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5 Ways Guided Meditation Can Change Your Life

First thoughts after reading this title? You were either HERE FOR IT or about to scroll on by. Honestly, I’ve been in the ‘scroll on by’ camp for my entire life. 

I do Power Vinyasa because there is no time to think. I enjoy burpees because the mind and body are dually distracted. It’s probably why I only enjoy running in packs; there is always someone to talk to!

During our 2019 Kaia Retreat, I was forced (kinda, not really, ok maybe) to sit through four 30-minute guided meditations. And guess what? It was hard. It was uncomfortable. My mind wandered endlessly. I wanted to move. And by the end of the weekend? I was hooked.

So I am now one of those people who says “you should try meditation.” And I’m about to tell you why.

“We live in the fast lane of an ever-changing world, running in place while trying to catch up with ever-changing technology. Every day we face enormous challenges juggling finances, family, career, and relationships which is exhausting because it feel like we’re running on empty. Keeping up with the hectic pace produces high anxiety and stress, the killjoys of life. And with anxiety and stress, we become wired, disconnected, sometimes numb, and out of control while our self-esteem plummets to new lows.

We become very mechanical and end up living in our heads when we were created to live from our hearts.

It has been said that everything is within us; the peace, the power and the

transforming presence of love to live a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life.”[1]

The benefits of meditation (guided or otherwise) are pretty phenomenal. 

  1. Stress Reduction
    1. ​Meditation slows down brain wave activity and calms the adrenal system, providing relief from cortisol (the stress hormone), which can affect your thyroid and weight loss ability. In an eight-week study, ‘mindfulness meditation’ reduced the inflammation response caused by stress.[2

 

  1. Improves Self Esteem & Happiness
    1. ​Depression causing chemicals can be released due to stress. Meditation may reduce the impact of depression by decreasing these inflammatory chemicals.[3]Furthermore, meditation can improve the minds ability to think happy thoughts. 

 

  1. Know Thy Self
    1. Taking time to sit quietly in your own mind can be scary-but also enlightening. Meditation may help you develop a stronger sense of self, leading to greater confidence, clarity of your future and easier connection to others.

 

  1. PH Balance
    1. Meditation alkalizes your system, balancing out acidity that has accrued through the overactivity of your analytical mind and the fear-based thinking that generates stress hormones.[4]

 

  1. Deep Sleep
    1. I meditated for the first time prior to bed last night. Just 10 minutes helped my breath slow, my body soften and my mind prepare for sleep. Implementing this ritual prior to bed may help control or redirect thoughts that often lead to insomnia and allow you to achieve a peaceful state that is supportive of sleep. 

 

If you’ve been avoiding meditation like myself, maybe it’s time to take the plunge. Coach Steph Monday, of Kaia FIT Carlsbad, recommended Insight Timer, which has a variety of voices, times and types of meditation. Carve out 5 or more minutes a day, commit to 7 days straight, and let me know how you feel! Maybe you’ll be the next meditation junky!

 

 

[1]https://medium.com/thrive-global/the-powerful-benefits-of-guided-meditation-relaxation-d2b6c8b72f67

[2]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159112004758

[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24439650

[4]https://medium.com/thrive-global/the-powerful-benefits-of-guided-meditation-relaxation-d2b6c8b72f67

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