Ten Small Changes to Be a Healthier and Happier Mom

Categories: Meditation. We know it’s much more than sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat humming “oooohm” with our eyes closed. It’s a discipline that stretches as far back as 1500 BC to the Hindu Vedanta school, and it’s demonstrated its amazing impact on mental, physical and societal health. It’s also the furthest remedy possible from taking medicine. A sharper memory, lower blood pressure and higher self-esteem without a doctor’s co-pay? I’ll take it! Now let’s explore some of the perks of meditating and why you should start STAT! Reduce Your Stress and Anxiety We know stress is bad. It can literally shrink the neurons in your hippocampus, the part of your brain responsible for your memory and learning capacity. Meditation combats chronic stress by increasing “calming hormones” such as melatonin and decreasing the “stress hormone” cortisol. A double-pronged attack! Increase Your Overall Health With the significant stress and anxiety decrease, you can enjoy reduced blood pressure anddiminish your risk for heart disease and stroke. A team of researchers at Yale found that long-time meditators have decreased activity in the areas of the brain that are associated with ADHD, anxiety and Alzheimer’s. Meditation also reduces cholesterol and improves blood circulation. And the list goes on… Slow Down Your Aging Process It’s true: There’s such a thing as anti-aging without a bottle. Deepak Chopra has said that meditators have a biological age 5-10 years lower than their chronological age. Meditation also does good for our sense of hearing, blood pressure and eyesight, all three of which tend to weaken as we grow older and wiser. Decrease Crime Rates When the FBI reported lower crime rates in 2010 during a time of recession, transcendental meditation wasn’t the prime suspect – but there’s been some research indicating that meditation can positively impact an entire society. A Washington, D.C. experiment in 1993 formed large groups of meditators for one month. Over 4,000people participated. The results? A 48% reduction in crimes in our nation’s capital. Get Better Grades The Journal of Research and Development in Education reported that, after being exposed to meditation, a group of inner-city middle school students improved their overall grades, work habits and classroom cooperation. In Lelystad, a small Dutch town, grade-school children meditate 20 minutes each day, resulting in more stable behavior in class and higher national test scores. Do you regularly meditate? If so, what benefits have you experienced? Let us know in the comments!

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