When I lived in Bangkok, I was lucky enough to embark on several Buddhist meditation courses with some of my neighbours. It was a wonderful journey as we all went from novice meditators to (slightly) more accomplished.
My friend Violaine guided us with her beautiful French accent which, even if I didn’t really understand some of the highly complex concepts she was describing, meant I could just meditate on her dulcet tones! And the energy of practicing with like-minded souls was definitely infectious.
Having moved back to the UK I have practiced almost daily as I have settled into our new life. Often my meditation and yoga practice have been an anchor which has been a life-line during tumultuous times. But I have, despite looking for a group to practice within, not found one. Until this weekend, when randomly I had the opportunity to go along to a small group in Aylesbury.
I hadn’t met anyone else from this group although I had spoken with Russ who guides it. I had been a fabulous 50th birthday party the night before and was in the area, feeling a little the worse for wear. As is so often the case, the universe gives us what we need… it just all fell into place and I popped along to join them.
I immediately felt welcome. We started with a beautiful Buddhist prayer and over 600 recitations of a heart opening mantra which was so powerful that ½ way through I literally could feel my heart opening like the petals of a lotus flower unfold in the morning sunshine followed by a wave of goose-bumps all over my body.
And then we meditated. The energy was calm and serene and it was one of the longest meditations I have done since I left Bangkok. It was just what I needed.
There is a reason why group practice is so powerful.
Everything in the universe produces energy and vibrations, which can affect the collective consciousness. The power of peace, love and joy has the power to literally shift the world.
In 1976, a group of monks were sent into a crime-ridden community. They represented the equivalent of 1% of the local population. They meditated daily and over time the crime rate dropped 16% whilst in the control group with no meditators, the crime rate remained the same. This is known as the Maharishi Effect: the power of meditative energy to literally shift the collective conscious.
Of course there are other benefits from group practice. The energy of the collective more powerful than in isolation. When being guided by someone, your own practice move to a different level. Actually committing that time outside of your usual environment often means it is easier to go deeper, since your usual distractions aren’t so powerful. Not to mention, joining with like minded individuals helps combat loneliness, which has been proven to be bad for our health.
So if you get the chance, try joining a local group to practice yoga or mindfulness to take your own practice deeper and to affect your community in a positive and powerful way.