Chasing Away Stress with Meditation

Stress is part of life and attacking us in various situations, for example, when stuck in traffic, dealing with employment issues, domestic issues, etc.

Stress is a natural reaction when the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in the body becomes active so that the body releases stress hormones.

When you face a crucial situation so the level of SNS becomes active, it results blood pressure to rise and heart pressure to become rapid. Usually, the level of adrenaline, cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate, will return to normal when the situation has passed.

When faced with a serious situation, stress hormones tend to increase and last longer at this level. It, thus, leads blood pressure high and heart rate to become irregular causing new diseases such as insomnia, ulcers, headaches, even more serious diseases such as diabetes and stroke.

Yoga is not just physical exercises. Yoga teaches us to help control the "traffic flow" of our minds. Office task, praying, memories, images of a person's face, all pass jumbled in our brain without being controlled.

Patanjali, a yoga philosopher and author of Yoga Sutras, said yoga is a process to slow fluctuations in our minds. Yoga will help us achieve serenity and peace. The mind will be more focused. It is closely related to stress because stress is often caused by our inability to control the mind.

Many scientific studies proved that meditation was good to give peace of mind. In terms of health, meditation helps lower blood pressure, normalize the heartbeat, maintain the stability of stress hormones.

There are many ways of meditation. The way below is a simple practice easy to do:

• Sit comfortably cross-legged or can also use a chair. Try to keep during meditation your back is straight, does not slouch.
• Put your hands on your knees and close your eyes.
• Focus your mind on your breathing. Breathe comfortably and gently. At first, it was not easy. Your focus will often miss of breathing to thinking about these, as a family event to attend, homework to complete, meeting schedules, etc. Do not worry. Every times happens, return the focus on breathing. With regular and continuous exercise, the longer, you can stand it longer on the focus of your breathing.
• Start this meditation for five minutes and gradually increase the time to twenty minutes. Take the time to practice yoga every day; and when coupled with a healthy diet, you will undoubtedly feel the benefits.

You may also like:

The Art of Stress-Free Living
The Speaking Tree
A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook
Mindfulness
Simply Serene