with-their-kids
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