What is group meditation, and why do people do it?

Meditation is exercise for the mind, and like any form of exercise — some people prefer to do it alone, and others like the accountability that comes with joining a group and meeting at the same time, on the same day, every month. What's more, some people benefit from meditating in a group setting as they enjoy sharing the experience with others, and the feeling of human connection.

What is meditation, and what are the benefits?

People who practise meditation are able to relax their minds and bodies, and in turn that helps them put things into perspective and let go of beliefs and ideas that can be causing them undue stress and worry.

Most of us are distracted most of the time and we struggle to give our full attention to the things that matter. While spending time with people we care about, we’re often distracted and struggle to listen as we’re making mental lists of the many things we haven’t done or think we should be doing instead. We make judgements about ourselves and others without pausing to notice our thoughts and where they’ve come from. And we often lack the ability to make decisions — we either delay them, or make them quickly with minimal thought, as we haven’t got the capacity to give our full attention to one thing at a time.

Physically doing things and mentally thinking about doing things is what most of us do every day, all day. We’re constantly on the go, and even if we don’t look like we’re doing something — we’re probably thinking, or worrying about the things that we need to do or haven’t done yet. Feeling the need to be constantly productive can be exhausting, it can cause us to feel overwhelmed and anxious, and mean that we’re far less efficient in the long term.

Making time to notice how and why we’re thinking, feeling or behaving in a certain way, and how and why our actions and emotions could be affecting us and those around us can be transformational. It’s a paradox, but the process of slowing down tends to provide us with more time and space for the things that matter. This process of pausing and reflecting helps us to connect with our minds, hearts and bodies, and understand where we’re at.

Want to try group meditation? Here's how to start

Join me for a complimentary group meditation on the second Monday of the month, 6.45-7.30pm (UK time).

Space to Be is a group meditation facilitated by me — Karen Liebenguth. Sessions will take place via Zoom on the second Monday of each month. Sessions are free of charge and open to anyone who has a desire to pause, connect and increase their perspective through practising meditation.