Spoiler: Meditation isn’t all about sitting in complete stillness and silence
Photos: SSMY
An urban retreat with modern facilities and a homely vibe.
For someone who’s been practicing yoga for close to three years now, it seemed almost blasphemous that I’ve never tried meditation.
Yoga classes had always been a source of post-work respite for me, where I’d work up a sweat by flowing through the various asanas.
Little did I realise, the physical aspect of yoga is a mere fraction of the mindfulness taught by the ancient discipline.
I tried my first ever meditation class at The School of Meditation and Yoga (SSMY), which has opened its first yoga studio in Singapore — and lived to tell my tale.
The instructor strummed a guitar as we sang to the mantras taught.
An urban retreat
Stepping into the space, I felt like I’d entered an urban retreat with modern facilities and a homely vibe. Our meditation session kicked off with a breath-led repetition of a single mantra “gau ra ang ga”, which translated to an ancient phrase “The Lord who has a Golden Complexion”.
To my surprise, mediation wasn’t all about sitting in complete stillness and silence — which would’ve probably left me feeling much anxiety, considering how restless I tend to be.
Slowly but surely, the syllables of the mantra rolled about my tongue with ease and I felt soothed by the process.
Following that, Sriman Japadas, our guru instructor, passed meditation beads to each of us. We were to chant a slightly longer mantra this time as we rubbed each bead.
Attaining clarity
This proved to be a bit of challenge for a beginner like myself, as I lost count of the beads in no time and could only try to catch up.
To end off the class, we were given a taste of yoga kirtan, a form of meditation fused with music.
The instructor strummed a guitar as we sang to the mantras taught. The melodious tune reverberated in my mind, and I felt like my thoughts achieved some form of clarity.
Did I feel more spiritual after? Nope, not quite. But there’s no doubt the session left me feeling more relaxed and revitalised than before.
Apart from meditation, SSMY also offers the usual forms of yoga such as hatha, yin and hot yoga. Single 60-minute or 90-minute classes cost $45, while 10 and 20 Classes cards cost $400 and $680 respectively.
Plus, for those keen, the studio is also offering free meditation classes.
More information here.
Update: SSMY has closed, effective 31 Mar 2017.
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