Meditation Makes You Sexy!
For a long time I told myself that I wanted to start meditating, but I always made excuses as to why I couldn’t do it. I heard of all the benefits or meditating, and it all sounded so good. So spiritually grounding, but I just couldn’t get myself to set the time aside. It is easy to be intimidated by the unknown, and staying in a comfortable pattern is convenient, so it wasn’t until a tough time in my life that I decided I needed to make the effort to at least TRY!
Sitting in a dark room with a dim light on and a single candle lit provided solace, and although I didn’t know what I was doing the first time, I started to feel at peace. Sitting upon my yoga mat, I did some stretches, I sat in silence, with incense and a candle lit and I practiced deep breathing for 30 – 45 minutes, and suddenly I felt free of my racing thoughts. The stress was gone and my problems disappeared. Embracing that very moment of stillness created a sense of clarity that radiated from within and gave me a new outlook to face the world.
So how does mindfulness and meditation make you sexy, you might ask? There is nothing sexier than a woman who takes on every day with confidence that is contagious! When you take the time to connect with your mind, body, and soul, you gain a sense of peacefulness that you carry with you throughout your daily life. The more you practice meditation, the better you will get at it. As well, the degree in which every day situations negatively affect you will lessen.
Sexiness is a trait that comes from within. Who is sexier, someone who comes across as anxious, stressed, and complaining about life, or a person who faces the challenges of life with a calm strength?
A study conducted by Dr. Sara Lazar though Harvard University found that meditation helps to counteract that effects of stress on the brain. The amygdala, a region of the brain that grows dense as a result of stress, showed a decrease in activity during stressful situations in those who practiced meditation. Lazar also studied the effect of meditation on the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is negatively impacted by stress hormones, which can cause it to shrink. The study conducted brain-imaging research on participants before and after an eight-week mindfulness training. They found an increase in gray matter in the left hippocampus after the mindfulness training, meaning the brain was becoming more resilient to the effects of stress.
Suffering from chronic stress, no matter how subtle or strong it may be, means the hypothalamus cannot properly do its job. This region of the brain is responsible for regulating many body processes, including the immune system, mood and emotions, digestion, energy storage and expenditure, and sexuality. When the immune system isn’t functioning at its best, aging can kick in fast. Weight gain happens easier, wrinkles appear quickly as the skin starts to sag, memory fades, and sex drive suffers. When meditation first started to make its way into scientific research, Dr. Keith Wallace published a study in the International Journal of Neuroscience; the study looked at individuals who meditated every day for five years. On average, the participants’ biological ages – how much your body has actually aged – was 12 years younger than their actual age. Some participants were as much as 27 years younger than their actual age!
So go ahead and let your sexy shine for as long as possible, by having your body – both inside and out – look as young as you feel at heart. At its most basic form, meditation is a way to relax, but think about what those moments of peacefulness are doing for your mind and body. The days may bring stress, but you will look and feel sexier as you face each day when you put meditation at the top of your “to do” list.
Art Credit: http://society6.com/anneamanda
