Meditation: Stress-buster recommended by Mayo Clinic

November 9, 12:36 AMSt. Louis Tai Chi ExaminerViolet Li

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Teri Barbatti demos Taichi

It is debatable whether stress contributed to the death of the legendary signer/songwriter Michael Jackson. To avoid an onset of a harmful or deadly result that stress can bring to our bodies, Mayo Clinic suggests using meditation to overcome stress. According to Mayo Clinic’s publication, a few minutes of meditation can restore the inner peace quickly and thwart stressful situations.

Meditation has been practiced around the world by different people and culture for thousands of years. In modern medicine, it is recognized as an important part of mind-body medicine. Mayo Clinic categorizes the meditation benefits into emotional well-being and illness improvement. Furthermore, it also confirms there are sustaining benefits beyond the time when people practice meditation.
 

Meditation has the following emotional well-being benefits:

• Gain a new perspective on stressful situations
• Build skills to manage your stress
• Increase self-awareness
• Focus on the present
• Reduce negative emotions 

Meditation can also relieve the below health problems:

• Allergies
• Anxiety disorders
• Asthma
• Binge eating
• Cancer
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Pain
• Sleep problems
• Substance abuse
   

Mayo Clinic advises patients with the above health problems to consult with their physicians and use meditation as a supplement and not as a replacement of their current medical treatment.
Mayo Clinic takes a broader view of meditation and identifies six different types of meditation: Guided Meditation, Mantra Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation, Chi Gong (Qi Gong), Taichi, and Yoga. Regardless of meditative type, there are some fundamental elements among all six of them. Focusing one’s attention (or Yi in Taichi) and relaxed breathing are the most important elements of all meditation types.

For more info: Click here for a full Mayo Clinic report of “Meditation: Take a stress-reduction break wherever you are”.
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