| |
There are many ways to improve mind/body health. At Silver River
Institute we address all those things that a person can do
to improve their own health: The use of skills including relaxation,
meditation, and cognitive restructuring is combined with health/performance
counseling and support. By enhancing the way the body, mind
and emotions work together, physical and emotional health are
optimized.
People today are increasingly stressed. Prolonged stress can undermine
health and performance, and may lead to a cycle of
- negative moods,
- attitudes and
- behaviors.
Mind/Body interventions can help break this cycle.
By learning to relax, meditate and transform negative thought patterns
one can reduce the impact of daily stress.
Top
 Stress Reduction
Stress comes from:
- Life events such as illness, divorce, marriage,
bereavement.
- Daily hassles such as traffic, unsolicited phone
calls, technical glitches, and disagreements.
- Internal causes
such as worry, guilt, low self-esteem and unrealistic expectations.
Stress and Health
In 1904 Walter Cannon described the fight or flight (stress)
response. He noticed that under threat, the body automatically
responds by increasing heart rate, breathing rate and blood
pressure, mobilizing sugar and increasing metabolism, preparing
the body to fight or run away. This response may save the animal’s
life, but when repeated too often, leads to health problems.
In fact excessive stress contributes to many common health
issues such as insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure and back
pain.
Chronic stress also decreases resistance to infection and may
reduce memory and performance.
Read more...
Antidotes
to Stress: Meditation
Research shows that meditation causes the body’s physiology
to change to a state called the relaxation response that is
the opposite of the stress response. Blood pressure, heart rate
and breathing rate all drop and the body’s metabolism slows down. In
fact regular meditation seems to reduce the effect that stress
has on the body.
People who meditate report many other benefits including feelings
of peace, increased creativity, new insights and spiritual
renewal.
Learn two simple tools to reduce stress.
Top
 Optimal Health
We all hope for a life free from the limitations of pain, degeneration and disease.
When something does “go wrong” with our body then the disease tends
to become the focus of our attention. It is important to remember that the
body strives to heal itself and that we can support that healing in many ways;
by bringing our lives, minds, and emotions in to balance, by shedding unhealthy
habits and by focusing on and supporting that which is strong and healthy in
ourselves.
Optimal health is a dynamic state that goes beyond the absence of symptoms. When
healthy we are responsive to deep inner currents of emotions, dreams and ideals
and to the impact of the world around us. We adapt and integrate new experiences
and express our passion and gifts in our work, relationships and everyday life.
Optimal health is a state in which we walk sure-footedly, embracing each moment
including our own pains and pleasures. It involves giving and receiving, taking
a dynamic role in our human community and living in harmony with the planet.
For more, read “The
Science and Spirit of Health” by Gloria Deckro, MD in Spirit
of Change Magazine,
March/April 2004
Top
 Spiritual Renewal
So much in daily life pulls us out of our natural rhythm and away from those
things that feed us spiritually. Spiritual renewal comes through reconnecting
with ourselves more deeply and with the beauty and life of the world around
us. One way to cultivate this reconnection is through regular meditation practices.
People often experience feelings of inner peace during meditation. The breath
quite literally connects the outer world with our inner world. Most of the
time the outer world holds our attention, by shifting focus and following the
breath within, we can move below the turbulent surface of life into a place
of peace and stillness. Reconnecting with this stillness regularly, recharges
energy, and helps us to maintain more balance as we negotiate life’s
ups and downs.
Learn two simple
tools to reduce stress.
Top
|
|
