Making it through a day in our modern life can sometimes feel as if we are deluged with countless slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Between news blaring disaster and stressed-out people whirling like dervishes around us, it’s a surprise any of us can sleep at night.
Centering yourself can provide you with a solid foundation. It can create a base from which you can head out with calm strength to approach each new day.
One cornerstone of finding this center is to practice meditation. Study after study finds that meditation reduces stress, lowers inflammation, improves sleep, and provides countless other benefits. And it’s completely free.
Meditation is something that all age groups and levels of health can approach. Yes, it might be challenging at first to release distracting thoughts. Take heart in knowing that it can be challenging at times even for experienced meditators. There is immense value in simply practicing. The more one practices, the more one improves. Even small steps in training the brain to release stress can create stunning improvements in health and mood levels.
If you don’t like to sit, that is fine. Explore walking meditation. Coloring book meditation. Anything which has you focus in on “now” and allow distracting thoughts to fade away will be a benefit.
Another way to build these skills is to practice yoga. Again, this isn’t about twisting yourself into a pretzel while nearly levitating on one finger. It is simply about focusing on and listening to your body. One of the simplest poses is Mountain Pose – Tadasana– which has you standing still, arms down, feet hip-length apart. That’s it. No levitating on a string. No contortions.
Mountain pose is about being still. About checking in with your body and seeing how it is doing. Are there twinges? Any imbalance? The idea is to examine those with calm patience. We all have physical issues. We all have odd pains and quirks. It is by gently acknowledging them and appreciating what we have that we are best able to move forward with our goals.
The better that we can take care of ourselves, the better we are able to be present for those around us who rely on us. The better we can build our energy to tackle the dreams and aspirations we have for ourselves. Life provides us with a finite amount of time in which to spread our wings and fly. By caring for ourselves each day, we can reach what we have always wished for.
Author: Patricia Hildebrandt