According to the bestselling author of The Happiness Plan, Dr. Elise Bialylew, the health benefits of even just ten minutes a day of meditation can result in wellness benefits including enhanced immune function.
The Science
Bialylew said in an interview with Vogue, “In my own research recently published in the Mindfulness Journal… I discovered that just ten minutes a day of mindfulness meditation over one month, was enough to support significant self-reported benefits including an increase in positive emotions, reduction in negative emotions and the impact of stress, an increase in self-compassion and greater focus in daily life. A ground-breaking study discovered that just one day of meditation could change the genetic expression of inflammatory markers in the body.”
Dr. Elizabeth Seng, an associate professor of psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University, tells Fortune, “So many chronic illnesses are exacerbated by your body being in fight or flight all the time.”
This is especially true for those of us living with chronic conditions like Dysautonomia, MCAS and PTSD.
The Goal
Studies point to 8-weeks of meditation practice to see results. One study found improvements to memory, emotional regulation, and mood with 8 weeks of 13 minutes of meditation a day.
You may hear different theories of how much of a meditation practice is ideal. The truth is, your mind and body will tell you what works best. Maybe it’s a few minutes of deep breathing. Maybe it’s 10-minutes of the Chakra Balancer I included in this post. You won’t know until you experiment with it.
Tips for Practicing
It’s natural to struggle to maintain a daily practice, especially when dealing with a busy schedule, stressful time or chronic pain and illness. This post isn’t intended to poke at the inner perfectionist who may already be judging itself before even trying.
Consider this information a beacon of hope. When you feel up for it, you can give it a go. You can strive to practice 10 minutes a day. If you miss days, weeks or months, no worries. Just get back on the wagon when you can.
Meditation practice is not an obligation. It’s not a source of pressure or criticism. Meditation practice is like a warm bubble bath, there for you to rest and relax into feelings of peace and calm whenever you’re ready.
Wellness wishes,
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