In our search for peace of mind, freedom from stress & anxiety and vibrant health there lies in waiting, the power of prayer, and meditation.
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Meditation
In our hectic lives, there is the feeling that there isn’t time to get quiet and just sit there meditating for an hour in order to reach the peaceful state that we’re craving. It’s not really reasonable to think we can find time to run off and hang out with the monks in the mountains. Our daily treadmill of activity leaves us depleted at times.
If you’re finding yourself having health issues, maybe your blood pressure wasn’t ideal at your last check-up, you’re digestion is whacky, your sleep quality is poor then maybe it’s time to take a look at what you’re doing. Just take a small step back and observe your life.
I hear some of you say, ‘I don’t have time to meditate.’
To that, I say, ‘You don’t have time not to.’
I remember when I started getting consistent with my practice and how magical it was to me when I had taken the time to sit quietly and meditate. The rest of my day felt easier, there was a flow, things fell into place, there was no resistance and it really did feel like I had MORE time in the day. Like I had been gifted with an extra hour or something.
The beauty is in the awareness that there is really very little time involved. For instance, 10-15 minutes can take you to that sweet spot where everything just seems to fall into place. However, even a minute or two of meditation can do it. Just focus on your breathing and nothing else for a minute. Just focusing on our breathing will slow down that monkey brain train of thoughts.
Physical and Mental Benefits of Meditation
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Increases Energy
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Decreases Pain
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Lowers Blood Pressure
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Reduces Anxiety
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Increases the Feel Good Hormone Serotonin
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Improves the Immune System
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Increases Your Intuition
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Improved Emotional Stability
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Greater Creativity
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Increased Happiness
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Problems Seem Smaller
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Improves Your Focus
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Better Self Esteem
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Increases Telomere Length in the Brain
Meditation is a wonderful form of self-care. During meditation the brain reaches the alpha state, creating space and clearing our minds of unwanted thoughts allowing us to reach a deeper state of relaxation. You will find yourself able to connect with your inner self in a less judgmental way, easing depression.
During meditation our nitric oxide levels increase opening up the blood vessels, increasing circulation, and lowering blood pressure. Transcendental meditation seems to be the golden child for lowering blood pressure and is practiced by avoiding distracting thoughts and promoting a state of relaxed awareness. Transcendental meditation is practiced by sitting in a comfortable position with the eyes closed and mentally repeating a mantra.
You can find lovely meditations on YouTube. There are also many great meditation programs out there that you can download to your phone or another device to have handy for a few minutes of dropping into your sweet spot.
Here are a few books you may enjoy ;
- The Mind Illuminated A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness
- The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
Prayer
People have most likely been praying since the beginning of our existence. Throughout history, we can find evidence of this. Even though there is no tangible evidence that there is a God or other spiritual force at play in our lives we find comfort in the connection we feel with a greater force. We feel guided and loved. At the heart of all of the spiritual teachings that I’ve studied, there is a common thread and I’ve found the messages to be; Love one another, Be kind to each other, Don’t judge one another and We are all the same.
Turns out there are several benefits of connecting to your source and spending time in prayer.
Physical and Mental Benefits of Prayer
- Lowers stress levels benefit your body
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Decreases anger.
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Increases trust in others.
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Helps you have more self-control.
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Guides us to make good decisions.
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Helps us to avoid temptation.
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Gives us peace in our hearts and our minds.
Prayer can actually have a positive effect on the expression of our genes helping people during illness. There is even evidence that praying for others, sending loving thoughts to them can have a profound effect not only on the ones you pray for but on yourself as well. I heard once that when you are having a challenging time with someone the best way for you to feel better is to pray for them in a loving and forgiving way. This practice has worked beautifully in my life, to release me from negativity and to mend broken relationships.
Here are a few books on prayer you may like:
- A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World
- Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2022
- Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
Give Prayer & Meditation a Try
Prayer and meditation cannot be quantified by scientific studies but there are many tangible benefits reported by countless people to verify that it really works, creating for them a calmer and healthier life.
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- Negative Self-Talk – 6 Ways to Overcome Your Inner Critic
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Namaste