Rest and Meditation
The body needs rest in order to recover and repair tissues. The damage done to your body by not getting enough rest often shows itself in old age when it is too late to take preventative steps.
Rest can take many forms:
Sleep
It is important that you try to get at least eight hours sleep a night and, if possible, to have a short nap during the day. While we are sleeping, our muscles carry out the repair work of wear and tear and remove waste products and lactic acid. If we do not sleep enough, the muscles will give in and create exhaustion.
Holidays
Holidays or short breaks are an ideal way to restore and take time out from the hectic pace of life, but too often we take our stress with us. Give yourself the chance to rest properly while you are away.
Weekends
Make the most of the weekend. Avoid working but do not go to the other extreme and party too hard. Either way, you will find that you need an extra day to recover.
Meditation
Meditation is excellent for managing stress and clearing the mind thereby helping the body to relax.
There are 3 steps to meditation:
- 1. Jappa/Chanting
- This involves the chanting of a single word, humming noise or sound. The sound resonates in the brain and dulls anxiety. This has proved effective for centuries in churches around the world when people sing hymns or recite prayers.
- 2. Dhyana/Concentration
- This is achieved when you focus on one spot or area. Stay silent and think of one calming image. For example, a beautiful picture or a wooded glade after the rainfall. Concentrate on the point between your eyebrows - known as the third eye point. Concentration of this kind does not actually use external agents such as sound or light.
- 3. Tappah/True Meditation
- This is the higher form of consciousness which occurs when you go into a trance. You stop feeling your body, stop feeling all the aches and pains. High blood pressure and pulse rate come down, tolerance and threshold go down and physical problems calm. This happens when the barrier between conscious and subconscious is removed and they function as one.
For most people, I recommend breathing and relaxation as outlined in stages 1 and 2 and in my yoga exercises. However, if you have time and would like to experience deep meditation, then this form of exercise is very effective.
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