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 be supportive for depressive symptoms, especially when you are on the road back. Always consult your doctor first. 30NOW is not a substitute for professional help.

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Certainly! 30NOW is designed to make meditation accessible to everyone, even if you are just starting out. Especially 30NOW Next, of 30 Day Series en Learn to Meditate are accessible ways to get acquainted with 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 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," meaning "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 the direct recognition of 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 aim at change, transformation or achieving something new, but at realizing what is already naturally present.

Dzogchen practice includes various meditative techniques, such as "rigpa" meditation, in which one observes consciousness and recognizes the essence of mind. There are also techniques aimed at transcending concepts and duality to allow direct perception of the nature of mind.

Heart meditation, also known as "metta meditation" or "loving kindness meditation," is a meditative practice aimed at cultivating loving kindness and compassion toward oneself 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 may also focus on other heart qualities, such as gratitude, sympathetic 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.

Meditation is a practice of focusing and calming your mind. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that focuses on being aware of the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness can be practiced both inside and outside of meditation sessions.

To quote Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of modern mindfulness: “It is practicing your awareness, moment by moment, without judgment.”

A state of clear, non-judgmental, and non-wandering attention to the content of consciousness. Regardless of the experience, whether the content is pleasant or unpleasant.
Developing this quality of mind will help: reduce pain, anxiety, and depression; improving cognitive function; it even produces changes in gray matter density in brain regions related to learning and memory, emotional regulation and self-awareness.

Mindfulness is a mental state of awareness characterized by attentive and non-judgmental observation of the present moment. It is a practice that has its roots in Buddhist meditation, particularly in the Vipassana tradition, but it is now also widely applied in secular contexts and psychological therapies.
Essentially, mindfulness involves being fully aware of what is happening in the present moment, without judging the experiences. It involves observing thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and external circumstances without clinging to or rejecting what is happening. It is the cultivation of an open, accepting and non-reactive attitude towards the inner and outer world.
Mindfulness is often practiced through meditation, which involves focusing your attention on breathing, body sensations, sounds, or other objects of awareness. In addition to formal meditation, mindfulness can also be applied in everyday life, where you remain aware of your actions, thoughts and emotions as you perform various activities.
The benefits of mindfulness have been extensively studied and include reducing stress, improving concentration, emotional resilience, well-being and better self-regulation. It helps people to live more consciously, to enjoy the present moment more and to be less carried away by worries about the past or the future.

If you sit still for a moment, you notice that you are almost constantly thinking. Your agenda for today, that funny Instagram post, how your girlfriend/boyfriend is doing, the garbage that still needs to be taken away, a comment from a colleague at work, worries about the future, etcetera. Because your mind can run so fast, there is little room left to experience yourself and your surroundings in the moment. With meditation you train the mind to experience this space in the here and now. 

Origin: Vipassana comes from the Theravada Buddhist tradition, which spread mainly in countries such as Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Sri Lanka and parts of Southeast Asia.
Meaning: Vipassana means "insight" or "clear perception" in Pali, an ancient Indian language. It focuses on developing insight into the true nature of reality through mindful observation of bodily sensations, emotions, and mental processes.

Meditation Practice: Vipassana emphasizes observing the breath, body sensations and thoughts without judging them. This helps develop awareness, concentration and breaking illusions and identifications.

Origin: Zen, also known as Chan, originated in China and was later brought to Japan. It is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that also found its way to other parts of East Asia.

Meaning: Zen means "meditation" in Chinese. It emphasizes direct experience and intuitive insights into the nature of existence, beyond concepts and dualities.

Meditation Practice: Zen meditation, known as "zazen," is often practiced in sitting meditation (sitting on a cushion) or in moving meditation, such as "kinhin" (walking meditation). In zazen, the practitioner usually concentrates on the breath and observes thoughts and feelings without holding on to or fighting them.

What you may experience as a disadvantage is that you routinely have to invest time and sincerely want to open yourself to the possible insights that meditation can bring. Meditation is also not always suitable for people with psychiatric complaints, such as untreated trauma or depression that is not yet in the recovery phase.

Meditation teaches you to calm your mind, develop concentration and increase your awareness. With greater awareness of your thought patterns and emotional habits, you learn to look at yourself and your surroundings in a more objective and competent way. This helps you to deal with life a little easier and to go along with it. You will understand emotions better and you can recognize your impulsiveness and reactivity earlier and sometimes also go  breaking through.

Another result is a sharper focus. Meditation can increase your ability to focus and concentrate. 

It can also help relieve sleep problems and insomnia by teaching you to stop worrying. Further frequently mentioned  benefits can be:

• Feeling of happiness/peace of mind
• Less emotional reactivity; less intense negative emotions and mood swings
• More empathy
• More creativity and self-development
• Decrease in anxiety symptoms
• Examples of physical benefits:
• Lower heart rate
• Lower blood pressure
• Faster recovery from stress
• Deeper and slower breathing
• Muscle relaxation
  Able to deal with (chronic)  pain

The substantive line that we at 30NOW Following is a contemporary approach to Buddhist meditation. Central is the practice of mindfulness or attention: an acknowledging awareness of physical and mental experiences. Although there are differences in styles and content of the meditations offered, they all align with the principle of mindfulness. Meditations are also offered that can develop other qualities such as calmness, kindness and compassion.

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Breathing is important in meditation because it helps to calm the body and mind. By focusing your attention on your breathing, you can achieve a deeper state of relaxation and awareness. Breathing meditations, such as breathing mindfulness, are a good way to start.

If you meditate regularly, you can have spiritual experiences. Through concentration exercises you let go of your usual thoughts and patterns and focus on the present moment. In this moment you can experience a glimpse or strong power of spiritual dimensions. Ultimately, being consciously present with body and mind is already a spiritual activity in itself. Other spiritual experiences you could have:

• Feeling of ultimate connection
• Energy flow that makes you feel wider and more in touch.
• Experience of inner sounds, colors or shapes.
• Experience of boundless, unconditional love.
• Flow of goodness and acceptance.
• Pleasant experience of the empty or ephemeral nature of everything.
• Dissolving your body in light or confluence with the environment.
• Experiencing a continuous presence of an all-encompassing tranquility.

You don't have to worry about meditation turning you into a fuzzy person. With meditation you train your mind; the exercises help you to train your attention. 

In your daily life you will probably experience a stronger concentration and more peace of mind. In addition, you are probably more likely to end up in a state of “Flow”. Psychologists use the word “Flow” for the mental state associated with intense concentration. A relaxed alertness in which distractions disappear and activities seem to come naturally.

At least not "dumber"! By meditating regularly you get a little more space in your head and you may also pick up new things more easily. It seems that people remember things better when they meditate regularly. But we can't guarantee whether you'll really get smarter!