New Year, New You: The Power of Meditation

"Meditation is one easy way to combat the effects of daily stress and take back control of your health. Just 20 minutes a day can reduce stress and help your brain to recharge.

The Benefits of Meditation

• Lower your blood pressure
• Increase your circulation
• Throw more blood to the prefrontal cortex
• Enhance your executive function, working memory, concentration, and visuospatial processing
• Help you hold images longer
• Process information better
• Allow for contemplation, intuition, and creativity to thrive.

The Neuroscience Behind Meditation

Cortisol, the stress hormone, can be reduced by simply controlling your breath through mindful meditation. The default network in your brain, which is connected to both introspection and concentration, slows down activity when meditating. When the mind wanders, it tends to concentrate on negative issues, thus creating stress, but through meditation, that function is less active.

There are many neurological advantages to meditation, including the following:

• Calming the amygdala, where our fight or flight and emotions live
• Strengthening impulse control allows you to self-manage stress, pain, depression, and drug and alcohol issues.

How to Begin a Meditation Practice

1. Set your alarm for 20 minutes twice a day. This is the time you will be meditating. By setting your alarm, you relax and don’t have to worry about how long you have to go.
2. Sit or lie down with your eyes shut in a comfortable position.
3. In the beginning, your mind will wander and bring in outside sounds and thoughts; invite all of your distractions into your meditation, and don’t resist them. Ultimately, all of these distractions will disappear as you focus your mind in meditation.
4. Some people like using a mantra, and some people like using a word. The power of a mantra is that you can’t assign a meaning to it; therefore, you can’t associate any thoughts with it as you empty your mind. A simple mantra such as “om” will do.
5. Before you meditate, relax your body by isometrically tensing and releasing all the muscle groups starting from the tips of your toes and ending at the top of your head. Just squeeze and release and check in with your body, making sure that you are relaxed.
6. Then, follow your breath. As you breathe in, you will notice that the breath is cool; as you breathe out, you will notice that your breath is warm. Focus on your breath and bring in your mantra while concentrating on the bridge between your eyes.

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Reflection:

Do you meditate?

#Meditation #Mindfulness #Relaxation