It is normal to experience a certain amount of frustration when you first start to meditate. This is extremely common and not a sign that there is something wrong with either you or the meditation. Frustration arises because we have been so conditioned in our culture to succeed and achieve through making an effort. Have you noticed how the more effort you make in meditation, the more frustration you encounter? It is the very activity of seeking peace or a particular mind state that gives rise to its apparent lack and the frustration. The peace we seek in meditation cannot be achieved through effort, but arises naturally when all the trying to attain it relaxes. This relaxation comes about when, rather than being completely caught up in the trying and frustration, we firstly observe and feel these energies without any judgement, as a fact of this moment. Notice the arising and movement of frustration with curiosity. How does it feel? Where is that feeling located in your body? Notice the story that accompanies the feeling, and the tendency to get involved in that story or to distract yourself in a myriad of other ways, rather than fully feel the raw sensation. Approach your meditation practice with no agenda to change, fix or get rid of these energies but with the willingness to meet them directly. Can you give full allowance to ‘frustration’? With practice we come to see that no matter how intense these energies may be, once divested of all the labels and stories and allowed to unfold naturally as pure sensation, they come to rest in awareness. We realise that ‘I’ am not these fleeting thoughts and feelings, but the unchanging aware-presence which knows and effortlessly allows them to come and go, remaining at once untouched, yet utterly at one with them. It is this realisation, and the repeated unhooking of our identity from a limited, separate body-mind to our true self of unlimited, ever-present awareness that ultimately relieves our frustration and opens the doorway to lasting peace and happiness in our lives. 

Pain can be a common challenge in meditation, which is why I place an emphasis on making a comfortable ‘nest’ for your practice. When your body is comfortable, your mind will be able to relax more easily. Before you begin, make sure your body is well supported in all the right places so that you can commit to being as still as possible and if you need to move during your meditation, see if you can do so slowly, with awareness. Just as with other distractions that arise during meditation, pain can be a harsh yet valuable teacher, pointing the way to a greater understanding of ourselves. When pain arises during your meditation, notice how quickly you resist and react to it. Notice the impulse to move and the arising of critical, judging thoughts about the pain, along with any feelings such as irritation or fear. It is important to listen to your body and take responsibility for its health and well-being, but it can also be interesting to discover how pain can be generated and perpetuated by our minds and the stories we tell ourselves. With practice, as your sensitivity naturally develops, you will be able to discern the difference between pain that is a signal from the intelligence of the body, requiring an appropriate response, and pain that is a form of resistance to resting in Being. If it’s the latter, see if you can stay and fully feel the pain, allowing it to unfold naturally as pure sensation, free of a story. Observe it with curiosity, as a doctor would examine a patient. This does not mean indulging in, disassociating from or enduring the pain, but meeting it as an impersonal energy arising in you, Awareness. Notice how that wider aspect of your Being is allowing the entirety of this highly charged state to be as it is without a trace of overwhelm. Meditation is about the rediscovery of this deeper aspect of Being as your true nature. 

This is a very common question, so you are not alone! To be human is to experience the whole spectrum of emotions. However, most of us have learnt to avoid or repress uncomfortable feelings from early in our childhood, so when sadness arises during meditation we tend to think something has gone wrong. Avoiding discomfort might seem natural, but when we avoid, repress, or reject any part of our experience we limit and separate ourselves from our wholeness and oneness with life, which itself creates more sadness, fear and a sense of lack. When we commit to being still and staying with our experience as it naturally unfolds in meditation, these unmet emotions naturally begin to surface. It's not that the meditation has caused the sadness, but feelings that were buried within us are simply being revealed. Far from being a sign that either you or the meditation is flawed, this is an indication that the meditation is working. Meditation calls us to meet experience in a new way. It’s not about healing, transcending or even letting go of these emotions, which is really just another subtle way of avoiding them, but truly meeting and fully feeling them, free of any agenda. It takes courage to stay fully present when sadness arises, but it is in finding that courage that true freedom is possible. Trust that it's a good thing that these emotions are surfacing to be felt, and that this is actually one of the benefits of meditation. That which we are willing to be with, we go beyond. The guidance of True Rest is designed to help you with this. 

At the beginning of each meditation, I guide you to take a few slow, deep breaths. The reason for this is that the breath is like a bridge between the body and mind, and breathing in this way will start to generate a sense of calm to both. This kind of breathing might feel unusual at first, since most of us have adopted a habit of shallow breathing and holding of the breath as a form of resistance to the present moment. With practice it becomes easier to breathe slowly and deeply into the abdomen so that the lower belly rises and expands. See if you can let the breath flow deeper into your body effortlessly, rather than grasping or pushing the breath. When we breathe this way, we open to experience just as it is on the inhalation, and we naturally relax and let go on the exhalation. During the meditation, there is no need to control your breath in any way, just let it be natural and effortless.

It is a myth that you have to sit in an uncomfortable, cross-legged position for hours to practice meditation! I encourage you to make yourself as comfortable as possible when you practice True Rest. Of course, you can practice sitting on the floor if you would like to, but any type of chair or sitting position that is comfortable for you is a possibility. 

True Rest incorporates techniques from a style of meditation that is traditionally practiced lying down, so I encourage you to do that, particularly for longer meditations. When your body is comfortable, it’s much easier for your mind to relax, so we do what I call making a nest for yourself in order that your body is comfortable, warm and fully supported while you meditate. You can use any props you might have at hand to make your nest. Sometimes it can take a few sessions of experimenting with different props to find your perfect nest. It’s best to lie down in a posture that requires no muscular effort and so allows you to really let go. Lying on your back with your legs a few feet apart, your arms out to the sides and your palms turned upwards is the optimum posture, but all bodies are different, so go ahead and find what works best for you. Make sure your head and neck feel supported and, if necessary, place some support under your knees and ankles to help ease any discomfort in your lower back. Another option could be to have your knees bent and together, with your feet out to the sides. Some people like to use an eye pillow for meditation, but if you don’t have one, you could simply place a scarf or some cloth over your eyes to help soothe them. Your temperature is likely to drop as your body goes into a deep state of relaxation, so cover yourself with a blanket and get really cosy!

The most common myth is that meditation is about trying to control your mind, stop thinking, or manage experience, in order to achieve a particular state or feeling. This belief only leads to endless frustration and exhaustion. I encourage you to forget everything you know or believe about meditation so that you come to your practice with an open mind and heart, free of expectation.

Although meditation has been proven to help with a number of psychological conditions, it should not be used to replace the medical advice or medication that may have been prescribed to you. By all means use meditation as a natural aid to whatever clinical help you are receiving.  

No. Although almost all religions include some form of meditation as part of their practice, meditation itself is not religious, nor does it belong to any particular religion. Meditation is about simply stopping for a while and being still, which doesn’t require any particular belief system. In fact, meditation can help us to see any deep-seated and out-dated beliefs that might be holding us back in our lives, and to let them go.    

Relaxation is a state of the body and mind, whilst meditation is an openness of Being that includes, yet is beyond all states of body and mind. As a result of our modern lifestyles, most people carry quite a burden of physical, mental and emotional tension that has built up over so many years and become so familiar that it’s no longer even noticed or is considered normal. When the body and mind are in this habitual state of restlessness, our natural state of ease appears to be veiled, which is why True Rest meditation includes a deep relaxation of the body-mind. The restoration of body and mind to their natural state of relaxation during True Rest makes way for the insight, clarity, understanding, and peace of meditation.  

When you meditate regularly, more awareness naturally begins to arise in your daily life. This happens spontaneously and naturally, as a by-product of your commitment to stillness. Trying to remember to be mindful during the day is like trying to stop thinking during meditation, and ultimately leads to the same frustration. The good news is that you don’t need to remember to be mindful, because as your practice evolves you will naturally notice those times when you aren’t present more and more often, and this effortless noticing is the very mindfulness you are looking for. So if it suddenly seems like you are very rarely present when you first start to meditate, this is a sign that your meditation is working!

True Rest is not about sleeping, unless you are using the meditation specifically to guide you into a restful sleep or to help with sleep related problems. However, you might find that you do drop off to sleep when you first start, especially if you are very tired when you practice. Most of us are sleep deprived to a certain extent because of our busy lifestyles, so try not to judge yourself if you do fall asleep. Each time you notice that you have drifted into sleep, simply come back to the direct feeling of your body or the breath, as a way of gently refreshing your mind. In the beginning it can be helpful to set an intention to remain present and aware during your meditation before you start, or you could try doing the meditations sitting. However, with regular practice, we are guided to notice that awareness is naturally awake, ever-present and requires no effort to be upheld or maintained, even as the mind and body go into a state of deep relaxation. Sometimes we fall asleep during meditation as a form of resistance to being fully present. As our meditation practice evolves, we see more and more clearly all of the obvious and subtle ways that we ‘check out’. Falling asleep is one of those ways we do this, along with getting lost in thought or daydreaming. In time, even as feelings of tiredness or lethargy arise during your meditation, you can remain present to these feelings without unconsciously merging with them. In meditation we consciously rest as this alert, awake presence that naturally allows all experience to unfold freely. 

Over recent years substantial funding has gone into researching the benefits of meditation, and thousands of articles have now been published in top scientific journals. These studies are proving that meditation is good for us in so many ways. Setting aside just a few minutes a day for meditation can have lasting health and wellbeing benefits. Below are just a few of the proven benefits of meditation:

•  Reduces stress & anxiety 
•  Improves mood & behaviour 
•  Decreases negative habits & emotional
  reactivity
•  Boosts brain function & improves focus, energy
  & creativity 
•  Improves digestion & can help with weight
  control
•  Decreases tension related pain
•  Relieves sleep related problems
•  Improves relationships & develops compassion 
•  Can help with depression, addictions & stress
  related illness
•  Improves immune function 
•  Lowers blood pressure & decreases
  inflammation
•  Promotes a sense of peace, happiness &
  wellbeing

Research has shown that certain styles of meditation are able to generate a more restful state in the body than almost every other form of relaxation, even beating sleep in many studies. During this type of meditation, the ‘rest & digest’ mode of the nervous system is activated, enabling the body to use its resources for repair and recovery and reducing the stress related hormones in your system. In addition, alpha, delta and theta brain waves are generated that stimulate the pineal gland in the centre of the brain, which helps to regulate the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is the body’s natural aid to healing and is responsible for regulating sleep patterns, lowering stress levels, and boosting the immune system. Studies show that a regular meditation practice actually reshapes your brain, and research is even proving that meditation could be the best-kept anti-ageing secret of them all!

Getting started is simple. All that’s really required is your commitment to just stopping for a while and being still, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. Starting a meditation practice is a loving commitment to yourself and to taking care of your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, so see if you can really allow yourself to completely put everything down for a while and simply ‘be’. The best attitude for meditation is an open heart and mind, free of any expectation or agenda. Besides the willingness to be open and receptive to whatever arises, all you need is a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed and a comfortable ‘nest’ or chair to meditate in. 

It is not selfish at all to dedicate time to meditation. Quite the opposite, as we begin to discover our own inner peace through meditation, it spills over into our daily life and can be felt by our family, friends and all those whom we come into contact with, helping to awaken the same peace within them. In fact we do a great service to all those who we love when we commit to a meditation practice, so don’t feel guilty!

When interruptions arise in meditation, simply begin afresh, using the body to bring your attention back to the present moment. Feel the movement of your breath and the current sensation of your body. Feel the effect the interruption has had on your nervous system and notice the effect it has had on your mind. How we meet these interruptions in our meditation practice can be a helpful reflection of how we meet the challenges of our daily lives, giving us insight into our habitual resistance and reactivity. It is this insight that is one of meditation’s greatest values. Just as in our daily lives, it’s not always possible to escape all interruptions during meditation. Meditation is not about creating the perfect environment in order to find peace of mind, but discovering a deeper peace that isn’t dependent upon the absence of interruptions or any particular condition of the mind, body, or world. Otherwise we are simply delaying our peace until some perfect time in the future, which might never happen! 

One of the things we learn when we commit to a regular meditation practice is that all feelings come and go, and that it is the nature of feelings to constantly change. Trying to hold onto or create a particular feeling inevitably leads to frustration and suffering. Meditation is not about achieving a permanent state of calm at some point in the future, but accessing that deeper aspect of our being which is effortlessly calm under all circumstances and meets all situations with an intelligent, loving response in any given moment. The more familiar you become with this deeper aspect of your being during your meditation practice, the more familiar it will be during your daily life. Meditation gives you a greater awareness and insight into your habitual reactivity to whatever triggers you. With regular practice, you might find more space opening up between these triggers and your reaction, along with greater clarity and perspective about the situation. So don’t look for any particular state of mind either during or after your meditation practice, but simply be open to whatever arises, trusting that whatever form that takes, it is ultimately just what you need on your path to true peace, love and happiness. 

Simply start afresh at any time. Nothing will have been lost from having let your meditation practice lapse, and any moment is a new opportunity to start again, no matter how long it’s been or what’s happened in-between.

True Rest incorporates techniques from different styles of meditation. It utilises mindfulness, body sensing, and self enquiry as a portal to being or presence. The essence of True Rest is to simply abide as awareness, allowing experience to unfold naturally.

It can be helpful to meditate at a regular time each day, so that it becomes a new habit. This can be at any time of the day or evening that suits you. However, although a certain amount of discipline can be helpful, don’t let meditation become a duty or chore, but something that you do when you feel called to. Try not to think of meditation as something that you ‘should’ do, but something that you do for the love of it.

Yes, meditation is open to everyone! So many people either don’t start or don’t persevere with meditation because they believe they are not cut out for it, their mind is naturally too busy, or they find it impossible to be still for any length of time. Just as when you start anything new, it might take your mind and body some time to get used to being still. Don’t give up, it is well worth persevering! The energies of our minds and bodies constantly fluctuate, so you will naturally find it easier sometimes rather than others. Each meditation session is completely fresh and unique. Remember that it’s not about controlling or making an enemy of your mind, but observing it without judgement and awakening to its true nature.

Choose a place where you can be comfortable, warm and relatively free of distractions. This could be at home, work, or somewhere outdoors. As your commitment to meditation grows, it will become something that goes beyond a formal practice and part of the fabric of your life. In this respect, meditation is a possibility at all times and in all places.

It’s best to wear loose, comfortable, warm clothing. The style of my guided meditations involves a deep relaxation of the body, so your temperature can drop. It’s a good idea to have extra clothing or a blanket to keep you warm. If you’re at work, loosen any tie or belt that you may be wearing, so that you can breathe deeply and freely.

If you are sitting for your meditation, try to do so with your back straight, but without it being rigid or uncomfortable. See if you can find that balance of just enough effort so that you are bright and aware, without your body tensing up. If sitting like this is uncomfortable for you, sit in a way that your body feels completely supported, using any props that are helpful. Often our bodies are already uncomfortable because of illness or chronic tension, so we don’t want to add to that discomfort. When the body is uncomfortable, the mind will tend to be distracted. Although some meditation traditions place a great emphasis on posture, and there are valid reasons for this, I believe that the attitude we bring to our practice is more important. Approaching meditation with sincerity and the willingness to meet experience in an open way is more important than any hard and fast rules about posture. Don’t turn your meditation practice into a doctrine or an endurance test, but let it be a time of gentle openness to your experience as it unfolds.