mindfulness meditation

Daily Meditation And Its Place In Modern Medicine

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daily meditation

Do you often feel stressed? Struggling with an ongoing eternal battle of  feeling ‘tired’ and yet ‘wired’  at the same time.  There is nothing more frustrating then lacking the ability to turn off the brain and quiet mind during times of rest. In fact did you know that being able to decompress mentally and emotionally is just as important to your overall health as it is physically for the body? This is why I want to introduce you to the practice and perks of daily meditation.

meditation zen

I’m certain, many have heard about mediation in one aspect or another and how the effects can be life changing for some but how do you know if the benefits of meditation will work for you?

Well, if you’re serious about attaining better health, and not just physically, I’m talking the whole package, then take a look into the benefits meditation.

This ancient practice when done correctly:

  • Makes it easier to cope with the demands of modern life
  • Relieves stress
  • Keep your brain sharp
  • Eases pain and improves overall health

Honestly, what more could you ask for? So, let’s dive deeper into what it actually means and how to achieve the best benefits from mediation.

Click here to read, 6 essentials for a vibrant life.

The Scientific Power of Meditation

What Does Daily Meditation?

Meditation involves controlling your breathing while focusing your attention on;

  • A word/phrase
  • Mental image or object

It’s a state of thoughtless and awareness that allows you to connect with your inner self. Meditation has been practiced across different religions and has been part of many traditions for thousands of years.

In ancient times, it was used as a way to understand the mystical forces of life.  Allowing you to get closer to God and/or other higher entities. Today it commonly serves as a tool for relieving stress and achieving a state of relaxation and calm.

Throughout the day adults will be functioning in Beta; a brain wave frequency that can best implement the skills of planning, logic and reason. However as the stress of every day life begins to pile on, this frequency becomes faster and is associated with a stress response in our bodies. However, if our brain is in that state for a prolonged period of time it can lead to sickness and even chronic diseases.

The practice of meditation helps to reduce the frequency of our brain waves to a very slow pattern. It is in this state that the body will not only benefit from the feeling of relaxation but also ‘turn-off’ the stress response that we are experiencing.  This helps us return to a state of balance in the body referred to as homeostasis.

Dr. Oz Shares The Benefits of Meditation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb5OOO_0HXs

The Amazing Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

People who practice meditation have noticed complete relief and/or management of symptoms associated with many health conditions including but is not limited to;

  • Migraines
  • Chronic pain
  • High blood pressure
  • Anxiety
  • Depression

The benefits of meditation have been repeatedly confirmed through many research papers detailing the positive impact on physical, emotional and chemical well being. Some of the benefits from meditation include;

  • Help in balancing emotions
  • Increase self awareness
  • Effective for stress management
  • Relieves the symptoms of asthma, allergies, heart disease, pain and many other stress-related conditions
  • Helps reduce blood pressure
  • Prevents and reduces depression
  • Improves quality of sleep
  • Enhances mental focus and concentration
  • Supports endocrine function
  • Helps stop addictive behaviors

Harvard Study: Clearing Your Mind Affects Your Genes And Can Lower Your Blood Pressure

mindfulness meditation

Brain Health

Most health experts agree that meditation has a positive impact on the performance of our brain. In fact, it can alter the brains structure and boost cognitive function in as little as eight weeks in addition to:

  • Increasing attention
  • Enhancing memory
  • Help to prevent atrophy of our brain tissue

By taking all of these benefits into consideration, it comes as no surprise that the practice of mediation is becoming more and more common. If you are wondering where to start, there are many helpful tools out there via websites and apps that are readily available to guide you in the right direction.

The great thing about practicing meditation is that you can do it anytime, anywhere. This practice requires no special equipment or fancy devices. All you need is a quiet space and a few minutes of your time.

Begin taking back control of your life and your health.   Start reaping the benefits of meditation by introducing this habit into your life today!

Want to learn more ways to help alleviate stress?  Check out this article about 23 Instant Mood Boosts You’ll Want to Make a Habit.  

The Healing Power Of Mantra Meditation

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mantra meditation

A Mantra is a Sanskrit word for “sound tool”.  Along with only a few other ancient languages, Sanskrit evolved as a complex system of onomatopoeia – where the sounds evoke movements of energy.  The sounds themselves create actual interactions or events, while resonating in different parts of the body and mind, like ‘Mantra Meditation’.

OM (AUM), SO HUM and SA TA NA MA are well studied mantras used for healing bodily tissues, lowering blood pressure, reducing bad habits and staving off Alzheimer’s.  In fact the Alzheimer Society uses Kirtan Kriya (SA TA NA MA) as an effective Kundalini Yoga meditation for brain and memory vitality.

Words like screeeeech, craaaaash and purrrrr are examples of English words that resonate both sound of meaning.  Cats will even vibrate their “purr” at certain frequencies to heal themselves from ailments.  Many animals (just like us humans) can be highly sensitive and greatly affected by the influx of sensory stimuli all around us.

Those wi-fi waves can mess with our natural and relaxed states.  They are invisible and subtle but very, very powerful!  Laying a foundation for the conscious construct of good vibes is where all the magic in relationships and family dynamics begin.

Mantra Meditation

Mantras are information, and in the Sanskrit language, it’s like an information sequencing system that mimics the process of nature’s repeating patterns.  As the Sanskrit scholar, Dr. Douglas Brooks has said, “Sanskrit tells us what Nature shows us.  The way Nature goes about doing its thing, Sanskrit goes about its language.”  Much like the way that music “moves” us and can bring us into different feeling and being states, Mantra uses sound to evoke movement of physical and emotional energy.  Stimulating the nervous system which then informs our experiences.  Click here to read, “Nervous System – What Conventional Medicine Doesn’t Want You To Know” for more information about your nervous system.

What Does All This MEAN?

It means that Mantras can positively or negatively “charge” and affect our feelings, emotions, and thought patterns, as well as the people and environments that surround us.  There are Mantras for anger, stress, grief, fighting, love, healing, addiction, insomnia, anxiety, asthma, joy…the list goes on and on!  Attune sound currents like a finely crafted symphony of sound and energy!

By repeating UPLIFTING & HEALING sound currents or “Mantras”, over and again, you’re intentionally attuning your mood and energy into a desired state with a specific sound current.  It’s like tuning an instrument to refine and manipulate its sound.  We can REDIRECT all our energy beyond the anger, fear and frustration (this is an act of self-love).  We know that our children absorb and pick up on the subtleties and nuances of our tones and expressions.  Even if it’s subconscious, it’s vibe passes through the nervous system.

We can feel wildly emotional when triggered and it feels good to release the ROAR!  In fact it feels “so good” and “so necessary” in the moment that we can hardly feel it flowing out the floodgates!  In the aftermath of heavy energy and hurt feelings, the guilt ensues.  That is unless we chime a new Mantra that is intentional and fueled by love.  In between the frustration and the ROAR is a beautiful, neutral, silent space.  If we can tap into that very small windowed space in time, we can change our reactive, ha-BITCH-ual rants, into Mantras that serve to transform, the current feel and mood and allow us to better RESPOND, Not REACT.  This will reverberate a ripple effect of positive vibes through the home, and the hearts & souls of your loves.

How To Use Mantra Meditation

A good place to start is by first recognizing your OWN Mantras.  Ask your kids and they’ll tell you straight up.  Just don’t take it personal because it’s not!  You can get the kids to talk about theirs too.  Once you catch on to your daily drone, you will have cultivated an awareness to continuously recognize it and switch on the GOOD VIBES.  You will notice your kids really digging your new energy and try to match it.  This is a fun way to watch an energy exchange in action.

Mimic exactly the vibe you want back from them and see what you get.  If you like the power packed punch of “swear” words, try shouting SAT NAM instead!  This means “true self” and it’s pronounced like, “but mom” (go figure) and will have you tapping into deeper states of joy, love, and gratitude in no time.  You can also use any words or sounds that FEEL uplifting and happy.  Come up with clever CODES to establish personal boundaries and other family agreements.

You can also use mantra or music in the background for hours on repeat.  Infuse your home with classical music, nature sounds, or other good vibe beats, that uplift your soul and give calm to your space.  FEEL out the new vibrations, give it some time and then see what you notice.  The ripple effect is real.  When WE do the work to EMPOWER ourselves, we EMPOWER our children.  What we put out is what we’ll attract.  Click here to learn How to Create Your Own Personal Mantra.

Got that Mantra ready?  Now get out there and start flexing your victorious vibes!
Sat Nam xo

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About The Author:

Melanie Woolsey is an established Yoga Therapist, KundaliniYogini, and Ayurveda Practitioner with over 10 years of experience journeying through study, self discovery, healing and teaching. She is also a mama to one little guru who has been her greatest teacher yet.