By Dr Orly Zuker, Chiropractor
(B.Appl.Sci: Comp Med, Clin Chiro: Masters, B.Nursing)
Life can sometimes be busy and hectic and stress can
sometimes be overwhelming. Stress is now accepted by all health care modalities as a significant trigger in the development
of various lifestyle diseases, so it is vital that we stay in control, manage our stress and
create moments of relaxation and down time everyday. Taking time out (even if it is just 5min to stop
and breathe a few times) or meditating may just be the answer in keeping
unnecessary stress at bay.
Meditation is a wonderful practice that dates back thousands of years with prehistoric origins. Meditation allows a person
to stop, breathe and go within themselves, processing stress, hurt, happiness and the daily workings of life. Research into meditation practice is
now showing that there are many health benefits, including reduced adrenalin
and cortisol levels (hormones that are closely implicated in the development of
diabetes and cardiovascular disease), lowered blood pressure and heart rate,
improved mood, concentration and an increased sense of calm and vitality.
CALMING THE MIND WITH
MEDITATION, A NEW PERSPECTIVE…
When many people see or hear the word meditation they
worry that they need to become a Buddhist, Yogi or some sort of spiritual Guru.
The good news is that meditation is a broad concept and does not necessarily
require you to sit for hours at a time chanting. If this is how you enjoy or
chose to meditate, terrific, however for those who need convincing there are other
options you can enjoy…
Realistically, meditation can be whatever you want it to
be ,where you feel at peace and relaxed away from the frantic world outside. For
example, you may like to attend a dance class, knit a scarf, plant seedlings in
the garden, play tennis, walk silently in the bush, run along the beach, sit or
lie in a peaceful space, take a bath, do a yoga class or eat in silence. You
choose!
Everyone
has heard someone express “if you don’t relax, you will give yourself a heart
attack”. The good news is various studies on meditation have concluded that the
practice alters brain patterns (alpha and theta waves) and reduces stress,
having a positive effect on heart rate and blood pressure. All you have to do is make the time
for yourself and chose the meditative activity that you prefer and dedicate
time to it regularly.
Interesting,
a study conducted by Sydney University found that just 10-20 minutes of
meditation in stressed office workers (two times a day) is effective in
improving mood, alleviating depression and increasing concentration at work.
This occurs as a result of the mental silence practice triggering positive
brain changes (increasing plasma/ blood melatonin levels), thus allowing the
body to heal and express itself more efficiently.
Researchers have also found that as well as being highly
effective in reducing stress, meditation also has a positive effect on the
immune system. This is possible as a result of reducing the levels of stress
hormones in the blood which cause the nervous system to function on overdrive,
leading to a susceptibility to illness (colds and flus as well as lifestyle
diseases such as diabetes, cancers and heart disease).
We can make all the excuses in the world for why we
‘don’t’ have the time to go for a walk or to sit and breathe, however if we
just begin some form of meditation practice each day, coping with the stress of
daily life will become easier.
- Meditation
practice #1: Exercise
This form of meditation can be more
gentle types of exercise such as tai chi, yoga and stretching or can be more
dynamic such as running, ball sports, dancing or gymnastics. You find what it is that you enjoy, decide the
day that suits you and take the time each week to exercise for your meditation
practice.
With majority of the community being desk-bound
and sedentary at work (including me whilst I write this article!), it is vital that we all take the time to stretch a
little (or a lot) each day. Find a class that you enjoy or create a simple
routine of 5 or 6 stretches that you can master and do regularly throughout the
day. This activity will help you to promote better posture at work as well as
in your general day-to-day life. Interestingly, young children are extremely
flexible and mobile and this is partially because their bones and joints have
not get fully grown or fused into place, but mostly because they are up and
about moving and being active throughout the day. So, to all the adults out
there, draw your chest forward, pull your shoulders back, tuck your tummy in
and tilt your head back a little... Now roll your shoulders back a few times
and breathe!
- Meditation
practice #2: Get in touch with nature
Whether a person is spiritual or not,
we are all ‘inhabitants of the earth’ and this is why we all feel a tremendous
sense of inner calm and peace when we are outside in nature. In a way nature
and its fresh air, sunlight and refreshing smells remind us to breathe, slow
down and relax. In saying this nature is also good for our health and without
trees and the oxygen that they generate (and the carbon dioxide that they filter),
humans would be in a great deal of trouble.
At least once a week, you may practice
your meditation in nature by walking on the beach, swimming in the ocean, strolling
through a park/ wetlands or reserve, sitting by a waterfall, hiking in the
mountains or running in a forest… Just chose the place that allows you to go
within and relax and commit to doing this regularly. Your body, mind and spirit
will love it.
- Meditation
practice #3: Mindful Meal times
Meal times as well as ‘cuppa-time’ can
be used as an opportunity to stop, be mindful and contemplate your day.
Unfortunately most people eat on the run, rush their chewing and often make
unhealthy meal choices...
Our teeth and the enzyme Amylase that
exists in our saliva is the body’s first step in the complicated process of
digestion. If our meal times are rushed and if we are not chewing our food well enough, healthy metabolism is interrupted. When food is incorrectly
digested, digestive pain, bloating, constipation/ diarrhoea and unnecessary
weight gain can result (metabolic syndrome). For optimal digestion we should be
chewing our food at least 25 times per mouthful (depending of course of the
texture of the food that you are consuming). No doubt most people’s reaction to
reading that would have been “I don’t chew that much”, and if so perhaps start
counting how many times you chew with your next meal. A healthy tip; never eat when you are stressed or angry.
- Meditation
practice #4: Relaxing bathing time
Most people love submerging themselves
in a nice hot bath, dissolving away all of their worries. Before sleep, bathing
is a great time to calm down and practice meditation so that you may
process of your thoughts and experiences from the day. Add a few drops of
lavender essential oil and a chamomile tea bag and breathe in the relaxing
aroma it creates. If you do not have a bath, you can always make a regular
visit to your local pool and use the spa or sauna there. It is important to implement safety
measures while in the bath, and for obvious reason, avoid drinking alcohol or falling asleep during
this form of water meditation!
- Meditation
practice #5: Taking the time to breathe deeply
Between work deadlines and rushing around with babies and
kids, people forget to breathe. Simply taking the
time to breathe in 5 deep belly breathes can instantly reduce your racing heart
rate and ‘bring you back to the middle’. Try to adopt a stress-free approach to
your day and if it helps, write all of your tasks down in order of completing
them, and for your mental health perhaps cross 2 off that you can do tomorrow.
On this list add breathe next to each task or errand. Now, switch on the kettle, make
yourself a cup of herbal tea, close your eyes and take 5 deep breathes,
enjoying the sense of calm breathing gives you as every cell in your body is
re-oxygenated.
Some people are naturally positive and
optimistic (critics might say that they have ‘rose-coloured glasses) and others
find it more difficult or perhaps a challenge to see the glass as half full being
naturally more cynical, negative or pessimistic. At every dinner party there is
always a pessimist and there is always an optimist constructing a wall of
argument… The fact is that people who have a positive outlook to life (either of
their current life situation or of the future) are in general more happy,
relaxed and healthy people. Life is short and can often throw us blows that
are difficult to stand up from, however if we approach our challenges with a
different mindset, the outcome may just be a different one than we expected. The
good news is that we can change our mind and our mentality and re-train
ourselves to enjoy our precious life with a more positive outlook…
Below are some helpful and realistic tips
that you may like to use to implement change, but do remember that firstly you
have to be willing to see that your current outlook is not healthy or vibrant
and secondly you have to be willing to make the necessary change.
Step 1: Be grateful for your life.
Step 2: Be yourself and believe in yourself.
Step 3: Appreciate that you are exactly where
you are supposed to be (even if you are having more bad hits than good experiences).
Step 4: Highlight the ‘issues’ in your life
(bad relationship, job you dislike, ill health, poor lifestyle etc) and plan
the steps to change them.
Step 4: Write down 5 easy to implement steps/goals
you can take to approach step 4. Try not to be too stringent and avoid
attempting to overhaul your life all at once. Ie. Prepare your lunch the night
before, search for a new job, discuss relationship issues with your partner,
start walking, start stretching, eat more fruit/ veggies etc.
Step 5: Do your best to avoid being negative.
You can achieve this by avoiding gossip,
staying clear of negative people in your life, ignoring people’s judgements and
negative comments and by being 100% authentic.
Step 6: Listen to your mind chatter (subconscious
thoughts)… If you hear yourself saying “I never”, “I can’t”, “no”, “it’s
terrible”, ”I shouldn’t” or “it’s too hard ” then immediately counteract these
thoughts with positive responses such as “I can” and “I will” and “I am
worthy” etc.
Step 7: Be nice to yourself and avoid being your
hardest critic. Try to avoid all situations where you may argue with people or
become angry. Arguments just aren't worth it!
Step 8: Relinquish control, let go and
go with the flow.
Step 9: Resume or take up reading… However make
every effort to avoid reading newspapers (sports pages being the only
exception) as they more often than not contain negative news that can clog your
mind and spirit. Also, try to avoid reading ebooks and digital sources as our
lives have become too technological. Perhaps read a good old fashion paperback
novel.
Step 10: Exercise your body as well as your
mind. Exercise is a great way to burn off steam and clear your mind, using adrenalin
as it was physiologically meant to be used.
In conclusion, stress leads
to poor lifestyle choices and can cause lifestyle diseases, so take a step
back, relax, and meditate to potentially reduce your risk of developing
lifestyle diseases… Remember, meditation can be many things, whatever you choose... Discover what and where makes you feel relaxed, relax and meditate regularly!
Enjoy!
References:
- Tooley, GA etal. (2000). Acute
increases in night-time plasma melatonin levels following a period of
meditation.
Vol 53 (1). Biolog
Psych. Pg. 69-78.
- Jim
Lagopoulos etal (2009.).
Increased
Theta and Alpha EEG Activity During Nondirective Meditation. Vol 15 (11), Journ
Alternat Comp Med.
- Canter, PH. (2003). The therapeutic
effects of meditation. BMJ. Vol 326. Pg
1049.
- Tacón, AM
etal. (2003). Mindfulness Meditation, Anxiety Reduction, and Heart Disease:
A Pilot Study. Comp Altern Ther. Vol 26 )(1). Pg. 25-33
- Tang, YY
etal. (2007). Short-term meditation training improves attention and
self-regulation. PNAS. Vol. 104 (43). Pg.17152-17156
- Manocha, R etal. (2011),
A randomized, controlled trial of
meditation for work stress, anxiety and depressed mood in full-time workers. Evid Based Comp Altern Med.
- Barnes, VA
etal. (2004). Impact of Meditation on Resting and Ambulatory Blood Pressure
and Heart Rate in Youth. Psychosomat
Med. Vol 66. Pg. 909-914.
- Davidson, RJ
etal. (2003). Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by
Mindfulness Meditation. Psychosomat
Med. Vol 65. Pg. 564-570.
Fig trees are apparently one of the oldest
known trees to mankind, with references made in the bible way back to the story
of Adam and Eve and the fig leaf that covered their private parts! Biblical stories
aside though, the tree was also apparently first spotted in Egypt as well as the
Mediterranean).
