Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Yoga and/or Meditation

Please take a Yoga or Meditation class - or participate in an on-line meditation session, for example, the Chakra Meditation by Deepak Chopra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmam_H6AZL4&list=UUlYdbsCkoKz4NmGCSkkpCmA

Then reflect on your experience and share it with us.

Thank you!

G


2 comments:

  1. Fun Fact from one of my classes (ASIA 370 - The Sanskrit Cosmopolis): We all know that yoga is aimed at transforming the body and the mind. It is believed that the model of human being and their relationship with the external world was developed in philosophies such as Yoga, and remained as the dominant theory of human knowledge. Yoga will help with "the conquest of self". The conquest of self is very significant in the lives of every human being. Training to master the components of one's own inner self will lead to a deeper understanding of humans and their actions. As we go back in time, some kingdoms train their princess and kings by introducing them to Yoga and its practices. At least this is evident in the history of Southeast Asia.

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  2. Meditation has been proved to provide many benefits including preventing stress, and releasing any accumulated stress in our systems

    It is said that with meditation, the physiology undergoes a change, and the body is filled with more energy (prana) which promotes joy, peace, and enthusiastic behaviour.

    Some of the physical benefits of meditation:
    -Lowers the levels of blood lactate, reducing anxiety attacks
    -Decreases any tension-related pain, such as, tension headaches, ulcers, insomnia, muscle and joint problems
    -Increases serotonin production that improves mood and behavior
    -Improves the immune system
    -Increases the energy level, as you gain an inner source of energy

    Mental Benefits of Meditation
    -Anxiety decreases
    -Emotional stability improves
    -Creativity increases
    -Intuition develops
    -Gain clarity and peace of mind
    -sharpens the mind by gaining focus and expands through relaxation

    In more recent news, it was also said that meditation reduces the chances of you getting sick!

    Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health-advisor/meditate-on-this-to-jumpstart-your-immune-system/article21702573/

    Researchers conducted a study where "before the annual flu season began, they divided research volunteers into three groups: one that would practice meditation, another that would exercise regularly and a third control group that just carried on with normal daily life."

    They were able to track the results of how many individuals within each group got sick, as well as the severity and length of their symptoms.

    In the end, it was found that although meditation and exercise reduced the number of people that got sick (by 25%), the severity of symptoms was LOWEST for individuals that went through MEDITATION exercises.

    For example, one of the findings stated that "for the number of missed days of work in each group, [it was found that the] meditation group only missed 16 days, compared to 32 in the exercise group and 67 in the observation-only group."

    I find this very interesting, as most people would have thought that exercise would provide the most benefits in this case. Although we should always integrate exercise into our daily lives, I now see the potential health benefits that meditation also provides. It is just as effective (and even more in this case) than exercise!

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