by Susy Shikoda | Jan 7, 2020 | Meditation |
Learn how meditation works and its benefits in reducing stress
With the lifestyle we lead, there are few people who do not suffer from any symptoms of stress.
In view of the impacts it causes on our health, we need some actions that contribute to the reduction of these impacts, and one of them is meditation.
Who has never been in a stressful situation or has suffered from any of the countless effects it causes?
Stress should not be overlooked: if left untreated, it can damage your immune system, considerably increasing the chances of several health problems.
Meditation is very positive for the treatment of physical and mental illnesses. ‘Studies show that it can reduce the effects of depression, anxiety, heart problems, sleep, among others.
Research shows that the practice reduces the discharge of hormones such as cortisol and, in addition, boosts immunity.
Stress reduction is perhaps the most noticeable benefit of meditation. No wonder, the American doctor Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of those responsible for popularizing the practice in the West, created a mindfulness program specially designed to deal with stress, called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (or MBSR) , which consists of eight weeks of practice. Since its creation, more than 370 studies on its effectiveness have been carried out. One of the most comprehensive analyzed the impact of the program on 93 individuals diagnosed with anxiety disorder, a problem that affects one third of the world population according to WHO. Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, found that the technique drastically reduced stress levels and the feeling of despair in the face of problems.
One of the reasons for the good result may be the power of meditation to reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. A survey by Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Unifesp and the Appana Mind Institute revealed that 1h15min of yoga and meditation three times a week, over two months, halved cortisol levels in a class where anxiety reached levels alarming, caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients.
Living more peacefully is great. But reducing stress has another important role in the body: controlling cardiovascular problems, diabetes, obesity, depression and Alzheimer’s, chronic diseases that are at the top of the causes of death in the world.
Cortisol works as an alarm. In risky situations, it informs the body that it is time to prepare for an emergency. The cells give priority to the immediate expenditure of energy, which will help us, for example, to run out in the face of a life or death situation. But that system was perfected millennia ago, when human problems were linked to wild nature – ferocious animals and hunger. Our ancestors who survived had high levels of cortisol and adrenaline in their blood because threats were present all the time. Thanks to these hormones, the muscles were well supplied so that our ancestors could take off at the right time. Emergency was the priority. With cortisol in the blood, the body distributes less energy for cell maintenance or for the immune system, which stops fighting a silly infection. These two activities do not kill anyone in a single day – like the lion. But they can be fatal in the medium and long term.
I developed a Meditation specially for you!
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Research source: “Revista Superinteressante”
by Susy Shikoda | Jan 4, 2020 | Brain Training, Meditation |
What is Meditating?
To meditate is to be present, in the here and now, to experience each day, each hour and each minute of your life as a whole. It is walking, talking, eating, breathing, in short, living consciously being with your conscience in the present moment.
Aware that you are responsible for what you think.
In parts, the modern world has facilitated our dispersion of the present moment. We are busy, in a hurry, thinking about tomorrow … we keep saying that everything is very busy … always leaving it for later, in the next launch, in the next lunch, in the next conversation and even in the next life. What can this cause us ?? We no longer live in the now, letting go of several opportunities that perhaps will never return.
Meditating silences thoughts …
What do you mean by silencing thoughts ?? it is not the silence we are used to, it is putting yourself in the position of observer and practicing self-observation. It is to let thoughts arise, but without labels or judgments.
What the purpose of meditation is is an individual experience, everyone will discover their ideal way of meditating and will experience the entire meditation process in a very particular way and also according to their goals.
You can use meditation to sleep better, before a meeting or important event, to relax during a flight, relieve emotional pain, reduce stress … in short, to connect with yourself!
Make this moment a habit and you will see the infinite benefits that meditation and meditation can bring you like being happier, having more resilience, self-realization, tranquility, self-knowledge and much more. However, you will only discover what it is to meditate after you feel that you are really willing to do it, and get started, the first step.
Tips to start practicing:
There are not many secrets to start with, but there are some tips that make it easier to practice, such as:
Accept your thoughts: do not create expectations, your thoughts will not disappear overnight. You will learn to observe them and not to get attached to them;
Establish a routine: to start realizing the benefits of practice, you need to practice daily. One suggestion is to practice a morning meditation to start the day well.
Find your technique: there are different types and techniques of meditation. Explore this universe and find out which one makes the most sense for you.
In the “Course” area I prepared a special meditation for you!
To access register in the Newsletter field at the end of the Main page, I will send you the password!
Meditation is a divine gift. It simplifies our outer life and energizes our inner life. Meditation gives us a natural and spontaneous life, so natural and spontaneous that we cannot even breathe without being aware of our own divinity. ”
– Sri Chinmoy, from the book Meditation
by Susy Shikoda | Aug 11, 2019 | Mindset, Neuroscience, Uncategorized |
To fully enjoy our mind, first of all it is vitally important to understand how it works, as well as a computer that before downloading any program you need to know the basic functions of the device.
And the brain in turn is the perfect machine that we use to program our mind.
Have you ever heard that the brain is like a muscle? This is an analogy but studies show when exercise can increase the amount of neurons and brain activity, both by intellectual stimulation and regular physical activities, hence the need to keep your body, mind and energy aligned.
What the brain and the muscle have in common is what we call Plasticity, which are divided into 5 modalities, but the one I will refer to here is that related to learning.
Every time you learn something new the brain keeps the important information, to be used when necessary, and so it creates a path in your brain that each time you learn more with that same experience or knowledge, these paths get stronger and stronger . Studies have shown that when a person who already speaks more than one language when he starts to study other different languages is much easier to learn, this is because the brain created a communication between neurons that made this experience stronger and more efficient.
Follow my tips below and increase your brain capacity:
- Be constantly learning to strengthen brain connections.
- Get out of the routine, try to do the same in a different way, eg: brush your teeth with the hand contrary to the one you are used to brushing.
- Focus on a particular activity from beginning to end, without distractions so that you can learn more regularly.
The brain is constantly evolving and changing, adapting to the culture and environment where you are, and this capacity we call Neuroplasticity or Neural Plasticity, where they are able to change, adapt, increase in size and even repair damage suffered, transforming and creating other connections through neurons.
Follow my tips below and increase and stimulate your Neuroplasticity:
- Exercise both sides of your brain, using the right side using your creativity and the left side for logical reasoning, diversifying your learning by covering areas of knowledge thus stimulating both hemispheres.
- Having a balanced diet is crucial for your brain to function at full throttle, eliminate negative habits that are the automatic neural pathways for your brain, replacing with healthy habits for at least 21 days.
- Resting and relaxing your brain is also necessary for it to recover and perform well. A good night’s sleep and meditation are great for recharging your batteries!
This topic is quite complex, but what was discussed here will be enough for you to sharpen your interest in the subject and start consciously to develop Neuroplasticity in your brain, increasing your knowledge and opening new frontiers never imagined, in this universe called BRAIN .
Good journey, and good discoveries!
Susy Shikoda
by Susy Shikoda | Jul 2, 2019 | Mindset |
The human being has two different minds:
The conscious mind and the subconscious mind.
The conscious mind is the programmer. It is the thinking, creative part of our mind.
In Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, the conscious mind consists of everything within our consciousness. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and speak in a rational way.
The conscious mind includes things like the sensations, perceptions, memories, feelings and fantasies within our current consciousness. Closely allied to the conscious mind is the preconscious, which includes things that we are not thinking about at the moment, but which we can easily attract to conscious awareness.
Things that the conscious mind wants to keep hidden from consciousness are repressed in the unconscious mind. While we are unaware of these feelings, thoughts, impulses and emotions, Freud believed that the unconscious mind could still influence our behavior. The things that are in the unconscious are only available to the conscious mind in disguise. For example, the contents of the unconscious can become consciousness in the form of dreams. Freud believed that by analyzing the content of dreams, people could discover the unconscious influences on their conscious actions.
How to work the conscious mind
- Create and repeat habits related to what you want to achieve in your life.
- Practice “Mindfulness’ “Mindfulness” to make room for new insights.
- Connect your body, mind and energy using all the senses.
What is the Subconscious Mind
According to Brain Tracy CEO of a Company specialized in Training and Development of Individuals and Organizations, he explains that the subconscious mind is an unquestionable servant who works day and night to make his behavior fit in a pattern consistent with his thoughts, hopes and desires emotionalized. In your subconscious mind you can grow flowers or weeds in the garden of your life, but it will depend on what you are planting in your mind, as this will be your reality.
The subconscious mind is real, it is an integral part of you, it can unlock all its power as if it were a supercomputer with a database, which is available to create new experiences in your life.
Throughout your life you have programmed your subconscious with thought habits and beliefs. And a habit is nothing more than an act or thought repeated over and over, that for the subconscious mind there is no difference between tying a shoe or thinking about yourself in a certain way.
Your job is to store, organize and interpret data from your predominant thoughts and also attract or help you to create what is in your conscious mind.
The subconscious does not have the capacity to judge what is real or what is just fantasy, it does not create anything, it only manifests what is suggested by the conscious mind and obeys totally, causing a great impact on our lives reflecting our current reality.
The subconscious mind is like the garden and the conscious mind the gardener, so pay attention to what you are planting right now, as it will be the fruits you will reap tomorrow!
How to access your subconscious mind
- Find your essential “I” using meditation, this is the most direct technique to access your subconscious mind, as it leads to deeper levels of consciousness.
- Use creativity, the subconscious loves to communicate beyond words, because they are the domain of the conscious and logical mind, try also to use the other senses with the music, image, smell and taste. Caring for and nurturing your creativity can help you live more authentically and in closer contact with your subconscious self.
- Follow your instincts, as they are the inner voice of the subconscious manifesting itself to make certain decisions in your life that will be incredibly perceptive and surprisingly accurate, and available at any time, as long as you know the way to open that door.
See below the metaphor used by Freud, where he considers our conscious and subconscious mind as an iceberg
by Susy Shikoda | Jul 1, 2018 | Life, Mindset |
Being Happy is having a Mother, being a Mother and creating a Mother!
We must act when we realize! I heard that at various times in my life when I was younger … Today I understand the true meaning!
And being attentive to the messages, I detected a disease in time that could have taken me from this plan.
Be aware of the signs, both of our physical body and those that happen around us.
To act in the Art of full life so that we are in constant development.
“The meaning of man’s life is to express the unique and peculiar personality that has been given him by God for the benefit of others and society”
Perfect Freedom – PL
