{"id":1806,"date":"2020-02-13T10:12:43","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T10:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/miriamhanid.com\/?p=1806"},"modified":"2020-02-20T10:13:45","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T10:13:45","slug":"silver-pendants-for-heartfulness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miriamhanid.com\/?p=1806","title":{"rendered":"Silver Pendants for Heartfulness"},"content":{"rendered":"

I feel fortunate having had the opportunity to practise Heartfulness Meditation for over 14 years. Since then My daily practice has played a big part in my creativity and work as a silversmith. I also volunteer my time as a Heartfulness trainer assisting seekers with their own meditation practice through one-to-one and Group Meditation sittings. It seems very fitting and rewarding to have now had the chance to blend these vital parts of my life together in a design project for Heartfulness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPractising Heartfulness Meditation helps us experience the wisdom of our heart and, in doing so, we learn to let go of fear and to trust ourselves and our intuition. We can also become calmer, clearer, more effective and balanced.\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

(www.heartfulness.uk<\/a>)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I have often dreamt about potential silver designs which could be batch produced and sold to raise money to expand the ongoing work of Heartfulness, a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Registered Charity,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 which offers free of charge meditation through volunteers in over 150 countries. This simple heart-based practice is now available within organisations including small and large businesses, universities and as teacher training with regular sessions also on offer to students over 18 and the general public.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Miriam_Hanid_6.HFN_Pendant_Box_insert\"<\/a>
Pendants and packaging<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Heartfulness Meditation has innumerable benefits and also works as a preventative measure for stress and burnout. These are increasingly prevalent in today’s modern society which encompasses hectic schedules, neverending to-do lists and the quasi-constant presence and instant demands of technology, all of which compete for our attention alongside the everyday practicalities of simply living. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Daily Telegraph reported, based on the research of Dr Yi-Yuan Tan,\u00a0that \u201cafter meditation training of 20 minutes once a day for only five days, people had measurably less anxiety and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol\u201d. The report stated that levels of anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue had also gone down.<\/span><\/p>\n

(<\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/news\/lifestyle-and-exercise\/does-meditation-reduce-stress\/<\/a>)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

(https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0260691716000642)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

There are other similar studies which show that regular meditation practice offers a solid foundation to assist in the management of stress and its effects on our physical and mental welfare. I am a firm believer having enjoyed the benefit of Heartfulness meditation in all aspects of my own life. These studies also demonstrate that meditation can help regulate our level of focus, sleep quality, memory, empathetic responses, emotional resilience and much more. See this page for more detailed information on how meditation practice alters the physical anatomy of the brain.<\/a> In an environment in which the World Health Organisation has declared stress as the 21st Century epidemic, it follows that we need meditation more than ever in our daily lives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In late December 2018 I visited Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad, the Headquarters of Heartfulness Meditation and the world’s largest meditation hall. I spent some wonderful days at the European Seminar and had the very special and much valued opportunity to meet Daaji \u2013 the Global Guide of Heartfulness \u2013 in order to present him with the \u2018Golden Book\u2019. This is a collection of photos, quotes and dates drawn from<\/span><\/span>\u00a0‘The Heartfulness Way’ Book tour in the UK earlier in the same year. <\/span>(Click to view ‘The Heartfulness Way’ on Amazon UK<\/a>, written by Kamlesh Patel and Joshua Pollock)<\/span><\/p>\n

I was able to show Daaji an image of one of my silver cups and offered to design something for Heartfulness. He replied “It would be good if you can!” and so the journey began.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n