Most of us have heard of Meditation and Mindfulness, but many do not know quite what they are, or what the difference is between them. Well, Mindfulness and Meditation come as a pair really. Meditation is a beneficial pause, intended to calm and control the mind. Mindfulness brings things like calm, alertness, concentration and acceptance into our active lives. 

It seems that every religion has drawn on meditation of some kind. But the very first culture to practise meditation may have been Australian Aborigines, some 75,000 years ago. They call their practice 'Dadirri' which means deep listening and silent awareness. 

Meditation arrived in the secular world around forty years ago, when Jon Kabat-Zinn developed his stress-reduction programme based on Mindfulness. He defined this as 'moment-to-moment, nonjudgemental awareness'. It was beneficial in dealing with depression and anxiety and could even help with chronic pain.

I became interested in Mindfulness Meditation about twenty-five years ago. I taught creative writing and eventually, wrote a book about mindfulness for writers.

Our Monday morning group has been meeting for around two years now. If nothing else, it's an opportunity to spend an hour feeling relaxed. We have an all-body relaxation, a few easy-to-follow meditations, including one with music, and often a simple 'journey' meditation, including images of the countryside, the sea or a river.  We have room for a few more members in our group. So, for more information, or if you would like to come along to one of our Monday morning sessions, please contact me, Joy Kenward

We meet at the Loft at the Stables in Wadhan Street (opposite the Blakehay Theatre), Start time is 11.00 a.m, when we have coffee and chat. The first Meditation begins at 11.30.

Finish time is between 12.30 and 1.00 p.m.

Last updated 3/6/25