The Happy and Prosperous Blog

Sit still & live longer ? Are you sure ?? But I thought that exercise….

Well, it depends on what you’re doing when you’re sitting still !!

Meditation, sometimes referred to as ‘sitting’, can be of enormous benefit. It brings us more fully into the present moment, so each experience is richer and more vibrant - which can create the feeling of time slowing down. It is also renowned for its effects on our physiology, calming & quietening our bodies, which can result in lowered stress levels, with all the health benefits that affords.

How Is It Done?

Meditation isn’t all about sitting cross-legged, grappling with dickey hips, whilst managing a gaze of serene otherworldliness - oh no ! In fact there are many ways of achieving a meditative state. One could dance, engage in very very slow walking, sit upright in a chair, lying relaxed on the floor (as distinct from sleeping), or listening to birdcall with no internal discussion about other sounds - to mention just a few.

So what is this meditative state ?

In my experience it is a state in which I feel calm, relaxed, quiet, centred, expansive, connected to myself & the world around me.

All this just by:

• becoming aware that I am thinking
• choosing not to follow the train of thought that had begun
• choosing instead to focus on a pre determined topic

Becoming more skilled in having control over this marvellous tool, the mind, means we have choice about how we feel too. Think for a moment about a time you were really angry or scared - and now, how does your body feel (check out your breathing your shoulder muscles and your solar plexus) ? How are you emotionally ? Having the capacity to chose to think differently about a situation can save you a lot of grief !!

Obviously its easiest when sitting in the quiet ! However, developing the ‘mind muscle’ in these circumstances, means we have some skills to draw on in our active lives too.

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