| Whilst being an integral part of life for m any | | | | to holistic wellbeing. There are a multitude of |
| people over many thousands of years, meditation | | | | benefits that come from simple meditation. What |
| has only fairly recently been growing in popularity | | | | is meditation? Well pretty much, it’s the exact |
| across the western world. You might be surprised | | | | opposite of stress! Meditation evokes the |
| to find out just who is doing it! In a recent | | | | relaxation response, which physiologically is the |
| meditation classes I led, there was a 30 year old | | | | exact opposite of the fright or flight response. |
| finance worker, a 23 year old personal trainer, a | | | | When you meditate, your blood pressure drops, |
| 70 year old grandma, and a 45 year old business | | | | heart rate slows, respiration slows, and you |
| owner. And what may be even more surprising, | | | | experience feelings of calmness. Stress gets |
| no one wore hippy pants. We didn’t do any | | | | stored in the body. When a driver cuts you off, |
| weird praying or chanting. Not one | | | | you might store that stress in your chest and |
| “ooommmm” was said! There are many | | | | your breathing might become shallow. You might |
| forms of meditation, and while I respect all the | | | | clench your jaw and store it there. You might get |
| ooomming and chanting and gazing into the fire, | | | | a neck or back ache, which is where you have |
| most people I know benefit most from simply | | | | stored that tension. You might feel sick in your |
| relaxing. Taking a little mini-retreat out of their | | | | stomach or find that your mind is racing. Over the |
| busy weeks to sit, be calm, breathe, let go of | | | | course of the day, many people find these little |
| stress and chill out! | | | | stressful incidents add up, until they are constantly |
| Meditation works holistically. That means that it | | | | feeling stressed out, living with chronic pain, unable |
| works on many levels. Meditation brings physical | | | | to focus, develop an addition, and feel |
| relaxation, and also mental calmness and clarity. | | | | overwhelmed. |
| The mind and body are connected, so when you | | | | That’s why it’s so important to take a |
| relax your body – letting go of the stored | | | | few minutes every day in meditation to release |
| tightness and tension in your muscles, naturally | | | | this build up of stress. No need to dance under |
| your mind also lets go of some worry and | | | | the full moon chanting to the gods while doing a |
| anxiety. But that’s not all; meditation also | | | | freedom dance to release your inner child… just |
| brings emotional balance and spiritual insights. By | | | | good ol’ fashioned deep beathin’ does the |
| meditating, you are balancing your physical, | | | | trick! |
| mental, emotional and spiritual aspects which lead | | | | |