We know that stress can negatively impact blood sugar. But can meditation help your levels? One tends to think that meditating is pointless and a time-sink. In pop culture, it’s frequently only used by people sitting in lotus positions. However, doctors suggest meditation because of its proven benefits. From brain to bowels, there are few aspects of health that meditation can’t help, including your blood sugar. While many of us may be uninterested in sitting very still for a long time, emptying our minds, that’s not what meditation is in practice. Let’s take a look at what misconceptions exist around meditation and how it can fit into everyday life.
Meditation has many forms. While many people practice meditation in the fashion we see on TV, many are meditating while washing the dishes. The lotus position, seen above, is not the default potion for meditation, you can meditate while doing tasks or walking. While meditation can certainly be part of a spiritual regime, it can also be a way of calming down and reconnecting to your body. Sitting still, thinking about the nature of the universe or thinking about nothing at all is not a prerequisite of meditating.
Good news: you can’t fail! No one walks away from their first attempt at meditating feeling refreshed and ready to face the world. No one hits their perfect stride at their first attempt at anything. Moreover, meditation isn’t about turning off one’s mind, it’s about taking time out of a busy life and connecting to yourself. Turning off your mind is nigh on impossible and trying to do so can be more stressful than your normal life!
It can be hard to carve out time in your day to add another chore. Instead, if you think about meditation as a step in your day, you’ll soon find that it actually makes your life easier and you might feel like you have more energy. Why? Because meditation helps you see things clearly, you can get out of your usual mindset and start seeing the forest instead of the trees. Minutiae that tripped you up is less distracting when you are seeing the larger situation and goal. Start with just two minutes a day, and let your practice grow organically. There is no point stressing yourself out over relaxation!
Meditation clears the mind and aids many aspects of health, including insulin sensitivity. It also boosts your mood and can help you in practical, measurable ways. For instance, mediation can help you break bad habits or addictions, like giving up smoking or alcohol. It can also help PTSD. The fact is, we have yet to fully plumb the depths of just how many things meditation can improve.
You don’t need one. Meditation techniques and practices can be found in books, online, in videos. By searching the internet, you can also find community pages where you can ask questions or find meet up opportunities in your area to make new contacts and get advice.
Now that it’s all broken down, we hope you’ll try out mediating to see if it can make a positive impact on your day and your health!
