Meditation is an ancient practice still used today due to its multiple health and mental benefits. There are several different types of meditation including mantra meditation, movement meditation, and the most popular mindfulness meditation. Although meditation can be done alone at anytime and anywhere there are several benefits you can reap from attending a meditation class as opposed to meditating on your own.
How do meditation classes work?
Often meditation classes are conducted by a trained meditation teacher. Although there doesn’t exist any actual certifications to be a meditation teacher, meditation teachers have undergone years of experience with the practice of meditation. Depending on the type of meditation the teacher may ask you to sit or lay down on a mat but often they suggest choosing whichever position is most comfortable Some classes are led only by the instructor’s voice, but others may be led by music or meditation instruments such as mediation bowls. However, each type of meditation class has a lot of benefits.
Some Benefits of Meditation class:
1. Connection to others
I am a very social person, so this is my favourite benefit of meditation classes. Participating in meditation classes is a great way to make friends with people who have common interests in your area. As adult life is busy it can be hard to make time for friends, so this is a great way to engage in self-care while also socializing. As meditation has been reported to increase compassion and increase feelings of social connection this is one of the best places to make good friends.
2. Structure and Quiet
I said before that meditation can be done anywhere at any time, but it may not be easy to do everywhere at any time. For example, if you have children or a phone that never stops ringing you may find that meditation classes will help you meditate better. Attending a meditation class ensures you are shut out from the rest of the busy outside world so that you can completely focus on meditating. Furthermore, because you are in a class with other people attending a yoga class it discourages people from giving up midway through the practice, even when it gets tough. Lastly, attending group meditation repetitively can help you form the habit of meditating regularly.
3. You have someone to ask questions
Meditation is not easy and as such a benefit of attending meditation classes is that you have teacher that can help you overcome any challenges you are facing with your technique. Furthermore, you can ask them questions about the practice to ensure you are doing it right and they can also provide tips and feedback so that you can improve your capabilities. This therefore also makes meditation classes great for those who are new to the practice of yoga.
Although meditation alone has countless benefits, I have just listed my top reasons for why I think attending a yoga class is beneficial. Because of the extra benefits attained from group yoga I think it is a great thing to try out if you can afford to do so.