
When you see the word ‘meditation’, what’s the first image that comes to mind?
Chance are you’re envisioning someone sitting upright with their eyes closed, their legs crossed and tucked under one another and a serene expression on their face — usually in total isolation in some kind of natural setting.
Basically, how Don Draper looked in the final scene of Mad Men:
That's not a spoiler, right?
That's what pop culture and stock images would have us believe. In reality, meditation can take a variety of forms — and not all of them involve sitting in the lotus potion and chanting 'om' while silhouetted against a sunset.
At Centred Meditation in Sydney, the first guided meditation drop-in studio in Australia, it happens in an armchair with a blankie.
Nestled right in the heart of the CBD, Centred Meditation offers strung-out city workers a haven where they can just stop, breathe and not focus on their KPIs for half an hour. That sounded pretty appealing, so some of the Mamamia team booked in for a late session.
After-work drinks with colleagues is one thing, but the thought of meditating with them was... different, to say the least.
After arriving at the centre and sipping some tea, we settled into our armchairs. Co-founder Nikki Jankelowitz insisted our personal comfort throughout the session was paramount — we could use the cushions and blankets as we pleased, get up and move about, or fetch another cup of tea. The only rule: phones off. Fair enough.