Meditation is an integral part of yoga practice, in fact, the purpose of asana practice is to settle your body and focus the mind in preparation for meditation. However, you do not have to be an accomplished yogi or Buddhist Master to practice self meditation effectively, you don’t need to pretzel yourself into lotus pose – truly, for many of us, Lotus Pose is simply too physically challenging to allow focus. You can meditate while walking, while seated in a straight-backed chair, in Easy Pose, Simple Cross-Legged Pose and for the very flexible the classical meditation pose, Padmasana/Lotus Pose. Any pose that enables comfortable stillness for the body is effective for meditation; when you remove as many physical and environmental distractions as possible, the mind and breath are free to focus.
Meditation has many advantage on many levels, including:
Physiological/Physical
~ revitalizes the nervous system
~ strengthens neural pathways within your brain
~ increases lung capacity
~ increases oxygen flow to the brain
~ increases alertness
~ improves sleep
~ can minimize the effects of asthma
~ improves your immune system
~ assists with addiction/abuse recovery
~ reduces blood presure
Mental/Emotional
~ calm the senses
~ focusses the mind to bring clarity & perspective
~ soothes the over-stimulated Self
~ reduce stress
~ promotes positive outlook, reduces negative thoughts
~ increase Self-Esteem
~ improves memory
~ minimizes anxiety and hypersensitivity
~ increases creativity
Spiritual
~ enables the flow of prana/chi/life energy through the body
~ develop, promote and maintain spiritual awareness
~ unites an individual with Consciousness and the truest Higher Self
~ increases connection with the Divine
~ balances the Doshas – especially Vata disturbances (see Ayurveda for information on the Doshas)
~ prepares the youself for the transition of Death
~ allows us to open our minds and hearts in order to Live more fully
~ brings us into the divinity of the present moment
Get to know the various types of meditation and benefits of meditation. Find out how you can unlock the beautiful power of your calm mind today!
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