First, let us define meditation. The term “meditation” refers to a variety of practices that focus on mind and body integration and are used to calm the mind and enhance overall well-being. How does less stress and better overall health sound? Several studies have demonstrated multiple health benefits, including reduced stress, anxiety, fatigue, depression, chronic pain, and disease severity for inflammatory bowel disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Things meditation can help with:
Boosts immune system
According to a study published by National Academy of Sciences, meditation appears to suppress damaging processes in the body while boosting cortisol levels, which helps the function of the immune system.
Reduce stress and anxiety
Stress reduction and anxiety reduction are two of the best-known benefits of meditation. A study published by the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry indicates that meditation helps reduce stress response and anxiety because it addresses anxiety disorder symptoms.
Slowing down the progression of Alzheimer’s
A recent study showed that a combination of meditation and breathing exercises can help slow down the development of dementia-related diseases. Other studies suggest that mindfulness meditation helps people cope better with the anxiety, stress and depression that often accompany memory loss.
Improves memory
Meditation training can enhance various cognitive processes, such as emotional regulation, executive control and attention, particularly sustained attention, according to a study done by Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Journal.
Helps stave off depression
Meditation can boost the mood and help people overcome depression, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Improves sleep
Mindfulness meditation appears to improve sleep quality and reduce daytime disturbance in people with chronic insomnia and older adults.
Are you excited about all these health benefits and want to get started today?
TRY THIS! It will only take 5 minutes…
Find a blank spot to stare at in front of you at eye level, as you begin to focus your attention on your breathing. Set a 5-minute timer. In through the nose, exhale through the mouth. As you look at that spot and take a few deep breaths, you’ll notice it is difficult to focus on that spot. When you begin to feel your gaze soften, exhale, and close your eyes. Sit here in silence with your brain until the timer goes off. Allow each thought to come and go, keep passing them along. The more you practice the more blank time you will find between the thoughts, but at the beginning you may have a constant flow of thoughts. Keep bringing your awareness back to your breathing. Think of these 5 minutes as a reset. When your phone is acting goofy, you turn it off and back on for a reset. This is a reset, to assist you in becoming more relaxed. You can practice this hourly or once a day. It may feel boring, and that is the point! We quiet off that part of the brain that is constantly firing and it allows more relaxation that will be a building block to unlock less stress, better health, and more intuition.
