Meditation is practiced in various religious traditions and is therefore not “exclusively” Buddhist. You could think of meditation as a break from your busy life, where you take a few deep breaths and turn your attention inward. What you discover is not necessarily something religious, but yourself:  your thoughts, feelings, deeper beliefs, patterns and personality traits.

Distracting thoughts are normal during meditation. It is important to acknowledge these thoughts and let them pass without judgment. Then gently return your attention to your breathing or the focus point of your meditation.

If you sit still for a while, you will notice that you are actually thinking all the time. You think about your agenda for today, how your friend is doing, about the garbage that still needs to be cleaned up, about a comment from a colleague at work, etcetera. Because your mind is always running, there is no space  to experience yourself and this moment. Of 30NOW meditation trains the mind to experience this space again and to return to the here and now. 

The process of meditating is similar to building your fitness through sport, or learning to play an instrument. Only if you practice and keep doing this for a long time, you will experience the effects.

The degree and time in which you experience an effect differs per person. There are people who notice strong effects after the first time, while others notice mild effects after two weeks or only two months. Please give yourself the space and time to investigate this yourself. You will almost certainly experience positive effects in the long run.

The ideal duration of a meditation session varies per individual. For beginners, 5-10 minutes is a good starting point. As you become more comfortable you can gradually increase this. The most important thing is consistency, not the length of the session.

Hundreds of scientific studies have been conducted on the health effects of meditation. The results generally indicate that people who meditate regularly have better mental and physical health than people who do not meditate.

Meditation can have a positive effect on the treatment of depressive symptoms, but usually especially if you are already on your way back from a depression. In the case of depressive complaints, we therefore recommend that you first consult your doctor or practitioner before you start meditating. 30NOW/ meditation.

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Falling asleep during meditation is a common occurrence. This could be a sign of relaxation or fatigue. Try practicing meditation at a different time or in a less comfortable position to stay awake.

No, meditation is basically very simple. But because of our often entrenched patterns and beliefs, it sometimes feels more difficult than you would expect. We are used to directly condemning or overthinking all thoughts, emotions and events.
You can say that the difficulty of meditation lies in its simplicity.

That is a common misconception. Meditating can have direct benefits for your own well-being, but at the same time people around you will experience that you feel better about yourself. That you pay more attention – to them too! – and that you are more patient or kind towards you  family, friends, your partner or colleagues. In short, meditation can help to improve relationships.

According to the dictionary, meditation stands for: “contemplation, reflection, concentration on the inner self”. There's little silliness about it.
It is a practical training in becoming aware of what is going on inside yourself. However, it originally comes from Asia, which means that the method is unknown to many people. In addition, it quickly evokes associations with incense, lotus postures, Buddha figurines and meditation cushions. Funnily enough, these elements are not necessary at all in meditation, but some find these aspects helpful.

Yes, anyone can learn to meditate. Meditation is a training of the mind and social status, religion or age, for example, are not an obstacle. It only takes an investment of time and perseverance to meditate.

You can, but at 30NOW we bring theory and practice together so that you only need a quiet seat and a listening ear to experience the power of meditation. This takes less energy and effort than when you first read up on yourself and then gain experience in practice. In addition, you are there with 30NOW sure that you are easily in contact with experienced counselors and kindred spirits who are also working on this. 

Yes, meditation can stimulate creativity and problem-solving skills by freeing up the mind and allowing new perspectives and ideas to emerge.

Yes, meditation can be effective in managing chronic pain. It helps shift the focus from the pain and can change the brain's perception of pain. Mindfulness and body scan meditations are particularly helpful in this regard.

Yes, meditation can help improve relationships by increasing empathy and patience, and reducing stress and reactive emotions. Mindfulness meditation is particularly effective in promoting emotional intelligence and communication skills.

Of course. Worrying is thinking in circles, and that is very difficult to break, especially at night. Through meditation, you learn to notice those thoughts sooner and let go of them with what view from a distance. With this the thoughts will make you less in control.

Yes, meditation and yoga complement each other well. Yoga prepares the body and mind for meditation through physical postures and breathing exercises. Many people find that yoga deepens their meditation practice.

If you meditate regularly, you can have spiritual experiences. Through the exercises focus more on the present moment. In this moment you can glimpse spiritual dimensions. Ultimately, being consciously present in body and mind is already a spiritual activity in itself.

Just like sports and playing an instrument, practice is needed to learn the skill. With meditation you train the mind to stay mentally fit; this calls for structural repetition. Daily training is especially important in the first four weeks to build up a routine and experience concrete change.

No, you don't have to believe in anything! 30NOW uses effective meditation techniques that have been scientifically researched. These are separate from religion, gurus and beliefs. The point is that you yourself will investigate how meditation can work for you. For that you need some patience, trust and perseverance, but no faith. 

In general, the mornings are the most pleasant when you start meditation. But it is advisable to take the sessions at the time of day that suits you best so that you don't have to force yourself. Meditating is also great when you come home from work or before you go to sleep.

Find a reasonably quiet, comfortable place where you won't be easily disturbed. It helps if you associate this place with tranquility; so not behind a full desk or next to a full laundry basket. But important is that you 30NOW can listen anywhere, so you can also just close your eyes.

Although mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism, you don't have to be a Buddhist at all to practice mindfulness. The well-known American professor Jon Kabat-Zinn developed mindfulness training forty years ago by detaching the technique of meditation from the Buddhist context and making it accessible to Westerners. Religion is not involved in the training, but accessible meditation exercises, yoga and other ways to learn to live more consciously. Meanwhile, the MBSR (English: mindfulness-based stress reduction) and MBCT (English: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) are very popular and fully accepted in the West.

Mindfulness refers to:

• The mindfulness training, developed to teach people to live more consciously and to deal with stress, thoughts and emotions differently.

Dzogchen, also known as “the Great Perfection” in Tibetan Buddhism, is an advanced form of meditation and spiritual practice that aims to gain direct insight into the nature of the mind and reality. It is considered one of the most refined and profound practices within Tibetan Buddhism.

Dzogchen is rooted in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and is also called “Atiyoga”, which means “the highest yoga”. It is considered the most direct and immediate approach to enlightenment and often requires an experienced teacher to guide the practitioner through the stages of practice.

The core of Dzogchen meditation is to directly recognize our true nature, our “rigpa” (original consciousness), which is naturally pure, clear and radiant. It is the realization of our own “buddha nature”, that is, that we are already enlightened in essence. Unlike some other meditative approaches, Dzogchen does not seek to change, transform, or achieve something new, but to realize what is already naturally there.

Dzogchen practice includes various meditative techniques, such as “rigpa” meditation, which involves observing consciousness and recognizing the essence of the mind. There are also techniques aimed at transcending concepts and duality to enable direct awareness of the nature of the mind.

Heart meditation, also known as “metta meditation” or “loving-kindness meditation,” is a meditative practice aimed at cultivating loving-kindness and compassion toward yourself and others. It is a common form of meditation in Buddhist traditions, but it is also practiced in other spiritual and secular contexts. Heart meditations can also focus on other heart qualities, for example: gratitude, fellow joy and equanimity.

The core of heart meditation is to develop a sense of unconditional love, kindness, compassion and goodwill for all living beings, including yourself. It is based on the realization that every being has the desire to be happy and avoid suffering, and that we are all connected in this desire for happiness.
The purpose of heart meditation is to increase compassion, love and compassion for ourselves and others, transforming negativity and promoting a positive, loving attitude towards the world around us. It is a powerful meditative practice that helps cultivate an open heart and a deeper understanding of our connection with others.

A mantra is a word or phrase that is repeated during meditation to focus and calm the mind. Mantras can help reduce distracting thoughts and achieve a deeper state of meditation.”

Feelings are usually recognizable experiences in your body. For example, when you are stressed, you may feel tension in your neck and shoulders. You also feel emotions in your body, for example sadness as a lump in your throat or anger as warmth and palpitations. 

Thoughts are the images, memories, beliefs, judgments, and reflections that roam through your head, often causing feelings.