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We could all do with a big dose of calm right now. The anxiety, stress and fear generated by the COVID-19 crisis is real. Governments are ramping up mental health services to cope with the fall-out. My students, some of whom have been resistant to the idea of meditating for years, are asking for more meditation and relaxation in (online) class.

Several of the yoga teachers I mentor have asked for more meditation resources, so I've developed a free meditation mini e-course for you and your students. In this interactive online course, you'll learn:

• The neuroscience of meditation - WHY it works
• How to practice and teach 3 different meditation styles
• How yoga and meditation work together

I used to be scared of teaching meditation in my yoga classes. Here’s why:

Do you want to teach your students to meditate but don't know where to start? Meditation can be difficult at first and finding ways to make it accessible to your students can be challenging.

One of the things that can make learning to meditate much easier is doing some preparation work first. After all, you wouldn't teach somebody a headstand in their very first yoga class. Even when you do teach somebody headstand, you wouldn't teach them until you were sure they'd prepared properly with poses that build their strength, balance and focus.

It's the same with meditation. If you jump in cold, students are likely to find it much harder to sit in silent meditation for very long. So how do you help students prepare to meditate? This video makes it easy.

Have you ever tried to do a regular meditation practice, only to find yourself constantly distracted by ‘more important’ things? Here’s the secret: save yourself 20 seconds and you’ll gain several hours to dedicate to your practice.

Willpower alone is not enough to get us into a daily yoga or meditation routine, according to psychologist Shawn Achor. In his book, The Happiness Advantage, he demonstrates the 20 Second Rule that really will get you on your meditation cushion every day. Discover how this simple technique makes meditation easy...

Are mantras part of your mediation practice? You don’t have to be a great singer to chant mantras (you can even recite them silently) and once you get the hang of it, you'll be blown away by how powerful they are.

Mindfulness is the hottest ticket in town right now. Celebrities, media, self-help books and doctors are all touting the magical properties of mindfulness meditation. And it's true that there have been some convincing studies to show the benefits of mindfulness. But is the mindfulness revolution all it’s made out to be?

Here are some things students have said to me this week:

“I’m ashamed that I still feel resentment towards my ex-partner. That’s not very yogic, is it?”

“Anger is corrosive. It keeps bubbling up and I hate myself for it.”

“ I’m a yoga teacher but I hate my body. I’m such a fraud.”

At the heart of these statements lies the conviction that feeling anger, resentment, disgust and any other ‘negative’ emotion is a bad thing. It’s un-yogic. Where did so many of us get that idea? How did we come to believe that being a yoga practitioner means vanquishing all emotions except that elusive ‘bliss’ state that we see in the dreamy expressions of Instagram yogis meditating on the beach?

Many people learn to meditate because they hear it's a great stress buster. But, ironically, it’s hard to meditate when you’re stressed. When the body and mind are filled with tension, it can be very uncomfortable to sit still in meditation. This is why many people find meditation challenging or believe they ‘can’t’ meditate. We know that meditation is good for us, but we don’t know how to prepare to meditate.  Like all good things, meditation is always better if we add a little preparation.

Read on to discover a simple ritual to prepare for a relaxed and satisfying meditation.

This week I mislaid my bank card, burned the dinner and forgot a promise to a friend. But I just can't help it. I’m busy. The phone rang. I was running late. The kids were playing up. I’m a bad cook. I’m a rotten friend. I .… STOP!

Have you had days, weeks or even years that look like this? Constantly running from one emergency to the next with voices in your head telling you you’re not good enough and you’ve got to try harder? You’re not alone. Most of us are constantly bombarded by feelings of inadequacy that propel us into a frenzy of activity. Secretly feel your mothering skills aren’t up to the job? Smother those thoughts with a flurry of craft projects, baking healthy snacks and online shopping for educational toys. Feel like a fraud in your job? Stay back late, get in early, check your phone in the toilet and take work home at the weekend.

Tami Forsyth is a social worker who completed her Meditation Teacher Training with Adore Yoga. Tami shares how her family, co-workers and clients have benefited from her training as she uses her new skills to help others learn to meditate.

I'm a team leader at a women's refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence, so I work with clients with multiple issues. I am also responsible for looking after the well-being of the support workers here. I am a single mum with 3 children, including two teenagers who still live at home.