Archive for May, 2022

Emotional Stress and Health – Meditations to Take Away Depression

May 11th, 2022

Life can be a little bit of a struggle that can get one worn down in their health and emotions. Meditation is very effective in taking stress and depression out of your life and there are so many methods and techniques that you can try out to find the meditation style that suits your personal tastes.

Meditations are a relaxing time to focus your thoughts on specific positive concepts. It can also be a time to concentrate just on breathing and keep your mind clear of thoughts for a while, which can be a good treat as well. It can be difficult for some to fully concentrate, but with practice, it does get easier. Just the way exercising becomes easier the more you do it, so too does meditating, which can be thought of as exercising for your mind. A meditation practice is well worth the effort to get the mental clarity that you can attain and effects the way you think all throughout the day.

There are a multitude of ways to meditate. Following is an outline to put your meditation in motion:

Meditation is commonly thought of as a ‘sit still’ type of thing, but meditating while walking opens up many more benefits such as strengthening the heart and improving balance and posture. Choose a simple or familiar route so you do not have to think of navigation during your meditative walk. Bringing the calming natural world into your meditation helps to provide you a greater connection with nature, which will help you in other areas of your life.

Start off by standing still before walking with your arms and shoulders relaxed and standing as straight as you can with your feet firmly planted.
Start taking long, deep breaths in and out of your nose; as you inhale, take your first step in a long stride with your right foot while swinging your left arm in sync with your leg.
Exhale and take a step with your left foot and swing your right arm in sync with your leg. Coordinate your breathing with your steps, inhaling when you step forward with the right foot and exhaling when you step forward with your left foot.
Focus on your breath and the coordinated movement of your body. When you are distracted by thoughts, visualize those thoughts turning to smoke and drifting away from you.
Relax your face, abdomen, and hands throughout this walk. Do this for 10-15 minutes and allow your breath to ground you in the present moment with yourself and nature.
Stephanie’s connection to nature and its life enhancing gifts have been the