How Meditation’s Health Benefits Can Improve Your Life
ShivYog Healing Meditation has plenty of benefits in ordinary times. However, finding peace and being present is more important than ever. Meditating and practicing mindfulness can help us cope with uncertainty and an inability to predict the future.
According to meditation educator and author Spring Washam of “A Fierce Heart,” meditation helps people hit pause, becoming more present in their present moment. Meditation is like that deep breath you take after turning off the blaring TV.
Your physical and mental well-being is improved by meditation. We become calm, centered, and connect with ourselves when we meditate. Find time to meditate throughout the day, whether five minutes or 20.
Physical Benefits Of Meditation
You must understand how chronic stress disrupts the body to understand the profound effects of meditation. Stress increases the production of stress hormones in the body (epinephrine, cortisol) which can negatively impact the body.
Epinephrine, or adrenaline, can cause heart attacks and strokes. Cortisol can raise blood sugar levels, suppress the immune system, and constrict blood vessels. Chronically spiked stress hormones can eventually elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol levels, impairing immunity and energy.
By stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, however, the body can stop releasing stress hormones when the body and mind are relaxed. According to research, meditation regularly allows people to condition their bodies to relax on demand and better manage stress.
The benefits of stress reduction? UC Davis researchers have found that people who use general meditation programs (not just the ShivYog Healing Centre) have lower cortisol levels. Low blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen consumption lead to more energy and better immunity.
A stress-free lifestyle can also help alleviate many physical symptoms. As an example, inflammation can lead to stroke, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and many more serious diseases. According to a Harvard study, meditation can enhance DNA stability and dampen inflammation-related genes.
Emotional Benefits Of Meditation
Meditation has the power to not only change our mindsets and perspectives. Meditation works best on the brain. Our ability to cope with negative emotions improves when we practice meditating and viewing heightened emotions as passing states.
Positive neurological connections to the medulla prefrontal cortex – or “me center” – can be weakened through meditation, dampening traits such as fear, stress, and anxiety. It can also physically alter our brains, rewiring them toward happier thoughts and emotions. Learn how.
Additionally, it promotes neuroplasticity in the parts of the brain that promote mental abilities such as concentration and decision-making. Research has shown that meditation grows the brain’s gray matter and cortical thickness (related to learning and memory).
Meditation can rewire the brain for better performance. The amygdala, which regulates anxiety, stress, and fear, shrinks when meditating. In meditation, we become more aware of the present moment and less in our heads, so we can better distance ourselves from negative emotions and thoughts.
Other Benefits Of Meditation
It’s Easier To Set Goals:
Visualization helps you identify your goals, set them, and focus on achieving them. Candice Seti, a clinical psychologist, and nutrition coach, says meditation helps you push out negative thoughts. In meditation, she says that visualizing a goal, repeating a mantra, and seeing yourself engaging in behaviors that help you reach that goal are all ways to make them happen. You can also use a ShivYog healing mantra to focus better.
You’ll Learn To Breathe Truly:
Mindful breathing is the essence of meditation. By changing how you breathe, you can regulate your emotions. According to Christine Scott-Hudson, psychotherapist, owner of Create Your Life Studio, and author of “I Love Myself,” the 4-7-8 breath involves inhaling for four counts through the nose, holding the breath for seven, and exhaling through the mouth for eight.
You’ll Be More Empathetic:
According to Dr. Tom Ingegno, an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine doctor, meditation can rewire your brain, so you’re more empathic, which improves relationships. Researchers published a study in Scientific Reports finding that meditation helped people interact better and better understand others’ pain.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that meditation has immense benefits. ShivYog Medicine’s ShivYog Cure Is Possible program encourages people to look beyond and into themselves to understand that their thoughts control the frequency of their emotions.
Namah Shivay!
