The Hillwood Road Meditation Skills Centre is a safe space for anyone to unwind through mindfulness meditation, providing group sessions every day. 

However, the centre’s new initiative aims at vastly increasing the scope of its impact in the community.  

Centre founder Stephanie Legg England, who has an academic background in psychology and human sciences, has made the centre a place to help people deal with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. 

Ms Legg England is also the only Meditation Association of Australia-accredited meditation teacher in Tasmania.

“For most people [who attend the centre], they are in need of techniques and skills to silence the mind and be at ease with themselves,” the centre’s business manager Cesar Luzardo said.

“A lot of people have racing minds, or suffer from anxiety and intrusive thoughts, so meditation provides those individuals with skills to calm your mind...so you’re not dominated by these intrusive thoughts and feelings.”

Practising meditation has been proven, by researchers at the University of Melbourne, to improve social skills, problem solving, creativity and working memory.

It’s also linked to reduced anxiety and a superior ability to deal with stress.

Mr Luzardo described  mindfulness meditation as the act of becoming “present” in the moment. 

“It’s normally through the senses – you are mindful of the present moment by being aware of the environment or being aware of what you receive through the senses.

“You don’t need more things or to travel to more beautiful places, you just get yourself ready to enjoy what you’re doing.”

Mr Luzardo knows firsthand the utility of meditation after working for many years in law enforcement and security.

“Meditation allowed me to, in sometimes life threatening situations, calm myself, buy time and allow the [police] training to kick in,” he said.

“Meditation also allowed me to dig deep and do a bit of self care after being a witness to death and everything you experience as a frontline police officer.”