Meditation eBook

Bene ts
Meditation
John F. Ledgar
Holistic Counsellor
and
Spiritual Healer.

Table Of Contents
01
Bene ts of Meditation
02 How can I learn to meditate?
03
How to meditate?
Keys to Meditation.
04
Time to meditate.
05
Whats next?
About John.

Bene ts of meditation
Meditation in is simplest form, is quieting of the
mind to enable you to gain a deeper understading
of who you are.
Through meditation you are able to connect with
your true-self and begin to live a life that is closer
to your true life’s path.
Meditation has been proven to be bene cial for
health, decreasing blood pressure, stress levels
and raises your overall sence of wellbeing.
Living a life, connected to our true life’s path leads
to more feelings of connection, contentment and
joy and less feelings of stress, depression and
anxiety.
This enables you to take some control over your
life back from a hectic and fast paced world.
Through meditation you can gain a greater
understanding of who you are, whilst at the same
time relieving symptoms of chronic illness,
depression and anxiety to name a few.
As a result of meditating you are able to connect
with your true-self and begin to live a life that is
closer to your true life’s path.
Living a life more connected to your purpose has
many bene ts beyond the physical and
psychological ones already mentioned. You gain
more satisfaction from life when you are
connected to your purpose.
It also has the bene t of releasing tension, and
creating a sense of peace and calm.
As stress levels decrease, this also has a positive
e ect on blood pressure, heart rate, respiration
and over all wellbeing.
John Ledgar - Holistic Counsellor and Spiritual
Healer
Page 1

How Can I Learn To Meditate
It’s a bit like riding a bike, once you’ve learned how to meditate then it’s a process you’ll
have access to the whole of your life.
But where can you learn to meditate?
There is a lot written about meditation on the internet, that is a good place to start
gather information to make your decission.
When you are starting out, it’s important to choose a meditation method that’s easy to
pick up.
I’d personally suggest a breathing meditation, a walking meditation or, if you prefer, a
“high tech” meditation like Insight TImer where all you need to do is sit down and play the
app. My personal preferance is to use visualisation to access a meditative state.
My suggestion is that once you are armed with the information, it is better to nd a
teacher who can work with you and answer your questions.
There are pluses and minuses to each of these methods, but as a general rule they are all
easy enough to pick up.
Once you’ve decided on a meditation method, trial it for a week or so to see whether or
not you really get on with it. If you do, keep going with it. If you don’t, then try another
method instead.
As with everything else in life, not everyone gets on with everything. There’s no
embarrassment if you nd you don’t like a particular method.
A week or two’s trial is a good length of time. Anything less and it’s unlikely you’ve given
the method a fair trial. After all, it probably took you more than one lesson to drive a car.
Do your best to meditate at the same time each day. We’re creatures of habit and this
includes meditation. Especially when you are learning something new, set aside a speci c
time of the day when you are most likely to be able to carry out your meditation practice.
Page 2

How to meditate?
Having decided that you want to learn to
meditate, now is the time to decide how
you want to learn to meditate.
There are a myriad ways you can meditate
and each has it bene ts.
You may choose a moving meditation such
as Tai Chi, Yoga, or walking meditation.
You may choose a chanting meditation, or
other forms such as Transendental
meditation.
I prefer to keep things simple.
My method of meditation utilises focussing
on my breath and visualisation.
Keys to meditation
I view meditation from a simplistic point of view, and as such keep things as simple as
possible.
In essence, meditation is an altered state of consciousness, some what similar to
hypnosis. We all enter into and out of this type of state several times during the day,
such as when we are sleeping , day dreaming and waking.
In meditation we are practicing to do these things with purpose.
The rst key for me is the breath. Focussing on the breath and using it to activate the
parasympathetic and help calm the sympathetic nervous systems. It also gives us
something to focus on whilst practicing meditation
The second key is non-attachment to your thoughts. Thoughts are like waves and will
ow in and out of your mind whilst you meditate, as they do to your mind throughout the
rest of the day.
My third key, is openess. Be completely open to the experience. Allow yourself to
experience whatever happens with an open heart and an intention of openess, well
knowing that nothing but good can come from it.
Page 3

Time to meditate.
Having explored and learned a bit about meditation. I would like to invite you to explore one of
my meditations.
Find a comfortable position to sit or lie down.
Begin to focus on your breathing.
Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, as if you are blowing out a candle.
Repeat this several times, until you feel relaxed and then resume your normal or regular
breathing patterns.
Imagine there are some stairs infront of you, begin to walk down them as I count:
1
2
3
4
5
At the bottom of the stairs you notice you have entered a vast crystal cave.
You explore the cave, using all your senses, pay special notice to your senses as well as to how
you are feeling.
Spend a few minutes reaching out with your feelings.
Begin to come aware of a large crystal in the centre of the cavern.
What colour is it? How does it make you feel?
Sit by the crystal and explore it with ALL of your senses. Reach out with your feelings and see
how it makes you feel inside. Can you hear it speak to you? Does it show you anything?
After spending several minutes exploring the crystal, give thanks for the knowledge it has shared
with you.
Walk back towards the stairs, ascend them as I count:
1
2
3
4
5
As you enter your room, begin to bring your focus back to your breath.
Breath deeply and calmly. Notice the sensations in your body. BEcome more aware of your
hands and legs. Wriggle your ngers and toes and when you are ready open your eyes.
Page 4

What next?
After nding the meditation style you like, work it into your daily routine.
Find a set time each day, where possible, to sit and meditate.
You may choose to look for someone to teach and guide you. Sitting in a meditation
circle or group can be a great supportive way to learn to meditate. You are able to share
your experience with several people and gain feedback from others about what helps
them to reach deeper levels of meditation.
You may want to sit after meditation to record, in writing, your experiences.
Depending on where you are on your meditation journey, you may even want to look into
developing your own meditation circle or group.
About John Ledgar
John is a Holistic Counsellor, Spiritual Healer, Kindergarten Teacher and a father of three
children.
He has been exploring spirituality on and o for over the last 20 years.
In the last year he has dedicated his life to exploring meditation and studying Holistic
Counselling.
At the end of 2019, John was running a small intimate meditation circle at his home in
Hampton Park Victotia Australia. At the moment he is exploring ways to bring his
meditation circles online to support his participants and the wider community who
require a positive outlet during these trying and di cult times.
If you are interested in connecting with John, contact him via the links on the following
page.
Page 5

Thank You
Connect with John.
Phone Number: 0417 801 201
Email: johnledgar11@gmail.com