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One of the cardinal principles of self care is that you take responsibility for your own wellness, spiritual, social, mental and physical. It also includes taking a proactive role in maintaining your nutritional and environmental needs, with the informed use of all the resources that are available to you.
When you practice self care, you deliberately choose activities that promote these aspects of wellbeing and consciously avoid those that negatively affect you. Caring for yourself doesn’t mean that you are selfish, self-indulgent or anti-social. It is only when you are in the best of health emotionally and physically that you can help others, and contribute to a healthy society.
Some of the main components of self care include yoga, meditation and relaxation. These practices address the body and the mind, and help you to become the best possible version of yourself.
Yoga in Self Care
Yoga is a practice that originated thousands of years ago in ancient India. The origin of the word lies in Sanskrit language where it means to connect or bind, and is used in this context to connect the mind and body. It can be practiced at any age, and doesn’t require any special equipment or place other than a few simple ones. Regular practice is known to:
- Promote relaxation
- Improve flexibility and muscle strength
- Reduce stress
- Boost positive energy
- Improve sleep and digestion
- Increases cardio-vascular function
- Reduce impact of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and arthritis
- Boost confidence and self-esteem
- Combat aging and improve immunity
Meditation
This is another ancient technique that has been practiced in many cultures across the world, in various forms. It can mean different things to different people, and may sometimes have a religious connotation. However, you can practice meditation without touching upon any religious aspect, and only focus on the spiritual quality. Meditation can be practiced at any time and anywhere, and you can choose the duration and type of meditation according to your needs and preferences.
Essentially, meditation is the practice of clearing the mind of all extraneous thoughts and focusing on a variety of aspects such as contemplation, body focused meditation, mantra meditation, visual or mindfulness meditation and more.
Modern scientific studies show that meditation has the power to alter brain tissue, prevent cell deterioration and slow down aging. The benefits of meditation include:
- Improved focus and concentration
- Better sleep quality
- Higher mental and physical energy
- Stress management and emotional control
- Release of good hormones
- Better problem solving ability
- Reduced anxiety, depression and phobias
- Higher self-awareness and self-esteem
- Slows down memory loss
- Reduces blood pressure
- Promotes kindness and gratitude
- Helps to control pain
Relaxation
According to psychologists, relaxation is the state of very low emotional energy, where there is no trace of anxiety, anger, or other negative emotions. Apart from the absence of tension, relaxation is also a feeling of positive emotion, where you feel physically and mentally at peace. Relaxation can be either physical or mental or a combination of both. This state can be achieved in a variety of ways. In the case of physical trauma, doctors may prescribe muscle relaxants to eliminate pain. If you suffer from anxiety or other mental disturbance, your therapist may recommend that you take certain medications to relax your mind.
However, on a daily basis, relaxation can be achieved through the practice of yoga or meditation, listening to music, spending time in Nature, getting adequate sleep, exercise and nutrition, engaging in creative hobbies, being with loved ones and more.
Relaxation can be physiological measured through checking the heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol levels or through several other tests. People can also self assess their state or report on how they feel at the moment.
The benefits of being relaxed include:
- Better focus and concentration
- Improved mind body connection
- More self awareness
- Higher social connectedness
- Better digestion and circulation
- Higher productivity
- Reduced frustration, anxiety and anger
- Better emotional control
- Lower fatigue and higher stamina
- Better immunity and ability to combat infections and illness
Yoga, Meditation and Relaxation: A Three-Pronged Approach
When you understand the benefits of all these three practices, you can harness them to leverage their power for yourself. Before you start any of these practices, it is important to analyze your current state of mental and physical health. This helps you to set goals for yourself, give yourself the time and space to practice them, and also ensure that you work out a suitable schedule for yourself.
For more information on self care, yoga and meditation visit https://restanddigest.com.au/. Find tips and resources on wellness and relaxation and experiencing a happy healthy lifestyle.
It is also important to learn the correct way to practice yoga, meditation and relaxation. This can be done with the help of a trained, experienced and qualified professional. Since there are many different schools of yoga and meditation, and various types of relaxation techniques, you can do your own research and zero in on the one that best suits your unique requirements.
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