As we travel through life, the journey can, at times, become very stressful.  Wars in various parts of the world, earthquakes, tsunamis, social issues of persecution and world hunger, surround us daily through technology.  Every where you look, television, news networks, radio, and internet, we are reminded of these things on a minute to minute basis.  This does not include our own personal stress that evolves out of our daily activities of raising our children, providing for our family and the balance of work and play.  And then, the economic recession and future of our country, I don’t know about you, I feel stressed just writing this!  So let’s all breathe…..relax…..

Meditation can be a powerful tool for reducing stress on our bodies.  Noticed how I said it can reduce stress on our bodies?  Emotional stress can be just as bad, if not more so, than physical stress on our bodies.  Our body responds with increased muscle tension, joint and body pain, headaches, physiological changes such as high blood pressure and stomach pain.
As a chiropractor, I see how this affects people’s lives daily.  Chiropractors are skilled experts in dealing with people who are trying to achieve greater levels of health.  We have good results dealing with the physical ailments that accompany emotional stress, but true health care is only as good as the participation one has in his or her health.  Meditation is just one of those tools that you can use daily to participate in your health care.  No expensive equipment to buy, just ten minutes of your day, and a quiet place to practice it. 
So here we go….sit quietly.  Close the door and turn off the cell phone.  Make sure your family knows that this is your time.  Just sit for ten minutes quietly and allow yourself to relax.  Find a place within yourself to focus, like a place that brings you extreme joy, and let yourself go.  Ten minutes daily will help.  You will find that you can think better, feel better and you will look forward to this time daily to emerge refreshed and revitalized.  Until next time, live life to the fullest!