Meditation: The Natural Pain Reliever

Rather than popping pills to kill the pain of your aching back or for the headache from too much rushing around, we can tap into a natural pain reliever. Meditating can reduce pain by 40%. If you’re glazing over, thinking “I don’t do that stuff”, it can be as simple a starting with 5 minutes a day and focusing on your breath. I’m allergic to ALL pain meds, so every time one of my joints dislocates (almost daily), meditation IS my medication. Robert Cargill, PhD, a neurobiology professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine did a study showing that meditation decreases pain better than morphine. If you have never tried meditation, are you a little curious now, knowing it can relieve your pain? If you do meditate, have you experienced this?

Awake in the Middle of the Night

If you awaken in the middle of the night and have difficulty returning to sleep, instead of worrying about how tired you’ll feel in the morning, try this more effective technique. Make relaxation your only goal, not sleep. Total relaxation can rejuvenate your body and calm your mind. Use visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing or meditation or a combination of all. You will feel so much more rested than lying there stressing about how little sleep you are getting. What has worked for you?

Body Scan Meditation

If you think meditation is only sitting with a quiet mind, try this technique. Sit comfortably or lie down and breathe slowly and deeply for a couple of minutes. Start to scan your body, focusing your attention on each body part from the top of your head all the way day to your toes. Notice any sensations in each body part, whether it’s discomfort, tight muscles, warmth or relaxation. When you find an area of discomfort or tension, imagine breathing warm or relaxation into that area. What area might be tense or uncomfortable in your body scan__________?

Improve Your Memory

If you want to improve your memory and focus, try a walk in the park or looking at pictures of nature on your computer. According to psychologists at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, interacting with nature, whether outside or viewing pictures increases memory performance and attention span by 20%. Walking in an urban area apparently doesn’t have the same benefit, but walking in nature, whether it’s summer or winter, can have similar effects as meditating. Where can you walk?

Walking Meditation

Meditation has been proven to not only calm and relax but decrease blood pressure, reduce pain, hot flashes and a myriad of other physical issues. Unfortunately, some people think they cannot practice this form of stress management because they fear they cannot sit still. Maybe walking meditation is a solution for them. It’s best done outdoors for at least 20 minutes, paying full attention to your breathing, walking in a relaxed, slow pace, noticing the sensations of your body as you walk. It is a little more involved, but that is the quick version. Have you ever tried it? Did you enjoy it?