Body Scan Meditation

Meditation has such a great affect on our mind and body. Everyday our body is affected by stressors. Meditation gives our body and mind a chance to have a break from these stressors. It doesn't have to be fancy, you can meditate just about anywhere, for any amount of time. If you're just starting out, I suggest to start small - 5-15 minutes a day. Try to set aside some time that you know you'll always have available, like right when you wake up or right after lunch.

So why is meditation so great? Meditation has a number of health benefits and has been studied by Western medicine. Some of these include decreased anxiety, lowered blood pressure, decreased depression, and decreased metabolism [1]. Of course, more than 1 meditation practice is needed to see measurable results. Probably the most impressive health benefits that has been discovered by modern medicine is the increase in grey matter in our brains after some time of a consistent meditation practice; specifically the hippocampal and frontal volumes of our brain [2]. As we age, the grey matter in our brains naturally starts to decrease. Regular meditation practice has shown to slow, and even reverse this decrease in grey matter.

My short meditation above is a basic body scan meditation. It allows you to connect with your physical body and your breath. Looking for more meditation? Check out my schedule or a video library membership for more.

 

Sources:

  1. Meditation: Process and effects by Hari Sharma | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4895748/
  2. The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter. by Luders E1, Toga AW, Lepore N, Gaser C. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19280691