This is a mind-expanding, but at the same time thoroughly practical, week of the three components of the title. It is suitable for all levels, from beginners to teachers of meditation. For meditation teachers, there will be an extra hour set aside on two days for a mentoring session, as well as unguided meditation sessions.
The snorkeling makes for a very special part of the trip: a wide variety of hard and soft coral, abundant fish life, and glorious warm waters. And a snorkel trip becomes a unique meditation of its own.
There’s science in all three. And there’s a transcendent aspect to all three.
Mindfulness and Meditation - and the science behind it.
There is now a huge amount of research showing the benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation. It has been shown to reduce stress, improve our concentration, our memory, thinking creatively and flexibly, and even build more brain cells. It increases our positive emotions, builds empathy and emotional intelligence, makes us less anxious, and more accepting of ourselves and others, and leads to better relationships. But have you ever wondered how? If so, this course is for you.
You will learn what Mindfulness and Meditation are, and understand what is actually happening in your brain when you meditate, and why it is so effective that even companies are implementing it in the workplace.
A combination of workshops and practices will teach you the different types of meditation and by practicing each you will discover which are the most effective for you personally.
The guided sessions will include:
Breath meditations.
Mantra meditations.
Mindfulness body scan.
Open-awareness meditations.
Loving-kindness meditation.
Meditation for compassion / self-compassion.
The workshops and discussions will include:
What is meditation and why does it benefit us?
Stress – the physiology of what is happening in your body and how meditation helps
What is mindfulness and how is it different from meditation?
What are emotions?
What is happiness and how can we create it?
Snorkeling
Fiji is renowned for the abundant marine life of its reefs: colorful fish, hard and soft corals, mysterious invertebrates – all in the clear warm waters of the South Pacific. Suspended in the waters above this wonder world is entrancing, mesmeric…..it’s a floating meditation, an opportunity to immerse yourself in another aspect of our planet. It is deeply and wonderfully complementary to the rest of the week.
About
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About The Host
Susie Spinks
After starting a regular meditation practice in 2011, Susie witnessed a transformation in herself. She realized that the practice of meditation had translated into real life for her in that she no longer held on to emotions or thoughts that would have previously bothered her. She could let them go. She no longer dwelled on things, constantly thinking about them. She didn’t lie awake at night bothered by something. Anger wasn’t as intense and much shorter lived. She realized she was happier and more content.
After this self-revelation, she became very interested in finding out how mindfulness and meditation work to bring about this change. She is particularly interested in the science of what is happening in the brain.
Susie has past experience teaching Math in high schools. This training and experience have given her the ability to express information in clear, concise, and easy-to-understand terms.
Susie is an accredited meditation teacher with the Meditation Association of Australia. She is the founder of the Sydney Institute of Meditation and teaches the Meditation Teacher Training Course.