Keep your ‘cool’ this summer with meditation

Remaining cool and calm is one of the biggest challenges during summer. The soaring temperatures and general discomfort leads to stress, aggression, anxiety and other forms of mental dissonance.
To help counter this, meditation — commonly known as the “mental gym” — is becoming popular among UAE residents.
Pierre Ravan, a trainer at Heartfulness centre, calls himself a lifestyle instructor and thinks spirituality is for everybody. Talking about how he encourages young people to practice meditation by conducting ‘healthy parties’ for them, he said: “We try to make people happy and alive through our sessions at centres across all over UAE. We have a prominent presence in many countries, including US, UK, Europe, India, and Africa.”
What does meditation do for the mind and body? As food creates energy and provides nutrition to the body, mediation powers the mind and soul. It relaxes and cleanses the mind without controlling it, and results in better powers of concentration for the individual.
Vidya, an HR professional, said: “I started mediating because I was suffering in my mind. Fear and anxiety made me a nervous person; I couldn’t concentrate on anything. Then a friend introduced me to this beautiful practice. I am a changed person now, full of positivity and willingness to accept things the way they are.”
Theta Healing for a Healthy Mind
The unique technique of Theta healing helps transform deep rooted negative beliefs and boosts the power to deal with setbacks in life. This particular meditation method was founded by Vianna Stibal, and it promotes physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
“ThetaHealing has not just changed my perspective on life, but also my relationships with people. I have seen magnificent shifts occur in people, mentally and physically, when they truly realise that waking up to life is a beautiful experience. I focus on the belief that we are here to live, not to survive. Just practicing this mediation everyday for a few minutes lets you transcend to a happy state,” stated Roshni Pillai, who was conducting a workshop.
Smart Meditation at Labour Accommodations
The ‘Smart Meditation’ initiative by SmartLife NGO organises mediation classes at various labour accommodations in Dubai. ‘Smart Meditation’ focuses on uplifting the mental fitness of the blue collar workers. Each workshop accommodates approximately 30 blue collar men or women.
Manjula Ramakrishnan, spokesperson from SmartLife, informed: “We have 3-day workshops scheduled from July 21 to 23, to be held for Al Ahmediya Contracting employees. Earlier, two workshops were conducted exclusively for women from Chicago Ladies Camp in Al Quoz.”
Nanjoba Winfred from Uganada, who attended the ladies workshop, says: “Complete relaxation is what I learnt and experienced from the session, and this comes from regular practice. My inner peace has multiplied with the help of meditation.”
Mohan Bandela, manager of Al Ahmediyah labour accommodation, adds: “Many people are aware of the huge benefits of yoga and meditation, but do not know how to go about it. Hence, we look forward to this workshop and hope to make it a daily practice”.
ankita@khaleejtimes.com