Five minutes per day for yourself or whatever you want to call it: my time, self-care, vegge-ing, etc.
Five minutes of neutralness, naturalness, centredness and peacefulness. Allow whatever it is to come your way and let it wash over you and, then, past you. No, sitting in front of the t.v. doesn’t count. Unfortunately, nature didn’t intend for us to watch more than 1 episode of the Bachelor on t.v.
To achieve optimum levels of health the goal is to re-align and reset.
What’s the point of this 5 minute daily practice? A huge benefit is stress reduction. There’s no avoiding the stresses of every day life. Everyone is constantly bombarded by stress – be it studying for examinations, waiting for that big bill to pay off, dealing with an irrational boss or co-worker, loss of loved ones, divorce, financial, the list goes on.
“Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form or another.” So, there’s only so much stress one will withstand. The human body is like a holding tank. Eventually, the tank needs to be drained otherwise things start to overflow. The overflow looks like many stress related symptoms you might see the doctor for: high blood pressure, immune dysfunction, thyroid issues, anxiety, depression, insomnia, mood instability, menstrual irregularity, impotence, cardiac issues, cancer, diabetes… you get the picture. Stress contributes to virtually every possible condition. The goal is to drain the holding tank bit by bit, every single day. 5 MINUTES.
What if you took five minutes per day to smile, to laugh, smell your daughter’s hair, go for a mindful walk (instead of it feeling like you have to do it because of your cholesterol or blood pressure – simply enjoy walk for the sake of walking), to put down your smartphone, to not feel like you must do something but simply be, exist and enjoy the moment…. mindfully. Make it a part of your lifestyle, not a once in a while style. FIVE MINUTES PER DAY, EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!
One of the best ways to spend your 5 minutes is in meditation. By meditation, you are setting a focus, usually on your breath – highly alert, deeply relaxed, in your breath. When you become distracted by the thoughts or stories running around in your mind, gently bring your awareness back to your breath. Science has caught up to a certain degree, as well. Dr. Herbert Benson, MD – a renowned cardiologist, has led several studies on the the effects of relaxation response and meditation on general health. All studies showing benefit with a meditation practice. Dr. Dean Ornish, MD – another very well known doctor, has also led studies on the effects of stress reduction (with diet, exercise and relaxation) and cardiovascular benefit. The benefits to a meditation practice include:
Stress Management
Pain Reduction
Anxiety Reduction
Well-Being Elevation
Cardiovascular Benefits
Improved Sleep Quality
5 Minutes. Daily.