Meditation and Mindfulness have been buzzwords for most of the 2010s. We all talk about them 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. For all of us.
This year, 2020, I put myself to the challenge. Could I actually get disciplined about this? An everyday challenge started. I decided to go for it and STAY committed. And so, here I am, 82 days in. I ended up starting before the new year, as headspace (my favorite meditation app) convinced me -why wait- to start a new habit and I fell for it starting the challenge in late December. Let me tell you, I have been falling for it every day since. It really is life-changing. I feel 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 so great!! Try it!
I have said this to many of my patients, just like everyone tells you, it really is life-changing. I plan to NEVER stop a daily practice. It’s my treat to me. Coffee, 10-20 minutes meditation of 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 then I’m set for the day.
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.