No one in our time finds it surprising if a man gives careful daily attention to his body, but people would be outraged if he gave the same attention to his soul – Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Between texting and twitter, grocery shopping and gymnastic lessons the one thing that seems to take a back seat while we are all traveling in the fast lane is our own self-care.
We have created a false sense of reality, one that leads us to believe the busier we are, the more successful we are. And the more successful we become the happier we will be.
A survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, showed among 2,020 adults in the United States, the average level of stress reported was 4.9 on a scale of 1 to 10. The average level of stress was higher among women (5.3), those aged 18 to 33 (5.4) and those aged 34 to 47 (5.4).
20% of respondents reported to be at an extreme stress level (8, 9, or 10 on the 10-point scale). More than 85% of doctor visits are due to stress.
Bottom line is that stress plays a huge role in your physical and mental well-being.
Science has finally caught up to what ancient cultures have known for thousands of years; Meditation is good for your health! It is one of the easiest ways to reduce stress, increase energy, and boost motivation and morale.
You don’t have to be a yogi and sit cross-legged in an ashram to meditate; in hospitals and corporations across America meditation is becoming part of the mainstream. Even the Department of Defense in Washington has begun offering meditation classes for government officials and employees. Can you imagine the possibilities if each session of Congress began with a ten minute mediation? OM!
Meditation is not about doing , it’s about being. There is no wrong way to meditate. Stop believing you can’t do it right. As long as you can breathe you can meditate. It’s about quieting your mind, and becoming still. It can be done, anytime, anywhere and at any moment by simply bringing your awareness to your breath.
New research shows how meditation works on our brains to help us focus more and possibly relieve chronic pain.
The findings suggest that those who suffer chronic pain—including stress—may benefit from meditation because of an increased ability to “turn down the volume on pain signals.” If you have chronic pain or stress, mindfulness-based stress reduction or meditation may help you ease that pain.
A study by The NIH (National Institute of Health) showed a 23% decrease in mortality in people that meditated vs those who did not, as well as a significant decresase in cardio vascular disease and cancer.
You can find many useful tips and tools to begin meditating on the internet. Here’s one of my personal favorites …. https://chopracentermeditation.com/about-us
For a few minutes each day you can begin to give your body, mind and spirit time to rest, recharge and renew. The benefits are only a breath away.