That's Fit

Yoga is well-known for the flexibility it promotes, but the meditative and relaxation qualities are also beneficial. If the twists and turns of traditional yoga methods don't appeal to you, you could try yoga nidra -- a style that focuses solely on the meditative side.

Also known as yogic sleep, yoga nidra involves lying very still and listening to meditative instructions. Fans of yoga nidra report better stress management and sounder sleep. So what exactly does it involve? Yoga nidra classes are usually 20-45 minutes long. Participants lie comfortably on their back and listen to a series of instructions including focusing on a goal, and focusing on awareness of each part of the body. Participants are also encouraged to think of a situation or emotion that is difficult and then think of its opposite.

While yoga nidra obviously doesn't have the physical benefits of more traditional yoga, the mind-body connection and stress-relieving aspects can be so beneficial for the body and spirit.

My son is adopted. While he is kind, incredibly smart, athletic, and way too funny for words, there are some traits which don't come naturally for him. He has little to no empathy for others and doesn't have much compassion either. His lack of those traits comes directly from his birth mom's bad choices while pregnant with him and the traumas and inconsistencies he endured during his first 10 years of life. (I adopted him shortly after his 10th birthday). Teaching him to be empathetic and compassionate is a part of my everyday life. I take every example I can to point out others' emotions in an effort to have him start recognizing others' feelings. It's something that will likely take years and years to teach and will probably never be a natural, instinctive reaction for my son. He has a heart of gold, though... I just have to help learn to bring that out more often.

So I was happy to read this article which states that kindness and compassion can be taught through meditation. People who practice meditation with a focus in those areas actually experience changes in the area of the brain which promotes those traits. The study involved 16 monks and practitioners who had meditated for at least 10,000 hours in their lifetime and 16 novices who had only recently been taught meditation. Those who have meditated more had increased brain response to introduced noises (such as a woman crying).

While it's obviously unrealistic for the average Joe to meditate more than 10,000 hours, I think the finding that areas of the brain can be retrained to be more compassionate is very interesting.

A lot of people may not buy into the zen-like approach to medicine and meditation. It can seem a little hokey to some. However, while they believe meditation can lend itself to dealing with chronic pain sufferers, elderly citizens are not usually the ones to drop down on a yoga mat every week.

That's what provoked an interesting study that tried to address senior adults and chronic back pain in regards to meditation. It was led out of the University of Pittsburgh, but many people didn't think elderly individuals would take interest. Apparently there was a common myth that senior citizens would scoff at meditation -- but that wasn't the case!

Instead, they discovered over three dozen signed up, and 30 actually finished. This is an accomplishment for them, because it took an eight-week commitment to stick with the program. Even though they continued to take regular medication, many senior citizens were so pleased with the results that they continued to practice meditation on their own time!

Everyone has their exercise preference. Some people like to run, others enjoy swimming, and others still like to lift weights. Some people do all three or something entirely different. Whatever the choice, I'm sure it's a healthy one. But as as far blood pressure reduction goes, it seems that yoga may be among the best choices.

In a review of several studies comparing the effects of yoga and meditation on high blood pressure (hypertension), Yale researchers found that yoga seems to work better. While both calming activities decreased systolic pressure to just about the same degree, yoga lowered diastolic pressure to a much greater degree.

So, if your current workout -- whatever it may be -- is becoming a bit routine, yoga can be a great way to mix things up and lower your blood pressure in the process. If you are already performing yoga ... I guess all I can say is keep it up!!

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

I don't do well with sitting still. Truth be told, it makes me tired. If I keep moving, I stay awake. So in general, I keep moving. On occasion, I do give in to relaxation. I love pedicures, a good massage, vegging in front of the TV at night, and sometimes, I might even be caught sitting silently, soaking up the peace around me. If done properly, this practice is known as meditation.

Meditation means sitting quietly and focusing on one neutral thing, like your breathing or a single repeated word. The long-term goal of meditation is to become less dependent on the ego and its constant cravings for novelty, attention, power, sex, food, and so on. Proper meditation makes us more centered and less stressed out. It can make people happier, maybe even smarter. One study showed that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex -- brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression, and anxiety. Meditators also enjoy less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.

It's no surprise to hear that meditation can reduce stress if performed religiously, but how long does it take for the good results to show up?

How about a week? New research performed on Chinese college students showed that in less than one week, mind-body meditation training produced not only each students' state of mind, but stress levels. College is not stressful, right? Heh, just the opposite.

Can you spare 10 to 15 minutes out of your day to close your eyes and meditate? You can, if you choose. Directly after work, in the morning or even at lunch make good times. Just find a quiet corner and let it be all your own.

For many people, managing pain with painkillers is a last resort. However, even if you are the sort of person who avoids taking drugs, you can do more than simply suffering through your ailments.

There are a number of natural pain relievers that might help -- including a few you might not expect. For instance, the Spine Health blog suggests that you eat cookies -- as research shows that eating sweet foods reduces pain. You can also work from the inside out, by meditating, changing your inner thinking to view pain in different way, or using guided imagery to imagine yourself to a better place. Even the simple act of finding a support group can help take the edge off.

Whether you're dealing with chronic pain, or just generally trying to improve your well-being, this is a great list of ideas to get you started on the right path.

[via Lifehacker]

Famous for her lineage (she is Ernest Hemingway's Granddaughter) and for appearing in several movies and TV shows over the years, Mariel Hemingway is now making waves in the health industry, and even has a self-help book out called Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living From the Inside Out. She's been practicing yoga and meditation since before it was popular, and now she's sharing her tips for a healthy life with everyone.

I haven't read the book, but from the website, it seems like the program recommends healthy, natural eating, lots of exercise, and allowing yourself some precious moments of silence. Mariel's tips are designed for the busy person, the person who is constantly surrounded by noise -- cell phones, the TV blaring, the commuter humming -- and the person who is always in a hurry, too busy to exercise or sit down to eat. Frankly, I can relate to that person, so I might check the book out.

Do you meditate? It's a good way to relieve your mind of the hustle and bustle of a normal day, and can relieve stress like few other activities. Or, maybe not.

According to a report by Canadian medical researchers, meditation does nothing for health at all. Are poor quality studies to blame? Yes -- and more evidence is anecdotal than supported by quality evidence, say the researchers.

Quiet time and escaping from the rigors of everyday living are not mentally therapeutic, I guess. While I don't dispute the researchers' finding, I'm not giving up meditation any time soon.

At various times throughout my life, I've been told to meditate -- but, to be honest, it's always seemed a little weird. My brother is into martial arts, so he's long used the practice to find inner peace and harmony (or something), and he's since converted my dad, who claims it's the best way to wind down after a long day.

So, even though I find it hard to imagine sitting still for any serious amount of time, I've been thinking maybe I should give meditation a chance.

After a little Internet searching, I found this helpful article to get me started. Apparently there's a number of benefits to meditation, including improved concentration, less preoccupation with small problems, better overall health, and "a deeper understanding of [my] inner self."

Sounds good.

As you might suspect, you won't get the most out of meditation until you've spent some time practicing, but here's a few pointers to get you started.

1. Sit with a straight back -- if you lay down, you'll probably fall asleep.
2. Don't eat before meditating, or you'll feel too lethargic.
3. You don't need to sit like Buddha (in the "lotus" position).
4. You don't need to burn incense (unless you want to).
5. Meditation works best early in the morning, so try it right when you wake up.

For more info, check out this post on Pick the Brain.

In this busy world of ours, it's sometimes hard to calm your mind, to just let go after a long day at the office, running errands, or chasing kids. How do you find peace of mind when you're stressed out? Fit Sugar suggests getting yourself some Zen Sticks. It's simply a stick, made out of fine wood, and it forces you to free your mind by making you concentrate on the stick alone.

Try this: When you're close to reaching the end of your rope, close your eyes and toss the stick in the air--not too high--and catch it. It's really hard to think about bills and housework and deadlines when your so focused on catching the stick. That's the key--and a number of celebrities agree that it's a great way to calm your mind in a hurry.

It seems like we're hearing a lot about napping at work lately, dare we hope it's the beginning of a soon-to-be widely accepted practice? I highly doubt it, but that doesn't mean you can't still try it every once in awhile (discreetly, of course!) to rejuvenate and refresh yourself so you get more done.

Of course nobody is recommending you take a nap right at your desk or cubicle (wearing those sunglasses with the eyeballs painted on the outside), but if you have the chance to get away over your lunch hour or in the afternoon then that's another story altogether. And although napping might sound like a simple enough thing to do, there are things you can do to nap in the best way and get the most from the whole experience. If you don't have one of these MetroNaps Energy Pods (hilarious!) to create the perfect sleeping environment, then maybe a "Meditation Nap" would work just as well? It's about relaxing and getting the most out of just a few minutes of shut-eye, from as little as 5 to as many as 20 minutes. Read the instructions on how to take a Meditation Nap, give it a shot, and let us know how it works for you!

If you're looking to improve your focus and train your brain to filter out passing distractions then meditation may be able to help you do that. Recent research from the University of Wisconsin Madison shows that intensive meditation training may help people pay better attention to tasks at hand -- even when they aren't actively meditating.

But I'm not sure it sounds like a realistic method to practice for many of us, as the participants went to a 3 month intensive meditation retreat and practiced Vipassana meditation for 10-12 hours per day. That's a lot of vacation time and a lot of meditating. I wonder if they considered that maybe just "getting away from it all" for that long was enough to refresh their minds?

It's kind of sad the way many of us take vacations: we pick somewhere we've always wanted to go and when we get there we spend the whole time rushing from historical landmark A to tourist attraction B and then on to itinerary item C. These types of vacations are fun and memorable, but are they relaxing? I don't know about you but even though I always have a blast, I also always come back from trips like that more tired than I was when I left. Whenever I can I try to give myself an extra vacation day before I'm due back at work, just to recover from my vacation.

Seeing everything there is to see is a great thing, but maybe you don't have to do that every time you plan a big trip. What about going somewhere exotic on a "de-stressing getaway?" Imagine spending your time getting massages and spa treatments, enjoying gourmet spa cuisine, and doing yoga and meditation in Bali, Zanzibar, Thailand, or if you want to stay closer to home even....Iowa?

Different "de-stressing getaways" offer different things, and although they don't come cheap they all have one focus in common: relaxation.

Stress is an extremely subjective term, and an extremely subjective feeling. It doesn't mean the same thing to different people, as everybody reacts to life in their own way. So since there's no across the board "cure," the best tool you have for dealing with stress is learning how to relax, for yourself, and the faster you can do that the better.

Try these 3 simple steps the next time you feel the tension creeping up:

• Don't just "do something relaxing" like watching TV or listening to music (although these may help also) -- make a conscious effort to calm down.
• Exercise. Not only will this relax you, but it will relieve guilt from not working out, and relieving guilt is the same as relieving stress.
• Have fun. Do something you enjoy, everyday. Happiness and fun are natural relaxers -- use them!