Meditation

Meditation is not just an amazing spiritual tool, it benefits mind, body and soul! Did you know meditation:

. Calms the nervous system. When we relax our nervous system switches from an autonomic - fight or flight mode to a parasympathetic nervous system - which is when our bodies can begin to heal.

. Is an excellent tool to combat stress. Again, when we are stressed our autonomic nervous system is triggered. Taking us in to a state of fight of flight. Our bodies are running then on the adrenal that is produced as a result, which can damage our organs over time. Relaxation helps to combat stress and bring our bodies back in to a parasympathetic nervous system which is our natural mode for healing. Our body can start to repair.

. Improves sleep. Meditation encourages you to slow your breathing down. This helps to put the body in to a state of relaxation. When we slow our breathing down we in turn lower our heart rate. Both of these help us to drift off to sleep.

. Improves mood which helps our overall well being and enjoyment in life. Meditation helps us to quiet the mind, allows us to go with the flow and allow thoughts and stresses to come and go without attachment or judgement. This helps us to feel less burdened and boosts our overall mood.

. Improves fitness. Sitting during meditation helps us to strengthen our cores and develop muscle memory. This is also true for the rhythmic breathing associated with meditation - slow breaths in through the nose, making sure to extend the belly and breathe through that area, rather than breathing through the chest so that the ribcage rises and falls. It can also help improve focus and clarity.

. Improves our physical and mental health. Meditating can boost your immune system. This is due to the relaxed state you enter and as explained above, when our parasympathetic nervous system is running the show, our bodies can begin to physically heal and repair. Stress is also linked to an inflammatory response in the body. Inflammation is at the route of every disease, creating an unhealthy environment from within. When we meditate and relax, we activate our vagus nerve. Increased vagal tone (which is activity of the vagus nerve) can modulate cytokine release. Cytokines are signalling proteins that help control inflammation in the body. Therefore, meditation has been linked with reduction of inflammation. Meditation also lowers blood pressure which leads to improved heart health.