Stress is one of the leading causes of physical and emotional breakdown in people and so managing this stress can have a considerable impact on our health and well being. The benefits gained when practicing guided meditation are those that are barely noticeable, happening silently in your subconscious mind with no conscious knowledge. In order to better understand how guided meditation will aid your health, you need to understand some basic terminology and the first is Homeostasis. This term refers to the process of your various physiological systems collaborating to properly manage the peak environment for your internal system functionality. In other words, this is your body doing its best to achieve a balance.
Everyone’s body is engineered with eleven main organ systems. Let us look at those organ structures to help you understand better the intricacies of this meditative course of action.
• Integumentary – (epidermis or skin);
• Skeletal;
• Muscular;
• Nervous;
• Endocrine – [hormones];
• Circulatory;
• Lymphatic – [disease immunity];
• Respiratory;
• Digestive;
• Urinary;
• Reproductive.
For each second that you are alive, these systems are continuously at work, scrutinizing your body and constantly making modifications to every one of these systems.
The Astounding Human Body
As a matter of practicality, when we consume food, the body is compelled to produce particular enzymes and concentrate the flow of blood so that digestion may occur. When you do aerobic exercise, your body needs to regulate your body temperature to prevent you from overheating. When you draw blood because of an accident of some kind, a number of your systems join forces to mend the spot you injured and to defend against any infection. The obvious instances are the most common to contemplate.
However, think about your body under stress. When you are in a stressful situation there is no physical display of damage – at least not one that can be easily spotted like a gash or bruising. Focus your mind’s eye on a potential deadline, monetary crisis or personal strife; you know this absolutely influences your functionality. You feel your body compensating by becoming physically exhausted or some other response. The body is continuous in its monitoring and modifies to any number of influential reactions.
The process of Homeostasis is continuously vigilant in an attempt to aid in maintaining a balance.
Other terms you need to understand have to do with your autonomic nervous system. They are partitioned into two divides – the sympathetic and parasympathetic. In layman’s terms, it means you are in one or another of “Fight or Flight” form or “Rest and Digest” form.
The best analogy to aid in better understanding this dates back to prehistoric time. Early man needed to stand and fight to kill in order to eat or Run [Flight] from the dangerous animal so mealtime was not suddenly reversed! Adrenalin surged in his system regardless of his choice. That is existing in the sympathetic nervous system.
When things finally calmed down, he was able to sit quietly in his habitat, stirring the fire with his spear for some enjoyment. He was able to unwind. He was not a slave to an employer, there were no ringing telephones, bill collectors and he was able to lay back and relax. This is the parasympathetic form of existence.
The world we exist in today is downright frantic in comparison – so many of us settling into “go mode”. Stress has become a common occurrence. How often do you hear yourself or others complain of needing a holiday; momentarily seeing yourself relaxing on a secluded beach with a pineapple full of some exotic cocktail when suddenly you come crashing back to reality. There is no time, no additional money and you have responsibilities! Shame on you for even thinking that way…
However, if you remain in fight or flight form for an extended period of time your body becomes exhausted. There is evidence to prove this fact. When you are under a bombardment of stress, your body is more likely to succumb to illness and ill health – physically and emotionally. It is the simplest thing to get caught up in a downward spin due to excessive stress. It is human nature and a personality trait of those who are susceptible to stress to work even harder though they feel lousy. They will continue to do their job as they would if they were in peak condition, which they are not.
Your performance will suffer, any task you perform is difficult, mistakes are easier to make and in the end, you create even more work. Who reading this has never been there? Working even harder to get the job done even though we are operating at a distinct disadvantage is a common trap. We allow our work to consume us, put in longer hours and sacrifice much enjoyment in our lives. We do this so we can either keep our jobs, or simply have more things we think we need.
The slope you are navigating is covered in ice. When you become this ensnared in your stress, often the only thing that will pull you from your spiral is an illness or health scare of some variety. It is your body’s way of letting you know it needs a breather. No doubt, it is tough, but very true.
Hence, another look at Homeostasis. The body calibrating itself. The balancing of all of life’s influences. There will be occasions when you find it necessary to run around with your hair on fire – often quite exciting times and memorable for their fun and achievement. Nevertheless, what about resting and digesting? [This does not mean unbuckling your belt in front of the television after a big meal!]
At what point do you find the time to flee from the circumstances of your stress and take some time for just you?
When you do find the time for a balance adjustment, understand that it is better in repeated amounts. Finding just short but recurrent reprieves from your stress is critical. Finding the discipline to regularly take a break where you do nothing is giving yourself the gift of opportunity to improve your life and add quality to it.
Meditation is a magnificent method to aid Homeostasis. Guided meditation allows your mind to follow the words to a story, allowing you to disengage for a short period from your average daily routine.
When your mind is being diverted, your body is submitting to relaxation and your eleven systems can concentrate on your health and well being. When you commit to practice, you will only need a minute to calm down toward your curative parasympathetic nervous division.
Certain benefits from meditation will be palpable and instantaneous. You will find your breathing becoming deeper; you will feel less weighted and rejuvenated. However, the secret benefits you derive from meditation work quietly in the shadows of your physiology – longevity and quality health.
Be certain of this, guided meditation is great for a person. Do more than understand that balance is vital to your life – put it into practice. Find ten minutes – three times each day and make a difference in your life that you will feel immediately.
Namaste.
