There is an old proverb; " a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Let's continue our journey.
In part 1 of the health tips series I explained how learning to breathe correctly is one of the steps to enable you to normalise your anxieties. In this part we will explore meditation and the benefits of it.
Meditation is an ancient practice that has been around for at least 5000 years. There are many reasons why people take up meditation, the most common ones are, stress prevention, health, self-realisation and spiritual growth.
Anxiety effects the mind, body and emotions. Meditation assists in achieving a state of physical relaxation by using the mind to calm the body. The lactate concentration of the blood is closely linked to anxiety levels, through deep relaxation of the body this is decreased immensely and becoming aware of our breathing pattern and learning to breath correctly during meditation we create a state of serenity and calm. Through daily practice many physical changes can be measured, even brain rhythms change through this practice. Meditation is a discipline that involves patience and persistence. It's not unusual for thoughts to wonder and to loose concentration. This can become very frustrating and many give up because they think they can't do it or it's not for them. That is why to begin with, I always recommend this simple yet effective meditation before embarking on any intense and guided meditations.
By practicing the following meditation it will enable you to bring your mind to stillness and blankness thus, improving your ability to concentrate and it will give you a foundation to explore deeper into meditation and other techniques.
This meditation needs to be practiced for at least 7 days at the same time each day, preferably in the morning for 5 minutes and after 7 days you can increase it to 10 minutes if you feel you are ready.
Upon beginning make sure you will not be disturbed. You can have relaxing music playing in the background or you may choose not to. Find a comfortable place to sit. As you sit comfortably close your eyes and bring your attention to your breathing. Just observe your breathing. The aim of this meditation is not to try and control anything and the ability to sit quietly for 5 minutes without paying particular attention to any thought. Just sit and observe your breathing and let your thoughts come and go. If you find yourself concentrating on a particular thought just shift your thought and focus on your breathing. Some find it helpful to count their breaths, 1 inhale, 2 exhale, and so on. The aim is to let the breath flow in its own natural rhythm. Through practice this will become easier and natural.
There are many meditation styles. The more you learn and explore the greater the chances for you to discover what is right for you.
Finally to quote Dr. John Gray "stress and distress are just symptoms of blocked natural energy and can be easily released." This can be achieved through meditation.
By Eva Savov
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