Meditation Basics: The Benefits of a Meditation Practice
March 15, 2022
Introduction/Background
At Spirit Tree, we integrate many spiritual modalities into our spiritual coaching sessions, workshops, and retreats. You might be wondering, with so many modalities available to the public these days, “Why did Spirit Tree select these specific practices?” This is a great question, and so it will be answered in this blog series.
The first blog in this series will focus on yoga and movement and why they were selected as offerings in our spiritual coaching, workshops, and retreats. There are so many benefits to physical activity, and it is essential that we support our bodies during our spiritual journey to be our spiritual best.
According to Chinese legend, did you know that a monk from India named Bodhidharma visited the Shaolin Monastery/Temple in China and taught the monks physical movement exercises so they could meditate for longer? These exercises were the foundational movements for what later became the famous Shaolin Martial Arts!
What are Yoga And Movement?
Yoga was traced back over 5,000 years ago in ancient India. The word yoga means union. From my perspective, union in the context of yoga can mean many things, including:
- Union within the body (i.e., muscles, tendons, bones, etc. working together)
- Union of the body (including heart and breath) and mind
- Union of the ego and the divine self
There are many types of yoga (Bhakti, Karma, Raja, Jnana, etc.), but within this blog, I am mainly referring to Hatha yoga (and associated asanas, otherwise known as yoga postures) as it is what most people in the west refer to when they use the word “yoga.” Hatha yoga has been traced back to the eleventh century, so we are dealing with ancient, time-tested knowledge and practice.
Movement can be any type of physical activity. Spirit Tree integrates many kinds of movement, including yoga (and other kinds of stretching), dancing, martial arts (and different kinds of stances and movement patterns), walking/hiking, etc., into its work as physical activity provides many benefits to the body.
Why Yoga And Movement?
Movement
Any type of healthy movement will be beneficial to the body. However, some exercises benefit the body and mind more than others. While there are many types of activities for the sake of simplicity, I have focused on aerobic and anaerobic. These types of exercise provide many benefits, as you will see below.
Regular aerobic exercises (i.e., hiking, fast-paced walking, spinning, etc.) can help one to:
- Increase fitness, stamina, and strength
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve lung capacity
- Clear the mind through increased blood flow and focus
- Release endorphins (feels good after)
- Lose or regulate weight
- Strengthen the immune system
Regular anaerobic exercise (i.e., weightlifting, sprinting, martial arts, etc.) can help one to:
- Increase bone strength and density
- Lose or regulate weight
- Increase metabolism
- Clear the mind through increased blood flow and focus
- Increase muscle strength and endurance
- Release endorphins (feels good after)
- Increase muscle mass
- Increase energy levels
As you can see, there are many benefits to aerobic and anaerobic exercises, which is why we felt it is essential to involve some type of movement into our offerings (if nothing else, it feels good and helps us focus!). We may recommend specific movement pieces to support you on your spiritual journey during our coaching sessions. We may include dancing, gentle martial art movement, hiking/walking, Qigong, and other types of exercise during workshops and retreats.
Did you notice one primary type of fitness not mentioned above? Yes, flexibility! Flexibility (including mobility, posture, and balance) is essential for everyone ranging from professional athletes to the elderly. Increased flexibility can help prevent injury, loosen muscles, so you no longer feel aches and pains, improve strength, and increase range of motion. People tend to lose their natural and gained flexibility with age, which can lead to all types of health challenges, which is why yoga and other types of stretching are so important.
Yoga
Overall benefits from regular yoga asana practice include:
- Improves muscle and joint flexibility
- Improves balance and posture
- Increases muscle strength, stamina, and tone
- Improves focus and concentration
- Increases energy
- Improves mental health
- Improves cardiovascular health
- Loss of or regulates weight
- Decreases stress
- Boosts immunity
- Releases endorphins
Additionally, each yoga asana offers particular benefits. Some of these include:
- Stretches and strengthens specific muscles, tendons, bones, and the spine
- Stimulates organs and glands
- Improves digestion
- Improves sleep
- Calms the brain
- Rejuvenates muscles
- Helps to relieve symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort
- Supports birthing process
- Helps to lower high blood pressure
- Stimulates heart and circulation
- Builds confidence
- Alleviates back pain and sciatica
- Massages spine and organs
- Reduces flat feet
- Relieves headaches
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
As you can see, there are many benefits to a regular yoga practice which is why we have decided to integrate yoga into our services. Oh… and we love it and think if you give it a try, you may love how it can help you too!
NOTE: While yoga can offer these and other benefits, please ensure you consult a qualified yoga teacher to ensure you practice the poses correctly to avoid any injuries or potential health complications.
Conclusion
In this blog, we discussed what yoga and movement are and why Spirit Tree decided to integrate yoga and movement into its services. We believe a healthy body helps us feel good and allows us to focus on our spiritual journey. Yoga and movement have so many benefits, and for us to be our best spiritual selves, we also have to take care of our body and mind.
If you are interested in pursuing some yoga and movement services with Spirit Tree but still not sure, we suggest you check in and listen to your inner knowing (some people call it intuition, heart, or "spidey sense"). If you are drawn to discovering and exploring your spiritual self through yoga and movement, then we suggest you listen to your inner knowing and take action by booking a session today. There are One-On-One Spiritual Coaching Introductory Specials (available on the "Book Online" page) to help you get started on your journey.
For more information, please check out our services page or book your introductory coaching session today on our "Book Online" page, as we have some special offers available for a limited time.