Temporary shifts: regaining balance with meditation & yoga

Temporary shifts in elemental balance are caused by fluctuations in our external world. Those fluctuations impact our internal world. The five elements air, ether, fire, water and Earth can fall out of balance when there is too much or too little of one or more of the elements leading to illness or dis-ease in the body and mind.

Under stress the elements in our bodies change for the worse. According to Wallace (2009) in his book Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism and Christianity, "Beginning in the late 1970s, Jon Kabat-Zinn, a researcher at the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, developed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which is now being taught in more than 250 clinics throughout the world. As Kabat-Zinn pointed out in a meeting in 1990 with the Dalai Lama on mindfulness, emotions, and health, stress aggravates the symptoms of all known illnesses, from the common cold to cancer. So, alleviating stress with meditation can potentially have an enormous impact on our physical and psychological well-being" (p.30).

Practicing yoga and meditation has been shown by research to lead to better health outcomes. In our western society we rarely have enough time to slow down and take some steps toward our well-being. The world is filled with over-stimulation, sleep-deprivation, nutrient-deficient processed foods and the business of being "busy". This, when done over prolonged periods of time leads to depletion of mind, body and soul. Learning some simple techniques in meditation and yoga can create internal and external peace as well as potentially have some health benefits for mental and physical body. The skill of meditative practices gives you the ability to ride the waves of life with less turbulence and stress because when you are able to calm the internal waters, the external waters also become calm. Your inner world is a reflection of your outer world and visa versa.

What are you waiting for? Join Zen Den Yoga and begin your journey toward wellness. There is never a better time than now. See you soon. Namaste.