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How to Heal Illness with Meditation Exercises

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

Even though many of these meditation exercises are for more advanced students of enlightenment, there are still quite a few meditation exercises that will help the beginner. You don’t have to understand Zen or Buddhist meditation to experience the healing powers of meditation exercises that are geared towards healing a specific illness. You just have to believe that a positive frame of mind will make a difference in your mental and physical health.

The easiest meditation exercises for healing have to do with imagery. You simply have to relax, breathe, and imagine yourself getting better. This is an uncomplicated way to learn the power of healing that mediation exercises possess. After you master this imagery exercise, you can move on to more advance meditation exercises for healing.

For this and any other meditation exercises, take a few moments beforehand to relax. When your body is relaxed, you can give your mind the freedom to contemplate on the wellness that you are seeking. The best way to relax in this case is to do a few stretches to loosen your muscles and to get rid of any tension. Once you are finished stretching, sit upright in a comfortable chair. Take off your shoes, socks, belts, jewelry, and anything else that is uncomfortable. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

Clear your mind and then imagine yourself walking down an open staircase. As you go down each step, you will notice that you feel more and more relaxed. At the bottom of the staircase, imagine an inviting scene like a sunny beach, a forest meadow, or a snowy mountain. Make sure that this is a place where you feel safe and where nothing can hurt you. Once you feel safe in this environment, it is time to use imagery to deal with your ailment. Think about your illness and let any images that want to appear in this safe place come to mind. If too many appear, just focus on one. If any images aren’t friendly, they need to leave the safe place that you have created.

The goal of meditation exercises like this is to think about your illness and find positive images you can use to heal yourself. When you find one, focus on it and let it become as vivid as possible. Each time you do meditation exercises like this, you should imagine that your ailment is completely cured. That will give your subconscious a blueprint that your body can use to heal you. At the end of the session, it is time to imagine climbing back up the staircase and slowly returning to reality. Open your eyes, stretch one more time, and go back to your day.

Exercise is Key to Controlling Diabetes

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Exercise can help prevent the serious complications that often come with diabetes and heart disease. Research has shown that regular exercise helps reduce the likelihood of having a heart attack or a stroke, and moreover it aids in weight loss, & improving one’s mood.

Exercise can help you reduce your blood glucose levels. In people with type II diabetes, exercise may improve insulin sensitivity and assist in lowering elevated blood glucose levels into the normal range.

When you exercise, your body uses more oxygen — as much as 20 times more — and even more in the working muscles, than when you are at rest. So the muscles use more glucose to meet their increased energy needs. At the same time, exercise improves the action of insulin in the peripheral muscles, making it more efficient, so you get more out of the insulin your body is producing.

In older people with diabetes, the decrease in insulin sensitivity that comes with aging is also partly due to a lack of physical activity. So regular exercise benefits you now, and for years to come.

Sometimes, it may seem easier to pop a pill or even take a shot than to put on your walking shoes and hit the trail. But the truth is that exercise, in combination with a healthy diet, is one of the best things you can do to take care of yourself if you have diabetes.

Exercise burns calories, which will help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Regular exercise can help your body respond to insulin and is known to be effective in managing blood glucose. Exercise can lower blood glucose and possibly reduce the amount of medication you need to treat diabetes, or even eliminate the need for medication. Exercise can improve your circulation, especially in your arms and legs, where people with diabetes can have problems.

Exercise can help reduce your cholesterol and high blood pressure. High cholesterol and high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Exercise helps reduce stress, which can raise your glucose level. And always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise regiment, especially if it’s strenuous at all.