Lifeflow Meditation . . .

• Why meditate?
• What is Lifeflow Meditation?
• Lifeflow Meditation FAQ
• Where do the Lifeflow Meditation practices come from?

Why Meditate?
Everyone has experienced a state of deep calm, open awareness or contentment. Worries disappear, your mind is clear and focused. This is Lifeflow Meditation.

With Lifeflow Meditation you can learn to deliberately return to that clear and open state. You can also learn to relax quickly and effectively, improve concentration, and cultivate a deep sense of well-being and happiness.

People also practise Lifeflow Meditation to:
	Relax quickly and effectively
	Improve concentration and clarity of mind
	Reduce anxiety
	Gain a general sense of well-being
	Restore health
	Enhance your creativity
	Bring out the inherently happy and content person from within

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What is Lifeflow Meditation?

Lifeflow Meditation is a way of learning to relax your body whilst still keeping your mind alert. This happens quite naturally when we gently focus on something, maybe a sound, a sensation in our body or something that we imagine. It gives us a moment of space and freedom from the thoughts that endlessly go through our minds, and is a way of quite quickly and deliberately relaxing our bodies.

There are other ways of relaxing whilst keeping our mind alert. You may have felt it when:
	Going for a walk in park or forest, or along a beach
	After swimming, or any other exercise
	Watching a really good film, or being absorbed in a book, or listening to your favourite music
	Eating an orange
	Walking in the sunshine at the start of spring

Normally, we go in and out of this calm, relaxed state many times during the day. Meditation gets us back to this state quickly and deliberately.

Lifeflow Meditation also works by shifting us from thinking to sensing. When we open up to the sounds around us, the sensations in our bodies, the light on the trees, or any other sensation, then thoughts gently move to the background. This brings us right back to the present moment, allowing all of the thoughts and worries to settle. Being in the present moment lets us open to the richness and colour of life, sensing and experiencing the world in a fuller way.

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Lifeflow Meditation FAQ

• Do I have to sit in a special way to practise Lifeflow Meditation?
• I tried to meditate before, but I couldn't focus.
• Is Lifeflow Meditation difficult? Can anyone do it?
• When I tried to meditate I just fell asleep.
• I tried a visualisation meditation before, but I just couldn't get it.
• Does Lifeflow Meditation improve focus and concentration?
• Do I have to practice Lifeflow Meditation every day to get any benefit?
• Is Lifeflow Meditation good for creativity?
• Is Lifeflow Meditation any use in the real world? Is Lifeflow Meditation just an escape?
• Is Lifeflow Meditation the same as taking drugs?

Do I have to sit in a special way to meditate?
No. Lifeflow Meditation can be done sitting in a normal chair. If you are flexible enough you may sit cross legged on the floor, or in a yoga pose, or you may even use a small meditation stool. Lifeflow Meditation can also be done whilst lying down, or even when walking.

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I tried to meditate before, but I couldn't focus.
There are two common problems that all beginners face with meditation: the first is posture, the second is using the appropriate meditation. We work very carefully to address both issues.

The problem with posture may be as simple as the way you are sitting - in every Introductory course we cover a whole range of ways to sit.

In our Introductory course we cover a whole range of Lifeflow Meditations - from short 'spot' meditations to longer visualisations, breathing meditations and many more. Different meditations suit different people, so by covering a large variety of Lifeflow Meditations there is one that will work for you.

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Is Lifeflow Meditation difficult? Can anyone do it?
Anyone can meditate. All of our teachers are skilled in leading meditations and have at least 10 years personal Lifelow Meditation practice. This depth of background makes it easier to sort out any problems that students may be facing. We've had countless examples of students saying that they tried meditation before and failed - then by class 2 they've gone deeper than they ever expected.

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When I tried to meditate I just fell asleep.
This is a stage that most beginners go through and is actually not a problem at all. In our Introductory course we explain why this happens and what to do about it.

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I tried a visualisation meditation before, but I just couldn't get it.
Different meditations will suit different people depending on their temperaments. In our Introductory course we present a whole range of Lifeflow Meditations so that one will work for you. For some people visualisation is very difficult and almost meaningless, whilst others will revel in it. Our emphasis in teaching meditation is to shift away from trying to "get things right" and move towards an awareness of what is happening and what works for you. If visualisation doesn't work for you, then use another meditation. There is no "right" meditation.

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Does Lifeflow Meditation improve focus and concentration?
Yes. Lifeflow Meditation is a tool par excellence for developing focus and concentration. Meditation is actually a practical tool for training the mind - as such one of the principal threads of the 2 1/2 millennia meditation tradition are the exercises in developing concentration.

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Do I have to practice Lifeflow Meditation every day to get any benefit?
We've found that everyone has benefited from a weekly meditation session at one of our courses. We have structured our courses so that you are introduced to a range of meditations (Level 1), then extend that knowledge and skill (Level 2) and then learn to apply it more skillfully through your own life (Level 3 and 4). Any regular practice that you can undertake will help you to progress with Lifeflow Meditation, but it isn't a requirement for our Level 1 and 2 courses.

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Is Lifeflow Meditation good for creativity?
Yes. Lifeflow Meditation can greatly assist any creative work. It does this for two reasons. Firstly, you can develop concentration to a much higher level - training your mind to stay with any piece of creative work for a greater time and being more focused about what you are doing. Secondly, with Lifeflow Meditation you can skillfully learn to tap the root creative aspects of the mind - the wellspring from which all creative acts are drawn.

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Is Lifeflow Meditation any use in the real world? Is Lifeflow Meditation just an escape?
Meditation can be used as an escape, or it can be used as a way to train the mind and engage more completely with life. In all Lifeflow courses we emphasize linking the experiences of meditation back to what is happening in your every day life. Even if you can develop great calm and concentration whilst meditating, it is much more useful if you can apply this in your every day life situations. We do not see Lifeflow Meditation as an escape, but rather a way of learning to live skillfully.

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Is Lifeflow Meditation the same as taking drugs?
No. Lifeflow Meditation does, however, open up a whole range of inner experiences which many people have experienced through the use of drugs. Someone on drugs has no control over what happens and their mind is generally not clear. With Lifeflow Meditation your mind is focused and alert and you are in complete control all of the time - you can come out of any experience at any time. Lifeflow Meditation also gives you the opportunity of linking these inner experiences back into your life, so that nothing is wasted.

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Where do the Lifeflow Meditation Practices come from?
The meditation practices taught at the Lifeflow Meditation Centre are based primarily on both the Burmese and Tibetan meditation traditions.

From the Burmese (sometimes called Theravadin) tradition, we have the highly developed Insight, or, Vipassana practices. These advanced practices lead to a direct realization of the nature of the mind and consciousness. Aspects of these practices are incorporated into all of our classes, as the nature of insight is clear seeing, regardless of whether it is an introductory or advanced meditation exercise.

From the Tibetan tradition, we have incorporated important Mahayana and Vajrayana practices. The Mahayana practices focus on developing compassion, or, an ethical approach to living that develops respect for yourself and for the community and environment in which you live. The Vajrayana practices become relevant at advanced stages of meditation work, where a Member will work extensively with a specific Teacher.

With all of these practices, the aim has been to teach meditation in a way that is relevant and practical for everyday life. The aim of Lifeflow Meditation practices is to live in such a way that thoughts, emotions and actions are not in conflict with one another. For this to happen, the meditation practices and teachings have to be grounded in personal experience. As such, each Lifeflow Meditation teacher will naturally present a slightly different approach to the meditation teaching and practice, depending on their individual life experiences.

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