Yoga & Meditation
Yoga and meditation typically go hand-in-hand. They've been used as an alternative form of exercise to keep the mind and body healthy and happy.
Focusing on strength, flexibility, and breathing, yoga is one of the oldest forms of exercise. Originating in India more than 5,000 years ago, yoga has been changed over the years and is now a common activity. Although yoga is now something that people do in their spare time, it was once a way of life. Anyone who practiced it was dedicating themselves to a particular lifestyle. AT that time, it extended itself into areas of your life like how you ate, interacted with other people, worked, and even bathed. Comparisons can be made to those who practice yoga today who also adopt an overall healthier way of living.
Yoga is a mental, physical, and spiritual practice with the goal of attaining tranquility in both mind and spirit. It is open to interpretation. It is often used to improve flexibility, whether that is by someone who is extremely active, someone recovering from injury who needs physiotherapy, or for its holistic benefits. Practicing yoga improves balance, endurance, flexibility, and strength. Following a few simple poses, breathing techniques, and positive coping skills can help manage stress, improve mental clarity, manage chronic conditions, and promote a healthier lifestyle, while meditation helps keep the mind sharp, relieves stress and anxiety, and can strengthen your immune system.
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With so many health benefits linked to these traditional practices, many are taking notice and incorporating these techniques into their lifestyle. At Nelmar Health Centers, we offer both Yoga and meditation and incorporate the two into treatment plans created for a variety of conditions.
“Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in eternal awareness or pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.”
- Swami Sivananda
Meditation is a state in which your mind is rid of all worries, desires, hopes, thoughts, and imagination.
It was 2600 years ago when Buddha himself was still alive when Buddhist meditation began. Most information about this kind of meditation comes from texts called ‘Suttas’. According to them, two teachers introduced Buddha to the power of meditation.
Why meditate?
Meditation helps you control your state of mind. It silences the constant banter and begins clearing your mind of all thoughts, concerns or fears.
Mental and emotional problems are also closely related to problems of the body. Worries, anxiety, and frustration often lead to failing physical health. Plenty of evidence is available for the amazing physical advantages regular meditation can result in. It helps reduce blood cholesterol, hypertension, and blood pressure, and facilitates the production of DHEA, a hormone that assists in the reversal of the aging process. Evidence shows that the biological age of regular meditators can be much lower than that of those who do not meditate. Also, meditation is responsible for the emission of alpha waves in the brain.
Some research about meditation:
Neuroscientists at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard recently conducted a research study that concluded that after only 7-8 weeks of meditation, the brains of the study participants showed better memory, processing ability, and concentration.
Another study about the advantages of meditation, conducted by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Center, concluded that after 8 weeks of regular meditation, there was a noted improvement in individuals who suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The sample group of this study had an ability to focus well despite constant attempts to distract them, something that many ADHD patients are unable to do.
The University of Wisconsin conducted a study on the immune system which concluded that the bodies of people who meditated for 8 weeks produced many more antibodies when they were inoculated with the flu vaccine.
In the 2012 issue of the American psychological journal ‘Emotion,’ an article reported that a study carried out by the University of California concluded that a sample group of participants reported having lesser anxiety, increased compassion, and lessened depression after an intensive meditation course. The cherry on top is that, unlike medications, meditation does not result in any side effects.
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Some of the benefits of meditation are:
· Reduces stress
· Promotes emotional health
· Promotes Physical health / Immune system
· Enhance self-awareness
· Improves focus and attention
· Helps with sleep
· Helps control pain
· Improves blood pressure
· In modern times, neuroscientists have confirmed a fascinating activity in the brain called plasticity. This plasticity can be strengthened via meditation, and new neurons will begin firing at an older age.