Meditation school will train new teachers in response to growing popularity of the practice
The British School of Meditation has launched at the Isbourne Holistic Centre in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The school has been established in response to a growing need for teachers of the practice, said the founders.
Co-founder Mary Pearson, who is the author of Meditation the Stress Solution, said: “In today’s frantic world more and more people are turning to meditation as a way to calm their busy minds. Stress is a huge problem and many people are looking for a way to reduce their stress and live happier lives.”
A spokesperson for the Isbourne Holistic Centre said that meditation is also becoming widely recognised as a tool for improving wellbeing and creating positive change for individuals and communities.
Reported benefits of meditation include stress and anxiety reduction, calmness, enhanced clarity and focus, better sleep, lower blood pressure, weight loss, looking younger and a boost to the immune system.
In 2011, hundreds of people gathered in public spaces around the globe for ‘flash mob’ meditation sessions, including several in London as well as other UK cities from Brighton in the south to Aberdeen in Scotland.
While meditation is becoming increasingly popular, Mary Pearson and fellow meditation teacher Helen Galpin believe there is a distinct lack of face-to-face training available for meditation teachers. They founded the British School of Meditation in response, which will provide Open College Network (OCN) accredited courses.
Through the school, the founders aim to play a part in spreading peace in the world. Galpin, who is also director of The Nutrition Centre chain of shops in Gloucestershire, said: “Teaching meditation has helped both Mary and myself find peace and happiness in our lives. It is a great joy to be able to help people find time to ‘just be’ and switch off from the daily grind.”
Meditation teacher training courses begin on Saturday 14 January 2012.
