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Article Series: Mind, Body, Spirit & Meditation
I Want To Feel Better - Inside & Out
Can
Meditation Improve My Health?
The most common image of meditation is one
of a monk in a religious experience. However, meditation is
actually a practice that anyone can do to improve mind function
and overall health.
Meditation has been proven to reduce stress levels and it
can even help with conditions such as high blood pressure.
Once you've become more calm and peaceful through meditation,
your life will open up to more opportunities and you'll find
it easier to make healthy choices.
What Exactly Is Meditation?
Meditation is a way of clearing the mind. Once you've gotten
into a habit of meditating often, you'll discover that it's
easier than you think.
Some people sit in a cross-legged position when they meditate,
but this isn't mandatory. Another sitting position might be
more comfortable for you, but the key is to maintain a good
posture. If you slouch, you're more likely to get tired and
feel like falling asleep.
To get started, find a quiet place and get
comfortable. Then start taking deep breaths in and out. Pay
attention to your
breath. You might find it helpful to say a "mantra" to
yourself as you breathe in and out. Your goal is to keep your
mind clear of thoughts.
Thoughts are inevitable though. The best way to eliminate
them is to recognize that you've had a thought and then focus
on your breathing and clearing your mind again. This will get
easier with frequent practice.
Stress Free
When you focus on breathing and clearing your mind, you're
actually centered on the present moment. On the other hand,
stress arises when you think about something in the past or
future.
Since you have little stress when you have a clear mind in
the present moment, you exude calmness. When you practice this
often, you can bring a calm, stress-free demeanor to your everyday
life.
Stress And The Body
When you feel stressed, you put your body into overdrive.
When it's overworked, it's more open to various diseases and
disorders. Stress exists for a reason; you need to have the
hormonal adrenalin rush and increased breathing and heart rate
in order to escape threatening situations. It's simply how
you're able to handle threats.
By always having your mind on past or future stressors, you
keep your mind and body in a stressful state even when you
aren't enduring a stressful situation in the present. This
is exactly why it's important to give your body a much needed
break from all the stress. When you learn to meditate often,
you're giving your body the energy and rest it needs to stave
off exhaustion and disease.
Improving Your Health
The absence of overwhelming stress improves your health in
many ways. You'll likely enjoy lower blood pressure and a strengthened
immune system. Stress can also lead to mental disorders, so
when you strive to be stress-free, you'll keep anxiety and
depression away as well.
When you meditate, you place your body in a kind of sleep
state. You're still awake, but your body can begin to repair
itself in the same way that it does when you sleep. If you
meditate in the morning or at night, you can help yourself
transition from sleeping to wakefulness and vice versa.
Meditation is the ultimate exercise for a healthy
mind and body. You'll feel refreshed and rejuvenated once
you've given
it a try. Who knew that "just sitting" could be so
helpful!
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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