5 Things I Learned As A Meditation Coach In London
5 Things I Learned As A Meditation Coach In London ( Watch on Youtube )
In 2010 I created Emma Mills London, a place where I could share self-help insights in a beautiful, stylish way with my friends in the city. At the same time I ran a successful Wellness Studio in London, taught classes and practiced several coaching and therapy modalities. Teaching meditation classes and workshops in a city that never sleeps has been quite enlightening over the years and so for todays post I thought it would be fun to share 5 Things I Learned As A Meditation Coach In London!
1. You Can’t Rush Meditation
You can’t make meditation or mindfulness happen in a particular way on demand. In fact, the harder you try the further away it moves. (It’s elusive like that!) But if you’re patient, meditation will happen nicely and without a struggle. This relaxed ‘let it happen in its own time’ approach is quite different to the go-getting vibe of city life. But with a little practice we can discover a gentler way of getting things done.
2. The Benefits Of Mindfulness Appear In Unexpected Places
The second thing I learned while teaching meditation workshops in London is the fruits of meditation don’t always come at the end of the mindfulness class, or at the end of your meditation session if you’re doing your own meditation at home. The benefits of meditation may surprise you and can often appear a little further down the line.
One unexpected benefit of meditation I noticed as part of my own practice was a growing feeling of familiarity with strangers. It’s nothing weird or extraordinary, just the sense of already knowing people. It doesn’t happen all the time, or with everyone but it’s a benefit of mindfulness I really do enjoy.
A client of mine had an unexpected fruit recently too. They initially wanted to learn meditation for help with anxiety and stress and their unexpected fruit came when they noticed they were able to play with their children at home in the evenings, without looking at their phone or feeling like they constantly had to check emails or be available for work.
How lovely is that?
3. Food, Mood, Mindfulness
The third insight I had while working as a mindfulness trainer in London is how much food influences your state of mind. Alcohol, drugs, caffeine, sugar and diet in general all alter our ability to focus and relax. (More on that here)
4. Many Problems Live Only In Our Minds
The city is full of strategic thinking, especially in the business world. People spend hours thinking forwards and planning for what’s coming next. And there’s a place for that of course, but we don’t have to worry about the future 24/7.
Working as a meditation teacher in London showed me that most of our problems are in our own minds. Many of our worries never come true. Sometimes wonderful things happen instead. Or an unexpected shift becomes a stepping stone to something even greater, something we hadn’t even imagined.
5. People Like To Be Recognised
Number 5 on my list of things I learned as a meditation coach in London is that we all want to be acknowledged in some way. We want to be loved or cared for and it’s nice from time to time to do that for one-another. To acknowledge each other and say: ‘Well done!’
Often times we’re so tied up in our own minds, focussed on our dreams and preoccupations or those of our family that we don’t have the wherewithal to cheer others on. And for sure, our personal dramas might be very real and worrying depending on what you’ve got going on in your life. But still, wherever possible and appropriate it’s nice to acknowledge others and ler them know how wonderful they are.
Man naturally desires, not only to be loved, but to be lovely
– Adam Smith, 1812
Thanks for reading about the 5 Things I Learned As A Meditation Coach In London here with me on the blog.
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