Maybe you’ve always thought that you are too busy to meditate – ironically that’s when we need it most. And maybe now you are finding you have a little extra time up your sleeve. Or maybe the kids are driving you crazy and you just need a couple of minutes to yourself – put a sign on the door “Meditation in progress – do not enterâ€!
Fight or Flight vs Rest and Digest
You’ve probably heard of the “Fight or Flight†response. This relates to the body’s sympathetic nervous system helping us to respond to predators or life-threatening situations in our lives. The Fight or Flight response was crucial to survival in our caveman days, when we needed to be aware if a man-eating predator was approaching our village or family. The aim was to enable us to stay and fight or run to escape. However, in our current society, this response tends to be triggered off by deadlines, meetings, bills, school exams etc. Whether the threat is immediate or perceived, the stress response is the same.
The fight or flight response also causes physical changes in our body – blood is diverted away from internal organs, particularly stomach, putting digestion on hold. Our body’s ability to repair and rejuvenate cells is also impeded – what’s the point if something is about to eat you for dinner? This also means that our body’s immunity is impaired, leaving us open to disease if not managed in the long term. And let’s not forget the increased heart rate, faster breathing, muscle tension and heightened irritability.
In contrast, the para-sympathetic nervous system, our “Rest and Digest†system is responsible for bringing our body back into balance. The rest and digest system is the counter-balance that enables the body to repair and relax, conserve energy, improve digestion, and maintain long-term health. The best way to activate the para-sympathetic nervous system is to find activities that make us feel truly relaxed. For some, light exercise, engaging in a hobby, or even just getting out into nature will be enough. For others, yoga, deep breathing, or meditation are the key.
Why meditate?
Meditation can help bring a sense of calm and balance that can help your overall wellbeing. Meditation can slow the fight or flight response and allow the rest and digest process to function effectively. And these benefits don’t stop when the meditation stops, as meditation can carry you more calmly through your day.
But I can’t empty my mind!!!
A common misconception is that to meditate, you have to empty your mind of all thoughts and to be honest, this is virtually impossible! The ultimate aim of meditation is to take a step back from your thoughts, to observe the thoughts without feeling the need to respond immediately, or to even respond at all. Ideally, the thought enters and we observe as an impartial bystander, then the thought leaves due to lack of interest.
How to meditate?
There are many different ways to meditate, something to suit every individual!
- Yoga – as you move through the poses that required concentration and balance, you are encouraged to focus on the present moment.
- Mindfulness – this encompasses many and varied activities such as colouring-in, breathing exercises, labelling and filing thoughts, and my favourite – telling unhelpful thoughts to f- off.
- Matra Meditation – silently repeating a calming word or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts from entering the mind.
- Guided Meditation – guided imagery or visualisation to help you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing.
Guided meditations are probably the easiest place to start as the facilitator tells you what to do. So we have provided a few short guided meditations for you to try. Before you start, ensure you are:
- comfortable
- not to warm or too cold
- in a quiet setting
- away from distractions
- away from your phone, or your phone is switched to Do Not Disturb
And let us take you to a calmer place, if only for a moment.
