Each and every day, without reprieve or cessation, life just gets busier with more demands, increased workloads, and added daily stressors. The easy way out is to pop a couple of aspirin, Tylenol, Advil or the like and wait for the pain to subside.
A Pill Popping Society
Modern science has made remarkable progress in the area of medicine. There is now a pill for everything, including erectile dysfunction. Twenty years ago, if anyone had said there was a pill that gave a man a four hour erection, it would have been hysterically funny and no one would have believed it. And yet, it is now commonplace with more than 25 million men being prescribed Viagra worldwide.
The same can be said for pain relievers. There is a designer pill for every type of ache and pain imaginable. Just a few include Motrin for muscle pain; Advil for migraines, Tylenol for headaches and fever, and Aspirin for inflammation.
The truth of the matter is that medicinal pain relievers only mask the symptoms and although the headache may be gone for a few hours, it is always certain to return. A better way to approach the problem is through taking time for oneself and healing from the inside out with meditation.
Meditation Offers Instant Relief
A better way to deal with headaches, stress and everyday life challenges is by taking personal time to heal from the inside out. This might include eating properly, daily exercise including walking outdoors in the fresh air and yoga. To take that personal healing one step further, try meditation.
Meditation, whether taken in a class or self guided, can be the truest and purest form of healing. In any one session, one who meditates can feel the weight of the world pass through the body and leave in a gentle and alleviating manner.
Although proper meditation techniques take time, and it is recommended that they are taught by a master or a yoga professional, there are also excellent instructional books and guided DVDs and audio tapes on the market that will get a novice started on the right track.
The Physical and Health Benefits of Meditation
In many areas of holistic and traditional healthcare, meditation is being incorporated into care plans for patients with terminal and chronic disease, mental illness and life threatening recovery processes. From a physiological perspective, meditation offers the following body benefits:
- Decreases anxiety quickly and without medication
- Decreases headaches and muscle tension
- Decreases respiratory rate
- Increases blood flow
- Decreases the heart rate
- Promotes a deeper level of relaxation
- Increases self awareness and self confidence
- Improves serotonin levels which are responsible for behavior and mood
- Stimulates, enhances and improves the immune system
- Promotes the awareness of feelings and improves emotional well being
- Prevents premature aging and wrinkles
In a Tough Economy, Medication is Cost Free
Fewer people can afford a gym membership, a psychologist or a personal coach in these hard economic times. Meditation can be done anytime, anywhere and it costs nothing. There is no special equipment required and no particular place that one must practice meditation. In fact, with increased awareness and health through meditation, it could save a whole lot of money on future healthcare costs.
Meditation is not a time consuming practice, and it lays an excellent foundation for the habitually stressed such as super moms and fast track professionals who never take time for themselves. Just 15 or 20 minutes each day can change a life.