Ahhhh, fall is here – fresh, cooler air, kids back in school, you’re learning to meditate…wait, what? Meditate?
Seriously, the fall can feel like the start of a new year, and after years and years of school, I don’t think I’m going out on a limb if I say even us adults feel a twinge of an eager new start with a general sense of budding possibilities. So what better opportunity to bring on a new habit that will help make our life a little easier?
C’mon, join the other Vancouver cool kids and let’s learn to meditate!
As a firm believer in the benefits of breathing, mindfulness and stress-relief, I’ve enlisted the help of Tiffany Robinson, workshop facilitation and meditation teacher, to help us out.
Three Great Reasons to Meditate
article by Tiffany Robinson, Workshop Facilitator & Meditation Teacher
#1: Improved Focus
Picture this: you’re at home or work reading or on the computer and suddenly you notice you’ve become completely distracted. Bingo – a classic example where meditation can help.
Why? Like doing anything – sports, music or cooking – skills get better with practice. Meditation teaches you how to direct and redirect your attention on demand. With practice, the mind can overrule tendencies to become distracted, more of the time.
Replicate this in your home or work environment and say hello to a greater focus, potential for increased productivity and ultimately more control over what you think.
#2: More Energy for Life
The research, according to the Journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, demonstrates that mindfulness-based interventions –which can include seated and walking meditations, as well as mindful eating and yoga –correlate with structural changes in the brain known to play a key role in the stress response.
In two separate studies, Taro et al. found that after only four months of practice, participants who learned to meditate had lower levels of stress hormones, as compared to non-meditators.
Similar research from the Centre for Mindfulness, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School confirms that learning to meditate has been shown to improve the ability to cope more effectively with stressful situations and leads to an increased ability to relax and have greater energy and enthusiasm for life.
#3: Personal Time
For many of us, as parents and professionals, we’re often facilitating new experiences for others. But when’s the last time you signed up for a class or workshop that’s just for you?
Perhaps now’s the time. Learning to meditate in a community course is a great way to meet people and take quality time for you.
