According to a recently published study by Prevention Magazine, Meditation’s healing powers may be greater than initially thought. In the small sample study, conducted by the Universities of Massachusetts and Wisconsin, a random sampling of participants saw a decrease in flu symptoms and an increase in antibodies in the control group who meditated.  The non-meditating control group actually showed a higher incidence of flu and cold symptoms per season, as well as a lengthier duration.

Volunteers who meditated daily showed a better functioning immune system and a faster return to normal daily activities. Meditation’s deep breathing, focused de-stressing, and healthier overall state creates a better flow of antibodies throughout the body. So when illness like the flu strikes, your body is in fighting condition more than those who do not meditate.

Still skeptical?

A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine proves that meditation boosts immunities in the body. In the study, flu shots were given to both those who meditated daily for a period of 8 weeks and those who did not meditate at all. In blood tests performed after the 2-month period, the meditation group had produced a higher level of antibodies than those who did not meditate.

If you’re wondering why or how this happens consider this: Mindfulness Meditation creates a daily awareness of your mind and body’s state. You begin to realize when you’re stressed or when you have a lot sitting in your mental state. You also realize early on when your body is run down and in need of attention. Through proper focus and care for your body’s needs you are able to tend to resting and rejuvenating long before you become ill. Scientists postulate this state of consciousness created by daily meditation actually keeps you healthier.

If you fear missing work for days on end, hate getting a flu shot (which only works in approximately sixty percent of individuals) and don’t want to deal with constantly feeling run down, give Meditation’s Healing Powers a chance. You will increase energy, increase your ability to fight off illness, and gain an overall wellness – second to none.

I have always had a difficult time communicating with people face to face. In fact, I often find myself nervous when I get an invitation to a party, work event or other social group. Knowing that I would have to make small talk, I immediately get self-conscious about all the inappropriate things I might say. I feel the double check go on in my head Oh, that was so stupid! Why did I say that? He doesn’t like me. I have no chance with her. Why are people looking at me?  The thoughts go round and round making me more and more nervous. But, it doesn’t always have to be like this.

Instead of feeling hopeless and dreading parties or groups of people, it may help to realize that we all have similar thoughts and feelings.  Even the seemingly popular guy at the party, charming the whole room and getting all of the girls, inside is just as insecure as the rest of us. The next time he’s alone he too begins to replay the awkward moments in his head.  Everybody has social anxiety on some level and here is how to beat it:

Use this scientifically proven human calming reflex.

It is a scientifically proven fact that deep breathing can change your confidence level, improve your body language, your approachability and take your mind off your own self-consciousness. The simply motion of breathing in and out calms the physical tensions in your body. Refocusing your nerves on your deep, slow breaths in through the nose and then out through the mouth, will literally take your thoughts off your nerves and put them where they belong – calm, slow and steady.

Realize this one thing.

Everyone comes with his or her own set of challenges. Different issues can be exaggerated more from person to person. Some people are angry all the time, while others are more sad than most. Being nervous in social settings is completely normal but not something you can’t beat. You can handle social anxiety once you calm your mind and body and focus on feeling confident.

Are People Focusing On You?

We all know how it goes. You spend the entire party second guessing yourself or demanding you keep your own mouth shut. But, all you need to remember is that you only have to be yourself, because most people are not focusing all of their attention on you. In fact, they are focusing on themselves. Research has shown that most people are actually inside their own heads, thinking about what they will say or respond next. A person walks away from meeting you with a positive feeling when they did most of the talking! This should give you some relief to allow you to be a great listener and not be so worried about handling all the conversation on your own.

Learning to be a party animal isn’t necessary to overcome social anxiety. What is necessary is cutting yourself some slack – learning to breathe through the uncomfortable feelings, reconnecting with people through listening and not over thinking what you’re going to say. Learning to be naturally confident in social situations takes time and practice.

It is my hope this article helps you rise above your anxiety at the next party, work event or neighborhood BBQ. Don’t be scared and avoid get-togethers – you are not alone, you can overcome this and definitely learn to even enjoy yourself! Did this article make you feel better? Please comment below.

For thousands of years, Meditators have learned that becoming consciously aware, gazing into ours minds and peeling into the core of our being can open one up to an entirely new self. Dealing with addiction, fighting that beast, on a daily basis with the help of the deep breathing, focus and clarity that meditation brings, helps to promote a healthy mind and retrained thought process.

In a 2006 study out of University of Washington, it was discovered that meditation creates its own natural stress relief – literally reducing the power of triggers, withdrawal symptoms and cravings in the recovering addict. Evidence also pointed to a lower rebound rate, as well as a higher sense of confidence and ability for the individual to successfully complete a treatment program. The study quotes “Results indicate that… participants in the [meditation] course, as compared with those in a treatment-as-usual control condition, showed significant reductions in alcohol, marijuana, and crack cocaine use.”

The study further continues to point out that traditional treatments and methods, while successful for some on their own, are even more successful when incorporated with a daily meditation practice. The spirituality, the belief in a higher self and deeply rooted introspection that meditation gives allows the recovering addict the ability to cling to something other than his addiction- long after support groups and traditional therapies are complete.

Aside from the mental health benefits, there is also medical proof that the physical body can heal from addiction through daily meditation, as well. According to an article in Psychology Today, meditation’s breathing techniques and body calming effects practiced over time thicken a portion of the brain responsible for “…optimism and creativity and an overall sense of well being.”  These benefits are medically proven motivation that help the healing addict stick with his recovery.

The serene environment created within through the practice of meditation, allows the individual healing from addiction to have a healthy, safe and structured opportunity to heal. Meditation is a proven important key for helping to reclaim self- control and power over their addiction.

‘You may find more information about drug & alcohol addiction, treatment and recovery at MyAddiction.com‘

All information provided in this blog is for informational purposes only. Please visit your health care or mental health care provider before choosing the appropriate treatment for your addiction recovery.

Touch is arguably the most powerful sense because it can convey emotions while also serving as a communicator. Though eyes transmit messages to the brain they cannot express gratitude or sympathy. Touch can. Hearing interprets sounds that run the gamut from enjoyable to agonizing, yet this sense cannot express love. Touch can. This same story is told for the other senses too which are smell and taste. Four out of five senses are designed to help us process the world, but the fifth enables us to actually feel it. Touch is the somatosensory system and requires actual contact (like taste) before it works which implies a level of intimacy (unlike taste). Also unlike taste, touching can be perceived for hours which is why a sincere hug, a passionate kiss or a soothing massage conveys physical and emotional well being long after the touch ends.

A Special Sense

Most people have heard of faith healers and many are skeptical. Yet faith healers may not be healing through spiritual intervention depending on your perspective. It is quite possible they are healing because people believe they are being healed and the touching sparks healing emotions like faith, love, concern, happiness, compassion or dozens of other emotions.

A hug usually follows words like, “I love you!” or “I have faith in you.” An arm thrown casually over another person’s shoulders says, “I am so comfortable with you and care about you so much that I need to touch you and be close to you.” A mother’s touch can quiet a crying child. A quick hug between friends serves to cement the relationship. You can sit in a chair and pet your cat and experience calm as the low rumble of purring and the soft feel of fur is transmitted by the fingers to the nerve system.

Even strangers need touch when emotions run high. What’s the first thing you witness at the end of a road race? Each runner crossing the finish line gets a hug from a coach, fellow runners, friends, or other runners. Even the macho NASCAR pit crews hug each other in joy when their driver and car wins the race.

Neurobiology defines touch as, “the special sense by which contact is perceived in the conscious mind”. In fact, humans cannot develop properly without being touched. Infants that are deprived of touch do not thrive. Touch allows humans to learn about their environments by conveying information about whatever is being touched, and thus they are able to gain some control. For example, if you touch a sore arm and the touch causes pain, you can either stop touching or find a way to address the pain.

Controlling the Touch

Interestingly, touching the sore muscles more and in a certain way can reduce pain. Massage therapy, a form of controlled touching, is known to relax muscles. Consider this: touch is the only sense that covers the body which is one reason why it is so useful for healing. The skin is the body’s largest organ, and it contains the sensory neurons in the nerve endings that are called mechanoreceptors. Touching stimulates the nerve endings, which prompts them to transmit signals to the brain. The brain is conditioned over the years by the type of touch experienced, which is why children who are not touched experience ‘failure to thrive syndrome.’

A lack of touching can cause depression, anxiety, memory impairment and illness. So it should not be a surprise that touching can heal. Touching can lower stress and reduce anxiety which in turn lowers levels of the norepinephrine and cortisol stress hormones. High levels of stress hormones damage the immune system.  A study conducted by the National Cancer Institute reported that massage and touch administered by caregivers and family could reduce fatigue, pain, stress and anxiety and depression. A simple massage for approximately 14 minutes or longer reduces stress and relaxes stiff muscles which can reduce pain.

Many researchers believe that touch is the most important of the five senses. You can thrive without sight, hearing, taste or smell, but you cannot thrive without touch. Touching heals because it sends signals radiating throughout the body via the nervous system and reaches deep within the body. Healing comes from the emotional and physical relaxation that touch promotes. It’s not a matter of faith. It’s a matter of science.

So what is your opinion on this post? Please comment below.

These scenarios are just two typical examples of situations where people are trying to exercise, only to experience a higher level of stress. You could claim the stress is caused by life’s typical problems, but the reality is that the stress is produced more by a lack of mind control and coping strategies. The past accumulation of bills or the future errands are mind consuming and ruining the present. There is a disconnect to the present so there are no flowers in the park or birds in the trees because you didn’t see either in a state of distraction.

Living life in a distracted state leads to more stress, and stress causes physical and emotional harm. Attempts to relax are problem causing and not problem solving. The fact is that most stress levels can be lowered or eliminated by learning to live and enjoy the present. Walking is an activity that offers the ideal opportunity to focus on the present moment, enjoy nature, relax, appreciate life and re-energize the mind and soul. An added benefit is that walking also burns calories so it’s an enjoyable way to lose weight.’

Seeing and Appreciating What is Around You

Mindfulness or focusing on the present moment to moment is a relaxation technique because it stops your mind from going in multiple directions at once. When thoughts jump from one thing to another and the mind becomes fragmented, anxiety is produced. Anxiety is a result of the flight-or-flight response. Since the mind is jumping around, there’s no time to even decide which thoughts need to be acted upon and which can be ignored. The body becomes stressed in response to the mental stress.

Logically, if you can reduce the mental stress the physical stress will also be reduced. You need a counterbalancing mechanism to the fight-or-flight stress response to produce a relaxation response. Walking with the right mindset promotes mental peace, physical relaxation and spiritual comfort. In other words, walking is always physically beneficial, but walking while focusing on the present moments will reduce mental fragmentation so that important thoughts can bubble to the top where they can be addressed after the walk.

The first step is to understand that walking when mindful means concentrating on the moment and not on life problems. While you are walking, the problems do not exist because you cannot solve them at that moment. What is in your present during the walk is nature.

Soothed and Healed

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order,” wrote American naturalist and essayist John Burroughs. Surely he was using nature as a time to be mindful, to meditate, because of the sense of peace that nature offers those who want to pay attention during the walking time. Paying attention means focusing on each thing you see, feel, or experience, and nature offers so much in every category. It doesn’t matter whether you walk in the park, in the neighborhood or on a mountain trail because nature is everywhere.

Nature is an excellent instructor of self awareness and a fascinating source of inspiration. Many opportunities to be mindful with all your senses is offered too. For example, you can concentrate on listening to the birds sing and focus on differentiating between the song birds. The Mockingbird sounds quite different from a chirping Robin. Walkers feel the sun or rain on their skin which means stimulating the sense of touch.

In nature, you can smell the flowers, and some emit a quite heady scent like Jasmine or blooming roses. It is possible to feel the breeze blowing on your skin, to pick a wild strawberry and taste its sweetness, or to touch an oak tree trunk or the soft leaves of a Japanese Holly shrub. You can walk on the beach or on a trail too or through a forest. One of the best features of walking is that you can do it where you live and you don’t need a fitness center or gym.

Nature provides excellent opportunities to meditate because it is filled with life affirming activity. Instead of concentrating on your problems, you can concentrate on what the cycle of nature has produced for you to enjoy at that moment. While you are meditating, the body is getting physical exercise as you burn calories. Walking while mindful doesn’t even seem like exercise because your mind is focused on nature and not the number of minutes you’ve been on the treadmill.

The Human Element

Walking also reminds us that we are quite human and have a body that needs attention. A healthy body complements a healthy mind. In general, a person who weighs 160 pounds will burn approximately 100 calories per mile.  During mindful walking though, your mind is calmed and the body can use its energy for physical activity and not to manage the stress response. The important points to keep in mind about mindful walking is to maintain even breathing, use all of the senses to heighten awareness of nature and breathing, and envision how your body is affected by the natural wonders.

Don’t be surprised if you finish the walk feeling refreshed and renewed. Walking meditation has that affect on people.

Please share with me your experiences with mindfulness or if you’ve tried Mindful Walking.

Obesity rates in adults have been increasing for a long time and recent reports indicate the problem is getting worse. The report titled F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011 was prepared by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the statistics it reports are disturbing. During the last 20 years, 38 states have reached an obesity rate that is currently higher than 25 percent. There are 12 states that have an obesity rate higher than 30 percent. The statistics are not showing any sign of slowing down either, which means one of two things: either people are not trying very hard to lose weight, or people are having difficulty adhering to a diet and exercise regimen.

Is Stress Derailing Your Weight Loss Plan?

Losing weight is not easy, but it’s critical to good health. Each study published concerning the impact of excessive weight on human health has warnings in them. Obesity can cause or contribute to high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoarthritis for example. Despite the fact that people know they need to lose weight for health reasons, the obesity rates continue to climb.

Unfortunately many people who want to lose weight find that maintaining a weight loss program made up of restricted calorie intake and exercise is stressful. The feelings of stress only make it more difficult to lose weight because increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol are released. Medical studies have reported that cortisol can have a direct effect on how much fat is stored in the body. Cortisol is released naturally in the mornings as a sort of ‘wake-up’ energizing compound for the body, but it’s also released in response to psychosocial stressors.

What does this have to do with mindfulness meditation? There is one more study to know about in order to answer that question. In the October 2, 2011 Journal of Obesity it was reported that women participated in mindfulness sessions for 9 weeks, during which they focused on stress reduction, mindful eating and emotional eating triggers. They also participated in 7 hours of mindfulness meditation. The women who went through training had a greater drop in Cortisol levels than the control group that didn’t participate in any sessions. The mindfulness group of obese women didn’t gain weight during the 9 week program while the other group did.

Taking Control

Mindfulness meditation conveys two main benefits. First is the fact that any type of meditation reduces stress levels and thus reduces the possibility of excessive cortisol releases. However, mindfulness helps you develop an awareness of the emotional connection to food and a nonjudgmental awareness of eating habits. When incorporated in a diet and exercise program, mindfulness meditation adds a third element that connects what you are thinking and feeling about food to actual actions. You gain more control and increase your chances of weight loss success.

Losing weight takes effort, dedication and concentration. It makes sense to add mindfulness or any other type of meditation to your weight loss program. Feeling good about yourself should start on the inside because that will give you the emotional strength to take charge of your health.

The practice of Mindfulness Meditation allows your body and mind the ability to lift the spirit, release physical tensions in the body and give an overall improvement to recurrent depressive episodes. According to a nationwide study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Depressed patients participated in a daily meditation practice for 8 weeks. In another group, prescription medicine options were dispensed to participants. After the study, Meditation participants noted just as positive or better reactions than their medicated counterparts. Meditation provided an equally positive outcome for depressed patients, without the negative drug-induced side effects. Medical and Mental Health professionals were convinced, but wanted to know why this works?

According to the research, scientists postulate that Mindfulness Meditation teaches the ability to focus on the here and now. During a session of meditation thoughts flit in and out, but with breathing techniques and form understood, the patient learns to not allow negative thoughts the ability to take over. This is instrumental in Depression, as those overwhelmed feelings rush in and often control the mind leaving the patient the inability to move forward. Thus begins the downward spiral. Meditation releases that control and allows the patient to re-frame things, refocus the breathing and physically calm the mind and body.

Mindfulness meditation is easy to learn and there are no wrong ways to do it. Through learned breathing techniques, focusing on inhalations and exhalations, one is able to sit still and tranquil in the mind. Judgments and thoughts that enter the mind are observed, noted and then given no credence to break the calm. With each breath the Meditator is able to move into a deeper level of inner relaxation. The entire process can be just minutes a day or can be longer for those meditators wanting a deeper experience.

Daily Meditation can really be a key component to fighting the devastation depression can bring. Learning tools to recompose the body, mind and spirit will become a part of the daily holistic ‘medication’ required for a healthy maintained lifestyle with a better overall well-being.  Be sure to consult your doctor before you tamper with any medication you are on. Check out these meditation techniques to help you get started.