Meditation for peace to promote mental wellbeing in Manchester

On Thursday 1st June at 6pm, HOLISTIC will hold a guided meditation session on the piazza at MediaCityUK. It will be open to anyone who wants to take part and doesn’t require any previous meditation experience.

Meditation is proven to help with the effects of trauma and post traumatic stress disorder.  Studies show that it reduces stress hormones by calming the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the ‘fight-or-flight’ responses to danger.

For those looking for something more active there will also be drop in Laughter Yoga sessions on Friday between 12 and 2pm.  Laughter consultant Robin Graham will be holding 15 minute drop in yoga sessions throughout the lunch period and to take part yogis can register in advance by emailing holistic@downatthesocial.co.uk or turn up on the day.

Laughter yoga (Hasyayoga) is a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter.  Laughter yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter.  It boosts the immune system, reduces stress levels, relaxes the body and helps people to be more cheerful and attractive.

Mayur Mirwani, director of GoLive and organiser of HOLISTIC, said; “I am relatively new to Manchester and I have been overwhelmed by the incredible response from the people of the city to the monstrous events last week.

“No matter how strong the people are, it is important in a time of extreme stress that we protect ourselves mentally and practising mindfulness through meditation and yoga is the perfect way to look after our mental health.  We hope that our classes will bring people even closer together as we meditate for peace on Thursday and reduce our stress levels with laughter on Friday.”

HOLISTIC: International Festival Of Yoga will be a two day celebration of everything that encompasses holistic living.

The event, which will run from 4pm on Friday 16th June to 3pm on Saturday 17th June, will involve two 800 strong outdoor yoga practises lead by internationally renowned yoga gurus from an ex Bollywood star to a Chinese opera singer; alongside a programme of holistic classes with some of the world’s best coaches and gurus and an outdoor market celebrating healthy food and drink.

The festival has been planned in Manchester to coincide with the week of the International Day of Yoga on 21st June (the longest day and summer solstice). The day itself is built on a vision shared by the Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi, adopted by the UN and celebrated in more than 192 nations worldwide.

The Friday evening class will be two hours and the Saturday morning class will be three hours long. The Friday class will be one long flow whereas the Saturday class will be a series of 40 minute classes which yogis can dip in and out of.

HOLISTIC will take place at MediaCityUK on the piazza and in The Studios on Friday 16th June and Saturday 17th June. Tickets for each day are available for £30 from May 2, 2017.

For more information about HOLISTIC visit https://www.holisticmanchester.com/.

Find HOLISTIC on social media here: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/holisticmcr and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HolisticMCR.