Medicine-Naturals :: Better
Breathing = Banishing Stress ::
One form of natural stress relief
is meditation techniques, which often involves the use of specific breathing
techniques. This stress relief technique
helps calm the mind and create an overall sense of peace and relaxation.
There are many forms of
meditation and many are linked to certain religions or spiritual beliefs. Hinduism has many schools of meditation,
including yoga. Buddhists use meditation
to reach a state of enlightenment and many Jewish prayers are meditative in
nature. Even many Christian religions
utilize forms of meditation, such as the use of rosary beads n Catholicism.
Meditation does not, however,
have to be about a spiritual or religious journey. Rather, it is a natural treatment for stress
and anxiety that is accomplished by getting the mind, body, and spirit in
balance.
To accomplish this, a person
using meditation as a form of natural stress relief must find a quiet
place. There are no strict rules
regarding body positioning when meditating, but most people who use meditation
as a form of natural stress relief prefer to do so in the lotus position. The lotus position involves sitting with the
legs crossed while keeping the back straight and the shoulders level. Yet other practitioners prefer to sit
comfortably, but with the legs uncrossed.
No matter the general position
chosen when using meditation for natural stress relief, it is best to keep the
spine straight throughout the meditation process. This position encourages circulation and
makes it easier to breathe in the deep, slow fashion that is often necessary
for meditation.
After finding a quiet place to
perform meditation, and after assuming a position that is comfortable, it is
time to begin this process of natural stress relief. Some people prefer to remain quiet while
meditating. Still others close their
eyes and hum or make other repetitive noises to help clear their minds and to
block out thoughts and outside noises.
Many prefer to utilize specific
breathing techniques and specific thoughts in order to reach a meditative and
relaxed state. One popular method is to
focus on each individual part of the body. Give your self permission to relax
until your entire body is relaxed. At
the same time, this method calls for taking a few deep breaths. These are called cleansing breaths because
they help clear the mind and bring a little extra oxygen into the blood. After the cleansing breaths, subsequent
breaths should be inhaled to the count of four, and then exhaled to the count
of eight. These counts help focus the
breathing and clear the mind of other thoughts.
Unlike medication, there is no
limit to the number of times meditation can be used. This natural stress relief technique can be
used as often as necessary and for as long as needed because it does not have
the negative side effects of medication.
In fact, it is possible to gain relief from stress and anxiety with just
a one-minute session of meditation, though 20-30 minutes of meditation is most
common.
Many studies have been performed
on the use of meditation as a form of natural stress relief. These studies have shown that meditation
does, indeed, lower the biochemical byproducts of stress. Meditation has also been proven to reduce
blood pressure and heart rate, as well as increase favorable brain waves. This is unlike many stress-relieving
medications, which may temporarily reduce feelings of stress, but can cause
long-term harm to the body.
In fact, meditation is used often
in hospitals with patients suffering from chronic or terminal illness to reduce
stress. This is especially important
because stress has been shown to contribute to poor health. A 1999 report by neurophysiologist Dr. James
Austin from the University
of Colorado stated that
meditation actually reprograms brain circuitry.
His findings were later confirmed using imaging techniques that view
electrical activity in the brain.
Further studies at the Mind-Body
Medical Institute, which is affiliated with Harvard and several other Boston
hospitals, has found that meditation causes several biochemical and physical
changes associated with relaxation, including changes in heart rate,
metabolism, blood pressure, respiration, and brain chemistry.
With all of the positive research
surrounding meditation and relaxation breathing techniques, it is easy to see
why thousands of people use the techniques every day to relieve stress and
improve living.
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