Spiritual Coaching, Workshop, and Retreat Services: Why We Offer Meditation and Mindfulness

Introduction/Background

At Spirit Tree, we integrate many spiritual modalities into our spiritual coaching sessions, workshops, and retreats. You might be wondering, with so many modalities available, “Why did Spirit Tree select these specific practices?” This is a great question, and so it will be answered in this blog series.

This is the second blog in the series and will focus on meditation and mindfulness. There are so many benefits to meditation and mindfulness and it is essential that we support our minds and emotions during our spiritual journey to be our spiritual best.

Did you know the first public offering made by Spirit Tree was a meditation/mindfulness workshop that we put on for an elementary school here in Calgary back in 2017? Other meditation/mindfulness events have been offered since 2013 but they were for established private groups.

It started with a presentation for the teachers called Mindfulness: Connecting Mind, Body and Breath, and from there we specifically developed a mindfulness workshop for the students and slightly modified it for the parents. It was a privilege and honor to have been able to offer this workshop for the school and I ran into some old high school classmates, now parents of some of the kids at the school!

What are Meditation and Mindfulness?

While there are many opinions on this matter, we like to keep things simple and practical and say they are two sides of the same coin. Meditation typically involves a pre-determined focus such as the breath, sensation, or even an object coupled with specific postures and breathing sequences.

Mindfulness can be defined as being aware of whatever is present in the moment. For example, if you are riding a bike and you place your focus on the sensation between your hands and the handlebar, this could be seen as a type of mindfulness.

Meditation can be traced back over 3500 years ago to ancient Vedantic texts in India and there are pictures of people meditating as far back as 7500 years ago. This being said, meditation is likely much older than the records and art indicate. A form of meditation can be attributed to most major religions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. and in recent years has expanded into spirituality and atheism.

The roots of mindfulness can be traced back to early Buddhism. Some claim it goes back even earlier to Hinduism because it is so closely connected to meditation. Regardless of its origin, the term “mindfulness” was popularized in the west by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 when he founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.

There are many types of meditation and mindfulness available today. Some forms are from more established schools that claim they can trace their roots back to the Buddha such as Vipassana. Others are newer methods from contemporary teachers and they typically also offer many health benefits.

At Spirit Tree, we incorporate meditation and mindfulness practices from many traditions around the world (including ancient and modern times). What’s even more unique is that we have created and designed meditations based on this broad experience (including what we have found does and doesn’t work) as well as meditations that came to us during our own personal spiritual practices.

Regardless of the type of meditation or mindfulness you choose, start by meditating daily for 10 minutes and then work up to 30 mins or more a day and observe any changes in your life. Sometimes changes are slow and gradual and sometimes they are fast and sudden depending on the person and the practice. However, if you find little to no change over 30 days of practice then we suggest trying another type of meditation or mindfulness.

Who Practices Meditation/Mindfulness?

Many people over the ages have held a meditation practice. Examples of historical figures who’ve meditated include:

• Socrates
• Plato
• Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)
• Saint Augustine Teresa of Avila
• Saint Ignatius of Loyola
• Voltaire
• Arthur Schopenhauer
• Gandhi

More recent examples of famous meditators include celebrities such as:

• Clint Eastwood
• Katie Perry
• Madonna
• Hugh Jackman
• Russell Brand
• Jerry Seinfeld
• Paul McCartney
• Oprah Winfrey
• Ellen Degeneres

And athletes such as:

• Michael Jordan
• Joe Namath
• Arthur Ashe
• Lebron James
• Derek Jeter
• Barry Zito
• Kobe Bryant
• Misty May-Treanor
• Kerri Walsh

Now those are three lists of very accomplished people. Maybe there is something to this meditation/mindfulness thing after all! 😉

Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness Practices

Keep in mind, there are elements of mindfulness in meditation and elements of meditation in mindfulness. Both practices involve disrupting thought patterns, directing focus, and improving mental health. Improving mental health is critical in these times and fortunately, there are also many other benefits.

Both require practice, and both have been found to offer many benefits to practitioners, including:

• Increases energy, creativity, and intuition
• Decreases stress and fatigue
• Improves clear thinking under pressure
• Enables emotional regulation
• Enhances learning and memory
• Improves attention and focus
• Enriches problem-solving
• Heightens awareness of self and others
• Elevates compassion for self and others
• Connecting you to your breath

As you can see, there are many benefits to a regular meditation or mindfulness practice which is why we decided to integrate them into our services. Oh… and we love the practice and think if you give it a try, you may love how it can help you too!

NOTE: While meditation and mindfulness can offer these and other benefits, please ensure you consult an experienced teacher to ensure you get the most out of your practice.

Conclusion

In this blog, we discussed what mindfulness and meditation are, some famous people who practice meditation, and the benefits of a practice. Hopefully, it’s clear why Spirit Tree decided to integrate meditation and mindfulness into its services.

We believe a healthy mind helps us feel good and allows us to focus on our spiritual journey. Meditation and mindfulness offer us so many benefits, and for us to be our best spiritual selves, we also have to take care of our body, mind, and soul.

If you are interested in pursuing some meditation and mindfulness services with Spirit Tree but still not sure, we suggest you check-in and listen to your inner knowing (some people call it intuition, heart, or "spidey sense").

If you find you are drawn to discovering and exploring your spiritual self through meditation and mindfulness, then we suggest you listen to your inner knowing and take action by booking a session today. There are One-On-One Spiritual Coaching Introductory Specials (available on the "Book Online" page) to help you get started on your journey.

For more information, please check out our services page or book your introductory coaching session today on our "Book Online" page, as we have some special offers available for a limited time.