Using Meditation to Relax
and Manage Stress
©by Yanni Maniates
Stress is an everyday fact of life. You
can't avoid it; but you can manage it in a way so that it works for you and
not against you. If you allow stress to run unchecked, you will most likely
create problems for yourself physically and emotionally.
Below is a list of the various kinds of ailments that
chronic stress can cause:
Muscle weakness, muscle
tension, shoulder, neck, and backaches
Hypertension
Peptic ulcers,
stomachaches
Colitis, constipation,
Chronic diarrhea
Amenorrhea–suppression of
menstruation, failure to ovulate
Impotency and loss of
libido
Asthma, bronchitis and
other respiratory ailments
Diabetes
Decalcification of bones,
osteoporosis
Inhibition of immune and
inflammatory systems
Headaches, fatigue
Arthritis
Premature aging
Depression
Anger, hostility
Difficulty making
decisions and concentrating, frequent crying
Insomnia
Please note that when you are overly
stressed, your adrenal glands secrete corticoids (adrenaline, epinephrine,
and norepinephrine) which inhibit digestion, reproduction,
growth and tissue repair, and the immune and inflammatory responses.
So, as you can see from the above, chronic stress is
not good for you. But, just as we get so caught up in a chronic stress
response to life's challenges; we can also learn how
to experience the "relaxation response" through the practice of meditation.
By using meditation techniques, you can significantly lessen your level of tension and experience the following positive, relaxing, scientifically proven effects:
Highly alert and focused
mental state
Deep state of relaxation
Decrease in perspiration,
muscle tension, and levels of stress hormones
Slower more even
breathing patterns
Slower heartbeat
Lower and more stable
blood pressure
Diminished fight or
flight response
Better digestion
A boost in energy,
stamina, and natural immunity
Speedier recovery from
illness
Improved response time,
motor skills, coordination, & other physical responses
Enhanced mental
concentration
Greater emotional mastery
and stability
Enhanced feeling of
well-being
Prevention of physical
problems
More graceful aging
Better sleep
As well, the regular practice of meditation can help with the following conditions:
Lessens the frequency and severity of asthmatic attacks and other allergic reactions. Materially reduces stress and stress-related illnesses like heart disease, hypertension, tachycardia, headaches, and insomnia. Significantly alleviates present moment and chronic physical pain from arthritis, back injury, and most other causes. Also, meditation can help with: Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Sexual dysfunction, Post-traumatic Stress, Panic Attacks.
So, as you can see, you can significantly improve the
quality of your life by learning how to incorporate meditation into your
life. Meditation techniques are simple, short, and easy to do. And they will
help make your life so much more enjoyable.
What follows
is a description of a series of simple breath meditation exercises that will
help you to calm your emotions and be much more relaxed:
Emotional Stress: When you are under emotional stress, breath into your solar plexus area and keep your focus of attention there. Let your belly comfortably expand like a balloon. Breath in for a count of four, hold briefly, while you imagine any negativity being gathered into the breath, and then breath out all the negativity for a count of four. Use this breath to help calm yourself when you are feeling anxious, overly excited, worried, confronting another individual, giving a presentation before a group, etc.. Do at least ten of these breaths. It helps to re-energize your adrenals, digestive organs, pancreas and spleen.
Under Pressure: Breath as above into your heart area. Use this breath when you feel overwhelmed, overworked, overloaded, suppressed, depressed, fearful, lacking in confidence, have an excessive work load, family crisis, financial pressures, etc. This energizes the heart and lungs.
Mental tension: Breath into your head. Consciously draw energy high up into your nasal passages. Breath oxygen into your brain. Feel energy flow into your brain. This breath is for headaches, dizziness, migraines, insomnia or when you feel foggy and unclear.
So to prevent tension, you first need to be conscious
of your body and mind. Take the time to observe yourself and be aware of how
your body and mind are responding to the situation at hand. If you are
feeling the effects of stress, catch yourself before it gets any worse and
start releasing the pent up energy. Just being conscious like this will go
along way in helping you not to hold on to any negative energies.
So, when you feel tension, just use any or all of the three breaths, I have taught you above and you will feel so much better.
Yanni Maniates
The Life Mastery Institute
Be free, joyful, and nourished.
520 Stevens Road, Morrisville, PA 19067
(215) 295-5444
