Recorded in a Meditation 1 class on 13/8/2026.

One of the most valuable things meditation gives us is space.

In daily life, our minds and bodies can become so crowded with thoughts, emotions, pressures, tensions and habitual reactions that we don't have the space to really see what is happening within us.

We can become so identified with what we're thinking and feeling that it simply feels like me — “that's just how I am”.

Meditation creates some space around all of this. As we become quieter and more spacious inside, we can begin to see the thoughts, feelings, fears, desires and habitual responses that may be influencing us without us fully recognising them.

What we don't see and feel can continue to drive our behaviour. We may react automatically, follow a desire, avoid a fear or adjust ourselves to something without ever really seeing what is influencing us.

With greater awareness, we can begin to be present with these things rather than immediately reacting to or avoiding them. And as something is seen and felt more fully, it can begin to lose its power over us.

This is one of the ways meditation can bring greater freedom inside — giving us more space to respond to life rather than simply being driven by our habitual reactions.

In this video, I explore how meditation creates this space, and how consistent practice can allow us to see and feel increasingly deeper layers of what is happening within us.

I am often asked what type of meditation I teach.  I usually answer by explaining that in many approaches to meditation (for beginners), there is a common thread that runs between them – they each give our attention something specific to focus on.  

Some common focal points are the breath, body sensation, a mantra, an external object, or simply being absorbed in something you love.

For most people the attention is usually absorbed in thought and emotion.  So giving a neutral focal point helps to regain a panoramic view of one’s inner landscape, rather than being zoomed in on the turbulence of the mind and emotions.

This allows the mind to slow down and the nervous system to settle.   The thoughts and feelings are no longer being fuelled by our constant unconscious attention.

The focal point I guide everyone’s attention to in my Meditation 1 classes is the body sensation.  This not only acts as a focal point for the attention but helps to bring awareness fully into the body.

As the practice develops in the Meditation 2 and Meditation 3 classes and there is less inner turbulence, the need for a focal point gradually falls away.  We can begin to rest more directly and easily in Being.

The Key to Meditation

What I call the Key to Meditation is the other main theme that runs through all of my classes and gives another insight into how I teach.  Below I have copied a description of this from my article “How Does Meditation Work?”:

“The key to settling into a meditative state is to start with where you are at. This means to become fully aware of any thoughts, tensions or disturbances that are active in the mind and psyche and to let them be as they are, to fully allow and accept them, without trying to change them.

This is the opposite to what most beginners do when they sit down to meditate. The habit to push away, distract from or suppress thoughts and emotions in order to meditate seems to be universal. I have observed that often people do not even know they are doing it.

When we meet the thoughts/emotions with our attention, seeing them exactly as they are and fully allowing them, the tension and conflict in relation to them relaxes. In the absence of this conflict, peace is naturally present and one is able to drop into a meditative state, even when the thoughts/emotions are still active and uncomfortable.”

The sense of ease is always present.  The attention just needs to be brought to it.  

This meditation guides the attention to do just that.  To connect with the sense of ease, our natural state.

As we do this the thoughts start to slow down, tensions relax and it becomes easier to be ok with whatever is present, even if uncomfortable.

You can then feel how pleasant it is in the body.  The nourishing sensation, the sense of equilibrium and well-being.

Recorded in a Meditation 1 class on 30/7/2026.

Recently, in the meditation classes we were speaking about the two major strategies the nervous system adopts to cope with pressure, stress and over-stimulation. 

As I was outlining these nervous system responses, everyone in the room could recognise them at play in their daily life.

With this recognition, they will begin to notice them more clearly - as they are happening – amid the pressures and strain of living. 

This seeing gives the opportunity to respond in a fresh way, without needing to fall into the normal habit grooves.

I was moved to record the video above a couple days later.  In it I address a common pitfall that often happens once someone starts to become aware of habits and behaviours (even if they are directly related to nervous system response) that they were not fully conscious of.

In this context it also gives a clear perspective on the purpose of meditation and mindfulness practices.

This free 21-Day Meditation and Mindfulness Challenge is for those wanting to de-stress, reduce anxiety, over-thinking and emotional reactivity.  

This challenge aligns to the first three weeks of the Meditation 1 beginner's course.

When you register for the challenge, you will receive an email each day with the following topics and a guided meditation for that day.

Day 1 – Meditation: Introduction, Purpose and Getting Started

Day 2 – The Key to Meditation

Day 3 – Meditation – The Mind’s Daily Shower

Day 4 – Meditation and Resistance, Part 1

Day 5 – Meditation and Resistance, Part 2

Day 6 – What Makes a Meditation "Successful"?

Day 7 - Meditation and Being

Day 8 – Meditation Review

Day 9 – Pausing – The simplest way to bring calm into your busy life

Day 10 – Pausing and the Momentum of the Mind

Day 11 – Power of the Pause

Day 12 – How Pausing Loosens Habits

Day 13 – Recognising the Body’s Cue to Pause

Day 14 – Noticing the Good Moments

Day 15 – Mindfulness: Introduction, Purpose and Getting Started 

Day 16 – Setting a clear intention and knowing the purpose for your practice 

Day 17 – Mindfulness and To Do Lists 

Day 18 – Mindfulness, Time and Efficiency 

Day 19 – Mindfulness and Multitasking 

Day 20 – Mindfulness and Emotion 

Day 21 – Mindfulness and Presence 

Many of us live much of our lives feeling dulled, tense, or slightly disconnected — as if something essential has gone quiet.

You may notice it in very ordinary moments.

A sense of restlessness, discomfort, or aliveness arises in the body, and without much thought, attention moves elsewhere.

We pick up the phone.

We stay busy.

We start thinking, eat something, or move on.

The moment passes.

And with it, the feeling of being fully here.

When this happens again and again, life continues — but we are no longer meeting it directly. Over time, this is what creates the sense of numbness, flatness, or being not quite alive inside.

When we turn away from these sensations — the small stirrings of energy, tension, or aliveness — the body doesn’t get a chance to settle on its own. Those signals stay quietly held, building fatigue, tension, or that flat, dulled feeling.

Staying with them, even for a moment, doesn’t mean forcing anything or trying to fix it. It simply means noticing what’s happening: the tightness in your shoulders, the flutter in your stomach, the heaviness in your chest. Let yourself follow the feeling — notice it move, shift, or expand — without judgment or expectation.

In this gentle noticing, the body begins to soften. Breathing can deepen. Energy can flow more freely. And slowly, the quiet numbness begins to come to life again.

Slowing Down and Feeling

Even a small pause can reconnect you with the life already present in your body.

Take a moment.

Notice your breath.

Feel your chest rise and fall.

Sense any movement, warmth, or tension in your body.

There’s no need to change anything, no need to push or fix. Just be present with what is.

Even thirty to sixty seconds of this simple noticing can help your body settle, allow energy to flow, and bring you back to your natural aliveness.

Exploring this further

Both the meditation classes and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy sessions I offer create space to move out of habitual tension and holding, and to rediscover the aliveness that is already here, felt directly in the body.

This 24-minute meditation guides you to meet yourself, what you are, honestly and authentically:  

“Raw, open, humble.

Meeting yourself in this honesty.

Not hanging on to any idea of yourself.

No projections of who you want to be.

Complete transparency with what you are.

Fully open, fully honest

There’s a humility in this.

Nothing to hide

Nothing to hide from

Fully laid open

Not claiming or imagining to be anything.

Just being in this humbled space.

The place of grace.”

This guided meditation is not recommended for complete beginners. 

Recorded in a Meditation 3 class on 27/10/2025.

Most people live with a quiet tension just beneath the ribs — a subtle holding born of control, protection, and emotional residue. This guided meditation invites you to bring awareness to the solar plexus and to meet whatever is felt there with present attention.

As the energy softens, what once felt contracted begins to open. Beneath the surface of effort and resistance lies a profound stillness — a vastness that has always been here, waiting to be recognised.

This practice is suitable for beginners and experienced meditators alike. It asks only one thing: a willingness to stay present with what is being felt and experienced.

So much of our health and well-being is shaped by the small, consistent choices we make each day.  This workshop teaches well-being as a daily practice.  Participants are invited to explore simple, restorative habits that support body, mind, and spirit. Through guided meditation, reflection and practical tools, you’ll discover how to integrate well-being, balance, and self-connection into your daily routine.

The focus is on creating sustainable practices that restore a sense of wholeness. By the end of the session, participants will have a clear plan to reduce stress, strengthen resilience, and cultivate lasting well-being.

Who is this for?

For anyone who wants to feel steady, more present, and more connected within themselves. Whether new or experienced, this practical workshop gives the space and opportunity to pause, reflect and map out the changes that will cultivate greater well-being in your daily life.

Date/Time:  Sunday, 18 January, 2:00-4:00pm  

Location:  Yyoga Roseville, Level 1, 94 Pacific Hwy, Roseville

Early Bird Price (until 11 Dec): $70