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Using Your Mind to Heal Your Body

Posted On : Aug-25-2011 | seen (742) times | Article Word Count : 928 |

Meditation costs absolutely nothing. It will not interfere with any other medications. It will not cause negative side effects. It can be done anywhere at any time. It can be learned by any individual, and it does not require professional consultation or input.
Those of us who were brought up in the Western world are often taught to rely on pharmaceuticals and medicines to protect and promote good health. Pills that can be proven to be effective in treating disease are the sick person’s number-one defense.
The difficulty with many drug treatments, however, is that they can be quite expensive, cause side effects and treat only the symptoms, rather than the underlying cause.
The allure of using drugs, of course, is that they have the potential to offer an instantaneous cure. This is actually true in some instances, but for many, many conditions that are chronic and not acute in nature, alternative therapies may be the better way to go.
Take, for instance, The practice of meditation. Meditation costs absolutely nothing. It will not interfere with any other medications. It will not cause negative side effects. It can be done anywhere at any time. It can be learned by any individual, and it does not require professional consultation or input.
Meditation is, in its simplest form, a way to make your mind calm and peaceful. Why does it benefit your physical health when your mind is calm? Well, when your mind is peaceful, you can be free from worries and mental discomfort, even while dealing with a challenging illness.
You have, no doubt, heard the saying “happiness is a state of mind.” Meditation can help you experience happiness through calming the mind, and happiness has a direct and positive impact on your physical well-being.
By learning a few meditation techniques, you can train your mind to gradually become more and more peaceful. Eventually, you may be able to adopt a positive attitude all the time, even during difficult circumstances, such as dealing with an illness.
A Calm Mind Makes Healing Easier
Like many people, you may find that controlling your thoughts and directing them toward a positive outlook is actually quite difficult. It may seem as if your mind is like a leaf blowing in the wind — that it is completely influenced by external circumstances. If things in your life are going well, there’s a good chance that your mind is happy, and if things are going badly, you may find yourself immediately becoming unhappy.
You may have experienced this when you got something that you wanted, such as a new car, for example. You become excited, your mood brightens and your body seems to have more energy. On the other hand, if you had really wanted a car, but you had some unexpected bills to pay, not being able to get the car can cause you to become irritable, discouraged and physically tired.
By trying a little meditation, you can create an inner space and clarity that will help balance you during these ups and downs that are always a part of life. Meditation teaches you that your mood is often too closely involved in what is happening around you. Meditation helps you develop a kind of mental equilibrium in which you can be shielded from the stressfulness of emotional ups and downs.
Some General Guidelines
First of all, try to put your expectations aside, and don’t worry about doing it “right.” There are many possible ways of meditating, and it is likely that you will find your way to a meditation that works well just for you.
There are some things, however, that you might want to try to avoid when first meditating. Don’t try to force something to happen, avoid over-analyzing the meditation, and contrary to what you might have already heard about meditation, it is unnecessary to make your mind blank or chase thoughts away. It’s also unnecessary to meditate on a completely empty stomach. If you’re hungry, have a little something to eat before you begin meditating.
Once you are ready to begin, find a quiet, comfortable place for your meditation. It isn’t necessary to sit on the floor cross-legged. You can sit in a comfortable chair, on the bed — anywhere that’s comfortable, really. Your legs can be in any position.
Try to eliminate as much noise and as many potential distractions as possible. Don’t worry about the things that are out of your control, such as outdoor noises or a ringing phone.
When you meditate, sit comfortably, and try to keep your spine reasonably straight. This posture is thought to allow spiritual energy to flow freely up your spine, which is an important part of meditation. You can lean against a chair back ( or a wall, headboard, etc.) for support if you need to. If you are dealing with an illness and you can’t sit up, lay flat on your back. Put your hands in any position that is comfortable.
Good for Body & Mind
You might be a little skeptical at this point. You might be asking, “Could something as gentle and benign as meditation actually cure disease?” Well, according to a recent study by a research team in Brazil, elderly patients suffering from chronic heart failure significantly benefited from regular meditation sessions. Quality of life and “norepinephrine” blood levels improved.1
In another study, patients who were experiencing mental distress were given either “mindfulness meditation” sessions or “somatic-relaxation” training. The researchers found that both types of therapy benefited the patients. However, mediation, in particular, reduced “distractive and ruminative behavior.”2
Why not give mediation a try? A 15-minute session each day may be surprisingly beneficial to your health. Try to suspend any skepticism for one week, and see if some part of you doesn’t feel more balanced or stronger after meditating.

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Category : Health and Fitness : Meditation

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