Rainbow Fitness Flower: Rest and Meditation

This may seem a little contradictory, but another layer of overall fitness involves one’s ability to rest. Sometimes just being still in silence is harder than actually exercising.

While this topic is often intertwined with the practice of yoga, today I just want to focus on rest and meditation, as acts, in and of themselves.

God created the world, and on the seventh day, He RESTED…

The fourth commandment tells us to rest on the Sabbath…

Medical research is full of examples showing how meditative mindfulness can result in major health benefits…

Meditation is mentioned no less than 16 times in the book of Psalms alone…

But yet so many of us can’t seem to slow down.

Finding rest – which is not meant to be confused with leisure (activities for fun and enjoyment) or sleeping – is absolutely an important aspect of health and wellness.

When you are resting, you are consciously finding stillness in your body, slowness in your breath, and calmness in your mind. It’s taking a break from this information overload of a world we live in, to close your eyes and just breathe.

Just a few of the benefits of this rest/meditation include:

1. decreasing respiration and pulse rate, thereby lowering blood pressure.
2. slowing of the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which may boost your immune system and assist with fat loss
3. clearing the mind for higher quality sleep
4. finding a new perspective for a stressful situation
5. improving self-awareness and stress-management skills

I know that it’s so easy to think we don’t have TIME for rest. But honestly 10 little minutes out of your busy, hectic day, is totally worth these benefits.

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Find a closet.

Lock yourself in a bathroom (if that doesn’t gross you out too much).

Sit on your porch.

Flop on your bed.

Simply find a place were you can close your eyes, focus on your body and breath, and clear away the negative thoughts and feelings from the day. (And you don’t have to say “om”).

Your body, your mind (and probably your family too) will thank you for it.