Meditation

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What is Meditation at Torus?

Meditation is a component of healing that we find beneficial. Science-based meditation helps you to increase your awareness of yourself. The practice allows you to learn to feel your body and reconnect to it to become aware of the thoughts, feelings, and sensations you are experiencing and to learn how to heal your body. Trauma responses cause the nervous system to go into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. During these moments, we become stuck and reactive. When we learn to understand ourselves through meditation and as our nervous systems sink into quiet and still places, we can feel more calm and peaceful. The more we experience calm and peace, the more we allow our bodies to start to rewire our trauma responses. 

Meditation comes in many different forms, below are a few we offer at Torus and a common intention of that form of practice.

  • Breath/Mantra = enhances concentration
  • Calm Acceptance = stress resilience
  • Loving-Kindness = connection
  • Vipassana = attention
  • Mindfulness = anxiety
  • Contemplative = self-inquiry

Meditation & Mental Health

So many of us are experiencing stress on multiple levels. When we are under stress, increased levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) are released into the body. High levels or prolonged cortisol release can lead to inflammation. It also releases chemicals such as cytokines that promote anxiety and depression, increased blood pressure, poor sleep, and can lead to fatigue and cloudy thinking. 

Research has shown that meditation can reduce symptoms related to PTSD and Stress Disorders. Meditation makes it possible to lower anxiety related to Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Social Anxiety. A practice promotes emotional health, which can also lead to decreases in depression. 

Meditation can help you develop better awareness and understanding of yourself. Contemplative meditation offers self-inquiry to help you listen to yourself and notice your thoughts and habits to learn how to see them more clearly in your everyday life.

When we begin thought recognition, we can learn how to distinguish between helpful and unhelpful thoughts. This awareness can lead to changes in reactions as we start to see how much our thoughts are not realistic yet guide us throughout our days. They often are based on old stories or behaviors that stemmed from the past. 

Meditation also teaches us Loving-Kindness towards self and others. We learn to tap into our hearts, bring compassion for the self, and cut through the shame we experience. Loving-Kindness Meditations develop positive feelings, empathy, and compassion. 

Mindfulness of the present moment is also taught through meditation, which is needed to help slow down our bodies and teach us how to stay present when life is spinning out of control. It is a practice that teaches you how to observe, participate, and describe the current moment so that you do not live in the past or future, which often leads to unhealthy thinking and behavior.

What to Expect?

Torus Center offers opportunities for meditation practices in community or individually.

Meditation at Torus

Full Moon & New Moon Meditations

  • On or near the Full/New Moons of every month. Led by Jamie Kruse and focuses on journeys and energy work. Elicits deeper awareness of self, the Divine, transcendence, and connection.

Meditation Workshop

  • Hosted various times throughout the year with April Waldrop. For beginners and all levels. Focuses on the what and how of meditation through intentional learning and discovery.

Individual Yoga Sessions

  • Individual Yoga Sessions with April Waldrop or Tricia Fiske include a variety of meditations, tailored to you specifically. Learn more here.

Personalized Meditation Sessions

  • Jamie Kruse offers personalized meditation sessions both recorded and live, learn more here.

Free Meditations

Information on Workshops and Meditations can be found on our Community Experiences page here.