Meditation Calms my Monkey Mind

Meditation Calms my Monkey Mind

By Kenneth Ng, www.soulcentre.org

SoulCentre Certified Meditation Teacher
16th May 2018

Our minds are super machines that don’t quite rest! Once we are awake from our sleep, thousands of thoughts, both positive and negative, start flooding our mind, like a tsunami throughout the day. No wonder then, that the meditation masters refer to our mind as the ‘Monkey Mind’, that’s constantly restless, agitated and frequently exhausted too!

Thus training the mind to be peaceful and positive becomes very important. The question is, ‘how?’ Personally, meditation is the way to go for me, as it transforms the mind, making it clear, positive and liberated.

I am a trained counsellor and an avid blogger, who writes articles about positive living and life musings (talesofthepomegranates.wordpress.com). I believe that mastering one’s mind, through meditation and mindfulness practices, is an important ingredient to living life positively. However, before I started learning, I had a misconception that meditation was a religious practice, and since I am not a religious person, when I wanted to learn meditation, I decided on SoulCentre after searching extensively online, as it seems to be reliable and reputable.

True enough, SoulCentre did not disappoint me. The lessons were fun, engaging and captivating. My teacher Vikas Malkani, made every lesson (and in fact every moment) inspirational. Vikas let us learn and experience his teaching and lessons in our own way and was always there to answer our most difficult questions about life.

There were so many 'ah-ha' moments in his lessons and the wisdom Vikas taught became my reminders or even anchors in my life now. And as for Vikas, he is huge! He is full of compassion for his students and his BIG smile can comfort you in the most amazing way! (http://www.soulcentre.org/founders-details)

The more I learnt and practiced meditation, the more I came to realise that it has been grossly misunderstood. Meditation is simply a scientific and systematic practice to tame one’s mind. Meditation is a form of mind exercise, and the way to a positive and liberated mind. It should be seen as a practice tool. And when practice is anchored to wisdom, our minds become calmer, more positive and liberated. With that, we make decisions more soundly and confidently and become healthier individuals as well.

I have been practicing meditation for more than a year now and I am already experiencing the many benefits – happier, more positive thoughts, better sleep, a greater confidence and a more complete awareness and sense of self.

Being inspired by Vikas, I completed my training to become certified as a Meditation Teacher with SoulCentre.

Meditation has certainly given me a renewed appreciation of life. If you want to learn what true meditation is, and enjoy its many benefits, connect with me at:

Kenneth Ng

+65 90610716
Kenneth.ng66@gmail.com

talesofthepomegranates.wordpress.com

Becoming a SoulKids Mentor was life changing

Becoming a SoulKids Mentor was life changing 

By Sally Forrest
Managing Director of SoulCentre, www.soulcentre.org

30th April 2018

Sally recently interviewed Swapna Menon to find out about her journey to become a SoulKids Mentor.

What made you decide to become SK Mentor?

I happened to glance at a SoulKids programme brochure in school and I was completely wowed by the benefits it talked about.

I decided to take the course thinking that how beautiful it would be to transform myself and others and to see children “blossom" from buds into beautiful flowers

Personally I think that the most beautiful thing one can give back to the world is to “create a difference in the lives to others”.

Did You enjoy the SoulKids Mentor training program?

Yes! Without a doubt, it was amazing.
I particularly liked the transformation I saw in myself and then in the people I interacted with.

I loved the tools and teaching techniques used and in particular the stories!
As individuals, all of us connect to stories. Our eyes and ears are totally focussed and engrossed when we listen to a great story.
The stories shared at the SoulKids Mentor training are simple, unique and life changing.

The learning is so profound.

I could grasp and connect to it really easily and it also helped to change my perspective and my attitude.

It made me realise that I am in charge of my life!
Every thought I have and every action I take brings change to me and to my life.

The most beautiful part of the programme was to watch Vikas in action as he taught the program. He has such authenticity and passion, moving from one story to another with high energy. He never tired and I was totally focussed and concentrating all the time. It was enjoyable and the time just flew by. I was mesmerised.

SoulKids Mentor training is a programme that transformed me as an individual.

Have you incorporated the teachings into your life? 

Yes, I immediately incorporated the teachings.
First I changed my thoughts as I realised that as individuals we have numerous thoughts coming to us every day.
Some thoughts can be positive while some can be negative.
Of course the positive thoughts are great, however one negative thought is enough to influence our entire day and can spoil the moment.

Of course it can be a challenge to always have positive thoughts, however now I have this new awareness I am making a daily effort to keep the negative thoughts at bay.

How have you used SK with your family? 

Yes, I use it with my family.

I have all the SoulKids books and I read the stories to my daughter.
She loved the stories so much that she asked to attend a SoulKids program.

Every day when the opportunity arises I reiterate the learning from the stories.

There are situations when she may be impatient or may not be happy with her results.
I take situations like this as an opportunity to help her learn key life lessons from SoulKids like to “be patient” and “to not give up”
The stories of the patient spider and Bruce Lee help her to realise everyone in life goes through challenges and it enables her to focus and to be eager to change.

Every story that SoulKids teaches has invaluable life lessons that really benefit children (and adults).

Have you been involved in teaching a SoulKids program?

Yes I have and I loved every minute of it.

It is so rewarding to make a difference in the lives of others.

I am a very energetic person and I bring lots of enthusiasm and drama while narrating stories. 

The children definitely enjoyed the program and certainly left happy and smiling.

Many thanks Swapna for this enlightening interview.

We wish you continued happiness and we know that each child who comes into contact with you will most certainly benefit.

For more details on SoulKids please do connect with us on soulkids@soulcentre.org

Meditation Made My Life Happy

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Meditation made my life happy

By Kim Dinh

SoulCentre Meditation teacher, www.soulcentre.org

26^th April 2018

I was a banker, a corporate professional who became a mum, and then decided to stay at home and take care of my daughter. This was also the first time I lived in a foreign country (Singapore) without family support.

It was challenging for me going from being an independent professional to a housewife and mother. I felt stuck because I was unable to work, and my health also started to decline. I even started to suffer from undiagnosed post-natal depression and other health issues after that.

I knew I needed a lot of support and I had read that meditation can make people calm. I had known about meditation and its benefits for more than 30 years, but all I thought meditation was, was to sit down, close your eyes and think of nothing. I could not do that. My mind then was very active and restless.

For many years, I had asked myself if it was possible to meditate without having to sit crossed-legs, being a Buddhist, becoming a vegetarian etc., and so I continued my search for a meditation teacher who could clear my mind, teach me the truth and give me guidance that worked, and I was determined to I find the best.

I eventually found such a teacher - my meditation teacher Vikas Malkani, the founder of SoulCentre in Singapore, Asia’s Premier Personal Development Centre. He is the World’s #1 Wisdom Coach, and he’s such a blessing for my life that I feel grateful everyday waking up, knowing I have found the best of the best to learn from.

At first, I intended to just learn meditation, learn how to tame my racing mind and to feel stronger inside. But after the second session of Meditation Made Simple, I was so impressed by the profound wisdom that Vikas was sharing with us and a simple and fun way that I decided to become a meditation teacher myself. The deep wisdom and simple meditation techniques I had learnt were extremely powerful and changed my life in just a few days, and I wanted to benefit others too with what I had gained from Vikas.

  

My life has changed completely since I took up meditation and put it into daily practice. Learning meditation with Vikas at SoulCentre was the best decision I have ever made in my life. I become much happier, calmer, stronger inside and a better mother to my daughter. Life became stress-free, clear and filled with wonderful opportunities for happiness and fulfilment that I could not see before meditation.

It took me almost a year to complete my meditation training and get my ‘certified meditation teacher’ qualification. I feel strong and safe knowing that I now have the best weapon to protect myself from whatever life throws at me, wisdom and meditation, and also knowing that I am a part of the SoulCentre family. We always have each other’s back.

I want to share the wisdom of meditation with as many people as possible because meditation will make life easier, happier and clear. The meditation we teach is really simple, easy, fun and best of all, non-religious. If you are searching for a way to control your mind, we are here to show you how to bring out the best in you, to live a happy and joyful life.

Name: Kim Dinh

Contact number: +65-90057849

Email:  dinhthienkim@yahoo.com

How to raise a confident daughter?

By Vidhya Shailesh, SoulKids® Program Manager, www.soulkids.org16th April 2018

Confidence is a nurtured skill. As children grow up, they go through phases of confidence in their own abilities followed by phases of self-doubt. Peer pressure, comparisons with their friends, changing social environment all contribute towards their own self-belief. As girls grow up, body image issues, the need to be accepted and belong among others can affect their confidence. As parents or guardians, we can support them through these formative years to help them grow into confident young ladies.

1.    Encourage assertiveness

Encourage your daughters to stand up to their choices. Often when girls find their friends are making different choices, they feel compelled to choose otherwise. Encourage them to be assertive. Train them to stand by their choices, train them to make their own independent choices. It might start with simple choices like what to eat at a meal. Encourage them to make these choices often and stand up to them.

2.    Encourage competence

Teach her that competence takes effort and persistence. And it is only through persistent effort that competence is built. Encourage her to focus on her strengths and build on them. It doesn’t matter what her strengths might be – it could be academics, arts or sports or anything else that she is really keen on. With effort, she can keep growing and this leads to greater self-belief. Refrain from making assumptions on her strengths and weaknesses.

3.    Never compare her with others

Comparisons with friends, peers or siblings hurt a child’s confidence the most. It makes them feel they are not good enough. And with girls, this can have a much deeper impact. Remember, all children are special in their own way. Appreciate her efforts not just the results. Tell her often how she is doing something well, or what you think is special about her. Girls often need reassurance and this is where parents play an important role. Don’t judge her mistakes. Instead help her rise above them. Help them understand that mistakes are normal. Speak openly about your own failures or mistakes and embrace them. Avoid setting perfect ideals for her to live up to. Instead encourage effort and growth.

4.    Encourage a healthy body image

As young girls grow into their pre-teen years, body image plays a very important part. As their bodies change, encourage them to be accepting. Start by complementing them often. Girls are often lured by the images they see in magazines and can get caught up in their own idea of a perfect body. Tell them constantly how beautiful they are just as they are. Help them appreciate imperfection.

5.    Encourage them to have positive role models

Encourage your daughters to have positive role models. Help them see the effort that is put behind the success and the causes for which their role models stand. A positive role model can help inspire your daughter and encourage her to have the right mindset.

At SoulKids® we teach all children to believe in themselves. We teach them to be happy just they way they are, to never compare themselves with others and grow their own strengths. Essential skills such as this when taught early, lay the foundation for the rest of their growing up years. We work with many children on group programs and on one-on-one basis.

Parents can also learn how to inspire their own children and bring out the best in themselves. Our mentor training program is specifically designed to train adults in the SoulKids® philosophy. Mentor training happens only once a year and we have people flying in from all over the world to get trained. Mentor training in 2018 is happening from April 22-26. Sign up for this transformational training program and grow your own life and be a positive influence on everyone around you.

To find out more about our programs or one-on-one coaching, please visit www.soulkids.org or email us atsoulkids@soulcentre.org for more information. Register your children for our transformational programs and help them grow in confidence.

Meditation Makes Me Unstoppable

Meditation makes me Unstoppable!

By Dr Veronique Blanc

PhD, Molecular Biologist and SoulCentre Meditation Teacher, www.soulcentre.org

11th April 2018

My life before meditation

When I was just a teenager, I would see my friends buy women magazines such as Elle, People etc, while I would buy magazines about the brain, how it works and its functions, because I had an avid interest in understanding human behaviours.

I had an enquiring mind and wanted to understand the big picture of how everything worked and connected together, but I was never satisfied by what I read or found.

My mum also told me recently that since I was very young, I wanted to become a Biochemist (even though I surely didn't know what it was back then, being so young!), and sure enough, I did become a Biochemist and Molecular Biologist.

I even got a PhD in Pathology (from a renowned London University) researching how cancer cells spread all over the body (metastases).

This was all interesting but also very frustrating as I couldn't grasp how it all worked out, so immersed in the details I was. The big picture was missing, I couldn’t connect all the dots.

I then decided to move into managing research rather than doing the research myself. I started by managing research centres in metabolic diseases such as Diabetes, and then, drawn by my deep desire, I dived into studying the genetics of neurological disorders such as anorexia/bulimia, schizophrenia, and the like.

However, I was still frustrated with the minutia of the research and the very little progress I was making. So I changed my path again, and managed a research centre in Environmental Sciences, where engineers get things done very fast and move forward with great progress.

I learnt a lot about the climate, urban air and water pollution, as well as robotics. I also learnt about marine corals and mangroves, and the impact of humans on their environment. Quite varied and interesting subjects.

Along the way I also gave birth to two beautiful children and as a good mother I was driven to give them the best possible food, environment and love I could provide. This had a tremendous impact on my life, as it triggered the awakening of my long-term desire for deeper understanding of the human mind and body. There I was again, back to square one!

My discovery of meditation

One day, when I was looking for something to centre my oh-so-energetic 4-year-old, I stumbled upon SoulCentre (www.soulcentre.org) and its SoulKids program. I thought it sounded great.

They also offered classes for adults about Meditation and being the researcher that I am, I decided to try it for myself before I would send my child there.

My scientific mind wanted something that I could understand and see proof of, and a teacher who could explain everything in a scientific and systematic manner; I was not going to become a student of anything woo-woo.

Starting out, I had no particular understanding or interest in meditation as I thought it was not for me to just sit doing nothing for hours, waiting for things to happen. This was my misconception of meditation then. But I was still curious, so I went to SoulCentre.

That was the turning point of my life. Little did I know that I was embarking on a great enlightening journey of knowledge and wisdom, where all my thirst for understanding the human mind, body and their interactions and resulting behaviours would be satisfied!

My training in meditation and wisdom

I soon learnt that meditation is a science, the science of the mind! How brilliant is that? I also realised that for nearly all my adult life I had been confused, like most people are, by the brain/mind conundrum. Now I realised the difference between the brain and the mind, and even better, I understood how to train my mind to trigger my brain and body to actually do what I want to do.

Learning meditation at SoulCentre was a dream come true in many ways!

I trained with Vikas Malkani personally, for a whole year, to become a SoulCentre certified Meditation Teacher (http://www.soulcentre.org/teacher-certification-programs) . I started with ‘Meditation Made Simple’, the beginners program and continued all the way to complete the Meditation Teacher Training with SoulCentre.

My life has been transformed from the inside out, and I feel so much happier, lighter, joyful, love towards myself and others, excited about life in general, more stable, peaceful and just present.

I've come out of my shell, and I'm now aligned with who I really am! Priceless!

Vikas Malkani is known as the Worlds #1 Wisdom Coach. He is a man of wisdom who coaches Hollywood stars, royalty, millionaires, sports champions, top CEO’s, award-winning entrepreneurs, educators, doctors, psychologists, life coaches, and countless others to maximize their personal and professional success.

This learning experience with SoulCentre founder Vikas Malkani has been, is and will always be one of the most transformative encounters of my present life.

I can't get enough of these truths that just put my mind and heart at peace.

My future in meditation

SoulCentre has won multiple awards for their unique transformational training programs and professionalism in teaching. Clients from over 40 countries have benefitted from the inspiration, wisdom and training that SoulCentre provides.

As a certified teacher of meditation, I want to bring the wisdom and techniques of meditation to as many people as I can.

Everyone seeks to be happy and fulfilled; to be stress free and enjoy inner peace; to bring out their best potential. And meditation is the way.

This wisdom needs to be shared far and wide. And I'm up for it! I am unstoppable now!

Connect with me to start your meditation journey. Life will never be the same again.

Dr. Veronique Blanc

+65 9772 2454
vero@soulmetaphysician.com