Week #3: Meditation and Yoga (Part 2)

Hello blog! I have been super busy this week, like always, but I have still made time for my meditation and yoga! I have been using Headspace to continue meditating a few times a day. I am still following the path the app has put me on so that I can unlock more sessions as I go! I have also been using Daily Yoga for a guided yoga session each day. I have been choosing 20-30 minute yoga sessions based on what I feel I need to improve each day. I have tried sessions based on total body nourishing and stress relief! I am very excited to try even more new sessions as this week continues!

Even though it has only been a handful of days, I have noticed a few subtle changes! I have noticed that I look forward to my meditation and yoga time! It is something that I truly enjoy. I feel that it has been very beneficial for me to take this time to myself and reflect on my day. I have noticed that yoga and meditation help me not only relax my mind in the moment, but also stay calm even after I am done doing these things. I always feel refreshed and focus after I finish my meditation and yoga. Although these activities take up time that I could be using to do my homework, I feel that I after meditate or do yoga, I work more productively. Therefore, I feel that I am able to get more work done in a shorter amount of time because I am more focused! I have notice that the yoga stretches have released some tension in my neck and shoulder that collects from hunching over my desk doing homework all day! I think that I will notice more results as the week goes on since this is such a new habit for me!

I came across this quote today and it immediately reminded me of what I hoped to achieve with this week of this new healthy-habit. With Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow, we are constantly being reminded to show gratitude and tell others what we are thankful for. This lead me to ask myself, "Why is gratitude so important?" So, today I did some research on gratitude and why we practice it either outloud or through meditation. I came across such shocking results! I found that it has been proven that gratitude helps improve our mental and our physical health! Gratitude also improves our relationships with others. Not only does gratitude enhance our empathy, it also reduces aggression. Gratitude is also linked to better sleep! Gratitude also improves our self-esteem and ability to feel happy emotions. All of this information has caused me to realize how important it truly is to show gratitude! For the rest of the week, I am going to work on incorporating more meditation and yoga sessions based on gratitude! Stay tuned for more updates!

Sources:

Publishing, Harvard Health. “In Praise of Gratitude.” Harvard Health, 5 June 2019, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/in-praise-of-gratitude.

Morin, Amy. “7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 3 Apr. 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201504/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-gratitude.