Meditation + Mindfulness
Meditation and Mindfulness have been buzzwords since the 2010s and beyond. We all talk about meditation and mindfulness as though we do both all the time… But do we?
Here is what we know about meditation from the national institute of health. Here is what they say about meditation and its ability to boost immunity. It’s worth carving out the time for meditation, even just five minutes to start, and doing it daily. For all of us.
In 2020, I put myself to the challenge. Could I actually get disciplined about meditation and mindfulness? An everyday challenge started. I decided to go for it and STAY committed. And I can tell you, it was unlike any other time in my life. I lasted more than 100 days and transformed by life, not just my meditation proactive.
How you might be wondering? It started as a new year goal. I ended up starting before the new year, as headspace (my favourite meditation app) convinced me -why wait- to start a new habit and I thought, yea…why weight and decided to start the challenge in late December. Let me tell you, so many things in my life were impacted. It really is life-changing. I felt more self-aware in every moment throughout my day, more mindful of my actions, their impacts, my mood, and how it affects me and others. It’s was so great!! I can’t recommend it more highly, Try it!
I have said this to many of my patients, just like everyone tells you, it really is life-changing. I planned to NEVER stop a daily practice. It was my treat to me. Coffee, 10-20 minutes meditation time with Headspace, or whatever you like. Then for me, it’s 15 minutes stretching, 5 min rolling out my legs and hips with a foam roller, 15-20 minutes strengthening and after that routine I’m set for the day.
I can’t say that this has stuck with me since 2020. I have good weeks and weeks that are difficult. Now that it is the end of 2023, Im ready to start a daily challenge again. How about joining me?
Now that we are on super high alert and interested in immune health, I wanted to include my favorite immunity qi gong meditation. Qi gong is a form of Chinese meditation with movement that increases body function, supports health, and treats disease. Often people can find meditation challenging given the difficulty with the stillness of the body and attempts to quiet the mind. Qi gong meditation incorporates movement into the meditation which assists in bringing the mind and body back to the current moment. Qi gong also uses words that associate with the forms. While learning we often say the words with the movement. Once we have memorized the words, Qi gong is usually practices silently, contimplating the deeper meaning of these words while using the breath to move Qi.
Regardless of what’s going on in the world, meditation practice has been proven time and again to be deeply impactful to people’s overall well-being. With all that is currently going on, there truly is no time like the present.