A Single Session of Meditation May Reduce Anxiety and Help Your Heart

Participants showed benefits after a short, introductory meditation session.

Stress and anxiety can make everyday life a challenge. They’re the mental monsters that harm the well-being of millions daily, leading to long-term effects on health.

In the hopes of finding a way to combat stress, researchers are investigating if a single, hour-long meditation session can counteract the negative effects of anxiety and stress.

In a small study that’s being presented today at the 2018 Experimental Biology meeting, researchers found evidence that a single session of mindful meditation can help reverse the physical and psychological toll of stress on the body.

Over the past decade, meditation and mindfulness have become popular regimens in healthy living. They’ve evolved from being just a fad to a legitimate player in the fight against cardiovascular disease and other conditions exacerbated by stress.

Previous research on meditation and anxiety have shown significant reductions in anxiety levels after weeks of meditation. But this study suggests that just one meditation session can lower anxiety and potentially a person’s cardiovascular risk. More research is needed to confirm these findings, however.

John J. Durocher, PhD, assistant professor of physiology in the department of biological sciences at Michigan Technological University and Hannah Marti, a recent graduate of Michigan Technological University, led the research. They measured the 14 participants’ anxiety using a system called the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) before and after they underwent a 60-minute introductory mindful meditation session.

The researchers found that meditation had significant effects on both physical and mental symptoms of anxiety. Participants reported far less anxiety on the BAI, but they also had physical indicators of less stress.After one hour of meditation, researchers found that there was a significant change on blood vessel wall stiffness — indicating less stress or pressure on their arteries — immediately after meditation. This reduction was also seen an hour after the meditation as well.

As a result of these early findings, the researchers suggest people can start to see psychological and physical benefits from a single introductory session of mindful meditation — and possibly even lower their cardiovascular risk.

While this study is small and yet to be published in a medical journal, the researchers say it can help open a new pathway of research.

How meditation can help your heart

Searching for new ways to combat stress and anxiety is a key goal for doctors, as a large portion of adults report feeling anxiety every year.

According to the most recent data available, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)estimates more than 19 percent of adults experienced anxiety within the past year and more than 31 percent experienced an anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime. The NIMH notes anxiety disorders are higher in females than males.

Everybody feels stress and anxiety in different ways. But when stress becomes excessive, it can contribute to high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, physical inactivity, and overeating — all of which contribute to heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association.

However, mindful meditation has been shown to help not only stress and anxiety, but other conditions often exacerbated by chronic stress as well.

It can reduce pain, boost the immune system, and ease inflammation in chronic conditions. It can even help increase gray matter in the brain, build focus and concentration, reduce loneliness, and even cultivate willpower. Read more at Healthline

~Published on April 23, 2018

Shine Your Light~Debbie

SpiritLightInsight.com

Debra Taitel is a gifted Clairvoyant, Energy Healer, Spiritual Teacher and Intuitive Business Consultant providing insight and guidance to clients around the world. In addition to her clairvoyant readings, business consulting and healing work Debra also offers one to one personal empowerment sessions and leads meditation workshops to help people heal and awaken to their own truth and spiritual gifts.

Falling in love and getting married is a wonderful thing. When you meet that special someone, stars shine in your eyes, your thoughts become romantic dreams, everything looks beautiful and all seems right in the world. As your love grows with each passing moment, you may make the decision to get married and spend the rest of your life together. Marriage is the commitment that says you will be together ‘until death do you part.’

Although ceremonies and vows differ by culture, religion or custom, wedding vows are promises; Commitments to love, honor and cherish, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, for richer or poorer etc. It doesn’t matter if you marry using customary vows, write your own or make an agreement under the stars on a remote beach with just the two of you. You are pledging and proclaiming your love and commitment to one another by agreement.

Marriage is a sacred space between two people both spiritually and physically. A union that says you will journey together on the path of life. It’s interesting to note that most understand the concept of two people coming together in this way yet don’t consider the concept of body & spirit union and making those very same vows! OK I know, there should be a big ‘gotcha’ there 🙂

Your spirit and body are already in union and ‘until death do you part’ is pretty much a given but what commitments have you made to your body? Do you respect, love, honor and cherish it? Has what was once a wonderful relationship become stale and abusive or did you never really love your body because you were too fat, or thin, or your nose is too big etc? Are you constantly invalidating, judging, ignoring or punishing your body and seeing only the imperfections? If you are not loving, cherishing and honoring your body you are in an abusive relationship!

Commit to loving your body and re-new your vows!

This might seem silly but you only have one body and it really is ‘until death do you part’! Like any good marriage it takes commitment to caring for and loving it each day. Eating healthy foods, listening to your body and giving it what it needs, getting enough rest, daily exercise and pampering yourself are certainly all part of a life long marriage.

It’s not that you have to like every single part of your body, but it’s important to have and accept the body that your spirit co-habitats with. Think of it this way, would you continue to live with someone or even have them as a friend, who treats you like you sometimes treat your body? As spirit, you made an agreement to be born into this particular body, at this particular time, to learn certain lessons…yes YOU chose your body before you were born and it’s up to you to care for it!

Pronounce and proclaim your marriage!

Look in the mirror and say the following words or write your own as they apply to you:

“I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and listen to you all the days of my life. I promise to have respect and honor you, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

Enough said 🙂 ~Shine Your Light Debbie

SpiritLightInsight.com

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Debra is a gifted clairvoyant reader, spiritual healer and intuitive coach providing insight and guidance to clients around the world. Based in Chicago, Debra also leads meditation workshops that help people awaken to their own truth and spiritual gifts. To schedule a session or for more information on readings and workshops please visit her website or send an email request to Debra@SpiritLightInsight.com .