 We've all been receiving a lot of advice lately about what we can do to avoid becoming sick with the COVID-19 coronavirus. One of the main areas of focus are our hands. We are being advised to wash our hands frequently, use hand sanitizer, avoid touching our face with our hands, not covering our coughs or sneezes with our hands, and to avoid all handshaking! Because of this advice, many are adopting other practices of social greeting including "elbow bumping", bowing, and using the hand gesture "Namasté". It appears that many of our world leaders have been adopting the Namasté technique recently. There are numerous videos on social media demonstrating this including a particularly humorous one of England's Prince Charles trying desperately to remember to stop shaking hands and adopt the Namasté greeting instead. Even the US President, Donald Trump appears to have adopted Namasté in lieu of his original "elbow bumping" suggestion! Namasté is a traditional greeting used in India. Much like the traditional greeting of "Aloha" in Hawaii, it means so much more than hello. During my travels in India, it was always the way I was greeted by strangers. If you have ever attended a Yoga class you most likely have heard this Sanskrit word. Namasté is often translated to mean "I bow to you". During my Yoga & Meditation Teacher training at The Chopra Center for Wellbeing with davidji, I was taught that it means so much more. There is a deeper meaning and connection that takes place when one mindfully greets another with Namasté. Although this deeper meaning has several variations, this is my favorite: " I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. |
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| Wendy Koreyva is a Reiki Master and certified Meditation & Yoga Teacher. She founded the Crystal Lotus Meditation & Wellness Center located in Manasqaun, New Jersey in 2011, with the intention of providing a safe and nurturing space for members of her community to experience peace, relaxation, and healing. Wendy’s passion is to assist others in reconnecting to their true selves. To learn more about Wendy and her classes visit www.tclotus.com. |
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With the current world climate, many people are looking for ways to strengthen their immune systems. Many are improving their diets, taking supplements, ingesting superfoods, and ensuring they get plenty of sleep at night. But there is something more you can do…start meditating!
We have heard that meditation can help us manage stress, relieve anxiety, reduce blood pressure and feel more peaceful. But did you know that many scientific studies are demonstrating that meditation and mindfulness practices have a positive effect on our physiology…including boosting our immune system? Several scientific studies have indicated positive change in the immune function in meditators. (Links to some of these studies are listed at the end of this article under Sources.)
It is widely accepted that stress can weaken our immune system and meditation is the perfect antidote to stress. Rudolph Tanzi, Vice-Chair of Neurology and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, stated that “Meditation is one of the ways to engage in restorative activities that may provide relief for our immune systems, easing the day-to-day stress of a body constantly trying to protect itself."
By bringing a regular meditation practice into your life, you can not only improve your emotional and mental wellbeing, you can also boost your immunity. So by all means, take your vitamins, adapt a healthy lifestyle, wash your hands, and....start meditating today! I’ve written this simple article that can help you start meditating right now: How to Meditate in 6 Easy Steps. You also can visit me at the Crystal Lotus Meditation & Wellness Center located in Manasquan, New Jersey or follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more resources.
Sources:
https://chopra.com/articles/learn-to-meditate-in-6-easy-steps
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/09/06/new-clues-into-how-meditation-can-boost-the-immune-system/#6c0c24d63698
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6878733/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4940234/
We have heard that meditation can help us manage stress, relieve anxiety, reduce blood pressure and feel more peaceful. But did you know that many scientific studies are demonstrating that meditation and mindfulness practices have a positive effect on our physiology…including boosting our immune system? Several scientific studies have indicated positive change in the immune function in meditators. (Links to some of these studies are listed at the end of this article under Sources.)
It is widely accepted that stress can weaken our immune system and meditation is the perfect antidote to stress. Rudolph Tanzi, Vice-Chair of Neurology and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, stated that “Meditation is one of the ways to engage in restorative activities that may provide relief for our immune systems, easing the day-to-day stress of a body constantly trying to protect itself."
By bringing a regular meditation practice into your life, you can not only improve your emotional and mental wellbeing, you can also boost your immunity. So by all means, take your vitamins, adapt a healthy lifestyle, wash your hands, and....start meditating today! I’ve written this simple article that can help you start meditating right now: How to Meditate in 6 Easy Steps. You also can visit me at the Crystal Lotus Meditation & Wellness Center located in Manasquan, New Jersey or follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more resources.
Sources:
https://chopra.com/articles/learn-to-meditate-in-6-easy-steps
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/09/06/new-clues-into-how-meditation-can-boost-the-immune-system/#6c0c24d63698
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6878733/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4940234/
 | Wendy Koreyva is a Reiki Master and certified Meditation & Yoga Teacher. She founded the Crystal Lotus Meditation & Wellness Center located in Manasqun, New Jersey in 2011, with the intention of providing a safe and nurturing space for members of her community to experience peace, relaxation, and healing. Wendy’s passion is to assist others in reconnecting to their true selves. To learn more about Wendy and her classes visit www.tclotus.com. |
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Wendy Koreyva is a Reiki Master and certified Meditation & Yoga Teacher. She founded the Crystal Lotus Meditation & Wellness Center in 2011, with the intention of providing a safe and nurturing space for members of her community to experience peace, relaxation, and healing. Wendy’s passion is to assist others in reconnecting to their true selves.
To learn more about Wendy and her classes visit www.tclotus.com.
