£ GBP

Meditation

Meditation is a mindfulness practise that teaches to be present in the moment. Meditation can be guided or unguided, sitting or lying down, scanning the body or just listening to the breath
Meditation

The History of Meditation

The histories of Meditation and Yoga are closely linked. Early mentions of Meditation as a spiritual and religious exercise date back to around 1,000 BCE to 500 BCE in sacred writings known as Upanishads, which form the foundations of Hinduism. These visions were turned into physical practices. Early written records of Meditation as part of the Buddhist practice, where meditating is a step on the path towards salvation, date back to around 100 BCE, found in the Indian sutras of the Pāli Canon.

Just as Yoga travelled to the West and gained popularity, so too has the practice of Meditation. In the 1960s, the rise of communism in Asia led many teachers to take refuge in western countries. With this came a shift in Meditation practice from spiritual to secular, aligning with western ideologies, focusing on wellness, personal improvement, and stress reduction.

Meditation Practice

There are many different ways to practice Meditation. It’s widely believed that meditating daily will significantly benefit your mental and physical health. Isolated sessions will not produce immediate results. Meditation is a lifelong practice, not an instant process.

Some types of Meditation are more spiritual, while others are more beneficial for cognitive development and focus. Mindfulness Meditation is one of the most common practices in western society, using a constant such as your breath as an anchor to draw back to when the mind wanders.

Kindness Meditation helps foster compassion for the people and world around you, while Kundalini Meditation, intrinsically linked to the Yogic practice, focuses on moving energy up the spine through the seven chakras.

Who Can Practice?

Anyone can practice Meditation regardless of age, health or physicality. It’s not an active exercise, but will benefit your body, helping to reduce stress, anxiety and even high blood pressure. Depending on your flexibility, you may want to choose to sit instead of kneel, especially if you’re a beginner. You can start with as little as ten minutes a day and grow your practice as your comfort and capacity develops.

Meditation Classes

There are two main differences in the way a class may be led, Guided versus Unguided or Silent Meditation. Guided Meditation is great for beginners as a teacher will talk you through your practice, keeping you on track, helping focus your awareness and drawing attention to the feelings your body and mind will be going through. In a Silent practice, you meditate alone without someone explaining the process. You need to have some experience of Meditation and the different techniques employed to be able to get the most from an Unguided experience.

Some techniques used may include a mental scan of the body, bringing attention to any discomfort or pain that might have gone unnoticed, noting your thoughts or feelings as they pass by during Meditation, or replacing the focus of your breath with a visualisation and noting any feelings this may bring up.

Our Meditation teachers

Nikki Jones

Nikki Jones

An operation I had as a child led to bad posture and poor physical alignment, as I got older this affected my physical and mental health on a daily basis. However, the strengthening exercises, mobility movements and mindfulness through yoga allowed for a pain free active life.

Emma Summers
🧘 On the rise

Emma Summers

My journey into yoga began with a deep appreciation for its experiential benefits—its ability to calm, ground, and create space for inner stillness. Struggling with anxiety, I found solace on the mat, where breath and movement became tools for healing.

Georgia Gojkovic
🧘 On the rise

Georgia Gojkovic

Hello and welcome! It is a pleasure to meet you virtually. If you are looking for a unique and fun wok-out experience you have come to the right place! I have taught Yoga, Pilates, Reformer and BARRE in a variety of venues since 2020

Gerlee Tumen
New teacher

Gerlee Tumen

I have been practising yoga and breathwork for over 15 years, and my journey has been as varied as the countries that I have been fortunate enough to experience.

Hannah Griffin
🧘 Popular teacher

Hannah Griffin

I completed my 200-hour Yoga teacher training in the UK three years ago and have worked at various gyms since, teaching different abilities. I love practising yoga outside in nature and have a passion for travelling the world.

Ian Clark
🧘 Popular teacher

Ian Clark

This intuitive yoga instructor brings more than twelve years of yoga asana practice developed around a lifetime of mindfulness

Kerry Flower
🧘 On the rise

Kerry Flower

Kerry is a certified 200 HR Vinyasa flow teacher and has studied nutrition, yoga breathing and meditation. Kerry teaches how to use the breath to help manage stress, unwind and relax.

Laura Waddoups
🧘 Popular teacher

Laura Waddoups

Hi, my name is Laura. I teach mostly mindful flow classes, breathwork & meditation. I believe time on the mat can give us the opportunity to get to know ourselves better, to move & feel better and to have a little time to refocus & reconnect in an otherwise hectic world.

Lina Patel
🧘 On the rise

Lina Patel

Yoga has been my guiding light, my ultimate life hack, and the catalyst for an extraordinary transformation in my own life

michael salmon
🧘 Popular teacher

michael salmon

For years I was a person who enjoyed yoga but wasn’t dedicated to a regular practice. YouTube and the odd class here and there were my ways to get to the matt. Then one summer, whilst spending time with my chosen family, my niece had a book ABC of Yoga.

Candice O’Keeffe

Candice O’Keeffe

I found Yoga around 10 years ago, while I was having female health problems. The feeling that yoga left me with after every class, was a feeling that I knew I just had to share.

Bernadette Reynolds
🧘 On the rise

Bernadette Reynolds

Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher specialising in Hatha Yoga. Based in Scotland for in person classes but I also look forward to meeting people from all over the world with my online classes.

Christel Thimont
🧘 Popular teacher

Christel Thimont

I am Christel and have been practicing for over 20 years. Qualified as an instructor in 2019 I have been teaching since. French originally I moved back to France in 2023 after spending 28 years in the UK.

Angela Goodwin
🧘 Popular teacher

Angela Goodwin

I was first drawn to Yoga in because it offered a welcome inner sanctuary away from the stress and anxieties of hectic life. I have a first class BSc (Hons) in Psychology and I enjoy exploring the similarities between Mindfulness and Yoga.