May 18, 2021

How Meditation & Breathing Can Improve Your Mental and Physical Health

So often when we think about meditation, we think about sitting in one place and just being still. Meditation is so much more than that. Meditation is a set of practices that help you become more aware and heightened through thought process.

So, you might be asking, “What does all of this mean?”

Meditation is a practice that allows you to tap into your thoughts that are running through your mind. It allows you to quiet your mind so that you’re able to remain in a state of awareness and not lost in your thoughts). One thing that meditation allows us to do is tap into our breath. When we tap into our breath, we’re able to truly quiet our mind.

Think about the first time you started running; you may have felt you were panting and out of breath. What did that do to your mind, your body? I’ll tell you, my experience; it made me think in my mind these thoughts:

There is no way I can do this

Whew I need to stop

This is tough

This is hard

Have you ever said these things?

Here is the thing, if we allow the thoughts to continue to unravel then eventually our mind wins and we stop or we get discourage.

So, imagine tapping into your breath, focusing on your breath and allowing your breath to help quiet the thoughts. This is how meditation and breath can help our emotional health. But not only can meditation improve our emotional health but also our physical health.

What happens when we have emotions, or we are going through stress?

We typically hold our emotions in our bellies. Instead of feeling our emotions we will store them away with the hopes that the emotions will go away. But when we leave our emotions in our bellies the feeling of discomfort and stress increases the chances of unhealthy choices. Practicing meditation allow us to let go of the emotional stress that can cause decreases physical health and unhealthy choices that can harm our bodies.

Meditation is designed to dive into the inner self, releasing tension and stress. It is designed to really tap into YOU, your breath. The breath in meditation helps calm and relax our bodies which help decrease stress in our lives.

When we allow ourselves to really tap into our inner SELF, our breath, we can begin to release tension, stress, frustration, disappointment or whatever emotions we may have buried inside. Meditation not only allows us to release the emotional stress but also help in coping with it whenever it occurs again.

Tap into your inner self, release that tension and stress you have been holding on, MEDITATE and BREATH.

One minute Meditation/Breath Practice

Try on this short practice each day before you start your day and watch how your day unfolds for the best.

By: Felicia. R. Hall @feliciarhall
Felicia is an educator and motivator at heart. Felicia is a Certified Athletic Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Run & Fitness Coach, RYT 200 Yoga Instructor, Educator and a doctoral candidate. She is a small-town girl who loves running, nature and helping others become the best version of themselves.