Meditation

"It was love at second sight."

"I can't meditate" – that's what I thought for a long time, because I'm hyperactive and my mind didn't settle easily. Yet the topic of meditation kept crossing my path. In one of my training courses, I kept hearing the remark that meditation is a gift you give yourself.

My curiosity won out over my doubts. I did some thorough research and soon took a few private lessons to experience hands-on how meditation actually works. From the start I knew I wanted to get to the bottom of it and learn how to apply it in practice. I started with 5 minutes, moved to 7, and kept building from there. Some days went better than others, but I kept making progress – and I noticed that meditating relaxed me.

Turning point

After a while, something remarkable happened: my parents, my sister and a close friend noticed a clear change in me – before I fully noticed it myself. Specifically, I became calmer, more resilient, and more comfortable with myself. Above all, the restlessness that had previously made me need regular kinesiology sessions began to settle. I didn't just want to have this wonderful experience myself – I wanted to pass it on. So I trained to teach it.

Meditation is an ancient practice rooted in the spiritual traditions of Asia, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism. For thousands of years it has been used to calm the mind, find clarity and reach inner peace. Over time, meditation has spread around the world and is now practised across many cultures and religions.

There are numerous meditation techniques, varying by goal and tradition:

• Mindfulness meditation: focusing on the present moment to build awareness and clarity.
• Mantra meditation: repeating a word or phrase to concentrate the mind.
• Breath-focused meditation: consciously observing the breath to calm and focus the mind.
• Walking meditation: mindful walking, where each step is experienced consciously.
• Loving-kindness meditation (Metta): cultivating compassion and love for yourself and others.
• Guided meditation: the facilitator guides participants through visualisations that weave in feelings, images and stories.

These techniques offer a way to find inner calm and balance in our hectic world.

Guided sound meditation is one of the oldest forms of therapy for relaxation, inner calm, contentment and ease. Sound meditation is a group or individual experience in which sound is used to create a meditative state.

It's an almost effortless way to reach deeper meditation, because the sounds help shift our brainwaves. Through rhythm and frequency, we can guide our brainwaves from ordinary waking consciousness into a meditative state. Scientific studies show that certain frequencies can trigger changes in the autonomic and endocrine systems. Every atom, molecule, cell, gland and organ in the human body absorbs and emits sound.

The key points, in short

• Our brainwaves synchronise with the frequencies of sound and slow down. This process is called entrainment.
• The theta range covers very slow brainwaves at a frequency of 4 to 6 Hz. Studies show these are linked to memory and recall.
• Two experiments have shown that theta entrainment leads to improved memory performance – but only in the group receiving theta stimulation, not in the group receiving beta stimulation.

For most people, sound meditation is a safe form of relaxation. However, some people with certain conditions should not take part. In particular, anyone with a psychiatric condition should always consult their psychiatrist or GP first.