Take a Deep Breath, Exhale and … Meditate
Did you know that the health benefits of quiet time and meditation are equally as important as weight-bearing exercise and resistance training? This plays an important role in relieving stress and anxiety from our busy everyday lives. Research has shown that meditation can contribute to an individual's psychological and physiological well-being. There is scientific evidence that meditation can improve blood pressure, as well as relieve pain and stress. Many hospitals across the country now schedule quiet time or meditation time to help patients heal.
There are still a lot of misconceptions about meditation. Many people think of meditation with the stereotypical image of the 60's hippie in a lotus position surrounded by incense. Meditation is in fact a very easy and comfortable exercise. If practiced on a daily basis, it can become something that you look forward to at the end of a long and tiring day. And, what’s great about it is there are no special tools required for meditating.
It is not fully known what changes occur in the body during meditation. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, are sponsoring studies to find out more about meditation's effects, how it works, and what diseases and conditions it may be most helpful for in the future.
Here are some simple things you can introduce to bring mindfulness to your day:
