Sharing the skills to relax and become a happier person has led a Richmond woman to initiate free meditation sessions in the park.
Diana had her first session last week at the gazebo in Washbourn Gardens and says the best part about sharing her meditation skills is seeing happy results.
Her interest in the mind led her to study neuroscience which dealt with the science of the mind. But she still had philosophical questions and a scientist suggested she go on a mediation retreat.
“It was a pivotal point of my life. I became more peaceful; I had a sense of inner freedom and I was happier and more content.”
She says the tools to enable the mind to relax, become clear and more effective should be more accessible and mainstream as society has become more stressful and reliant on devices.
“Especially with our smart phones where everything is designed to get that instant gratification. That’s why kids’ attention span is a lot shorter now. They don’t have the tools to deal with boredom, craving or dissatisfaction and normally they reach for their phones or put on video games or go to the fridge.
“By relaxing the body, they can relax the mind. The mind becomes clearer because it’s doing less. By training the brain in this way, a brain actually changes in structure in beneficial ways.”
She says meditation is like the software that can change the hardware of the brain.
When it comes to her desire to share her skills, she says it is a natural instinct for humans to share and the act of sharing or giving makes them happier.
She has previously held free meditation sessions overseas and now that she is living in Richmond, she wants to give locals of all ages the opportunity to get together and meditate as a group. Just a few people attended the first session where she guided them through the meditation process to relax their body and mind. If there is enough interest, she says they can meet each week.
Initially, she will show up at Washbourn Gardens at 3pm on Saturdays where there is already some seating for people under the gazebo. She says anyone who is interested can bring a chair or mat so they are comfortable and can relax. She has set up an email at meditaterichmond@gmail.com for anyone interested in finding out more.
