Why you should try meditation

Meditation is a safe, simple and inexpensive way to balance your physical, emotional, and mental state; its many values have been known and practiced for thousands of years. More and more doctors promote the benefits of meditation to cure many stress related illnesses. Everyday most of us experience stress in many different ways and most people are not aware of the benefits of meditation, these benefits include:

·         Increased blood flow and slower heart rate

·         Good for high blood pressure

·         Reduces stress and anxiety

·         Decreases muscle tension

·         Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms

·         Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing

·         Stimulation of the immune system and production of white blood cells

·         Increased circulation to the digestive system

·         Harmonizes our endocrine system

·         Helps control own thoughts

·         Increases creativity

·         Increases productivity

·         Increased emotional stability

·         Improved relations at home & at work

·         Less aggressiveness

·         Helps insomnia

There are so many more things I can add to that list!

I will take myself as an example, I was always had terrible trouble sleeping, It would take me ages to get to sleep and If I ever woke in the middle of the night that would be it! I would be awake until the sun came up! so I spent many days grumpy and not performing at my best because I had been awake half the night.I started meditating about 6 months ago, I can’t remember how I came about meditation probably through one of the books I was reading, but I gave it a go. It takes time and practice and is must be something that you do every day but after I had mastered the technique things began to change, not only do I now sleep like a baby (I drift off almost instantly and If I wake up in the middle of the night I go straight back to sleep again! wonderful!) I have also noticed I have more clarity of mind, I don’t worry about things, I don't get stressed out by the little things - not being able to find a piece of work I need or having too much to do, I can take things in my stride a lot easier and more calmly. I also seem to get so much more done, I work full time and run my own business which I was finding hard work, now I even have time to write a blog or two! It really is incredible!

Now the hard science has caught up with what we knew all along: a comprehensive scientific study showing that deep relaxation changes our bodies on a genetic level has just been published. What researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered is that, in long-term practitioners of relaxation methods such as yoga and meditation, far more ''disease-fighting genes'' were active, compared to those who practised no form of relaxation.In particular, they found genes that protect from disorders such as pain, infertility, high blood pressure and even rheumatoid arthritis were switched on. The changes, say the researchers, were induced by what they call ''the relaxation effect'', a phenomenon that could be just as powerful as any medical drug but without the side effects.

So now you know how wonderful meditation can be for you, how do you give it a go??

There are many different types of meditation but the easiest one to start with is a simple breathing meditation, find a quiet place where you wont be disturbed make sure you will not be distracted so make sure you switch of your phone.

Sit in a position that is comfortable to you, you don’t have to go the whole hog and sit in the full lotus position just yet! Wear loose fitting clothes and sit comfortably, in a chair, cross legged whatever is best for you, keep your back straight whatever position you choose.

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, and relax. If it helps start at the top of the head and work your way down, relax your forehead, shoulders, arms, stomach, legs and feet. Breath through the nostrils, don’t try to control your breathing but be aware of the sensations as your breath enters your body and then leaves, imagine you are breathing out any stress or anxiety.

The aim is to clear our mind of anything other than our breathing; we are just trying to focus on that, concentrate on your breathing to the exclusion of everything else, the first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid.

At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. Don’t follow the thoughts as they arise, don’t dwell on them let them pass and refocus on your breathing. If it helps you can count the breaths in order to focus you mind.

If you find your mind id very busy just keep refocusing on your breath, repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath. Do this for 10-15 minutes to start with. Once you have finished open your eyes and grab yourself a glass of water.

If your mind was busy and you struggled to focus don’t beat yourself up! Meditation takes practice; it must become something you do daily, once you have been meditating for a little while you will begin to find it easier to focus on your breathing and have more frequent, longer periods of time focusing on nothing else. When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within. This feeling of contentment and well-being helps us to cope with the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing this simple breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away. Difficult situations will become easier to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve.

If you have any questions, are interested in meditation classes or just want to drop me a line to tell me about the great changes you have noticed in yourself! Please contact louisabrownholistictherapies@gmail.com

Enjoy!

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