Another holiday season is upon us and the news media are in high gear reporting on stories of sadness, sickness and stress ravaging people’s lives and ruining many holiday festivities.
Invest a minute right now to think about all the factors contributing to your stress and then imagine how great you will feel when you discover the fantastic benefits of more magic moments with meditation.
The Holiday Overload
Many people are experiencing overload and overwhelm during the holidays due to a number of related factors. The year end holidays are a common time of the year for people to experience emotional challenges and significant stress.
As the year comes to a close people feel the pressure from family and friends for all the things that worked out differently than you planned during the year. With the global economy in major turmoil and people discovering the consequences of unsustainable lifestyles many people are getting a long overdue wake up call and it is easy to allow feelings of fear and frustration to escalate into sadness and even sickness.
Stress is self imposed by how we respond to an event, experience or people which conflict with our beliefs, perceptions and rules of how things should be. Unfortunately most people do not realize stress is something we do to ourselves more than something that happens to us. If they did they would discover the secret to reducing stress and enjoying even more happiness, health and harmony.
In response to the increased levels of anger, frustration and stress many wellness programs have been created to focused on anger and stress management. Unfortunately by focusing on these issues a person is focusing much of their attention on the problem rather than the solution. Rather than focusing on stress management it is much more effective to focus on stress reduction. By now you have probably guessed that meditation is one of the best solutions to reduce feelings of sadness, sickness and stress and increase feelings of happiness, health and harmony.
Meditation for Modern Times
You might be wondering how meditation can help us overcome the abundance of Fight or Flight survival responses which are triggered by perceived threats to our emotional, mental or physical health and well being. In our modern society we are being bombarded almost constantly by conditioned responses and emotional upsets and we allow the harmful effects to accumulate in our body and mind without effective strategies and systems to release them.
Scientific studies have found that establishing a daily meditation routine provides a number of specific short term and long term benefits.
The common benefits of meditation which have been experienced, measured and reported include:
- Calming effect on the mind
- Decrease in blood pressure
- Enhanced endocrine system functions
- Greater sense of love, peace and well being
- Improved digestion
- Improved rest and sleep patterns
- Increased immune system functions
- Lowered heart rate
- More oxygen in the blood resulting from deeper breathing
- Reduction in stress hormone levels
- Reduction in feelings of anxiety, depression, fear and sadness
For optimal benefits it is highly recommended to meditate twice a day. Many people who enjoy regular meditation feel it is best to develop a habit of meditation early in the morning before the day gets busy and again in the afternoon before dinner to again calm and relax the mind. Over time this routine becomes so beneficial and enjoyable you look forward to it as a natural and special part of your day.
Joining with the Millions
Millions of people around the world meditate every day. When would now be a great time for you to add meditation to your daily routine?
As you invest quality time in your long term happiness, health and wellness you will soon discover big benefits and double dividends. Invest at least fifteen minute each day to discover how great you will feel when you discover the fantastic benefits of more magic moments with meditation.
Mastery Action Plan
Primordial Sound Meditation is a time-tested meditation technique dating back thousands of years to the ancient Vedic traditions of India.
At the Chopra Center the essential aspects of these timeless teachings have been maintained in their pure, original form, ensuring the most beneficial experience. With regular practice, twice daily, we open our awareness to all levels of our existence and infuse Spirit in every aspect of our being.
For more information on ayurveda, meditation and perfect health, click > Chopra Center Teachers
Our next blog post will share: Holiday Acidic Addictions or Healthy Alkaline Awareness?
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