Meditation to Transform Your Life

How often do you feel your head hits the pillow at night, and for the first time all day there was nothing demanding your attention? What if I told you that if you set aside as little as 5 minutes a day to intentionally eliminate distractions and embrace a quiet stillness, you could improve your health, reduce stress levels, and increase your productivity? Meditation is an incredible tool you can implement, even with a packed calendar, to clarify your purpose and elevate your consciousness.

Sink deeper into a mindset of gratitude, embrace prosperity consciousness, and find clarity.

With hectic to-do lists, constant technology pings, and demanding schedules, it can be hard to enjoy a grounded moment or even feel present in your body. Imagine being able to fulfill all your obligations more easily, and sink deeper into a mindset of gratitude, embrace prosperity consciousness, and find clarity. Allowing this stillness can result in finally healing old wounds, opening your heart, experiencing profound peace, manifesting your dreams, receiving messages from the universe, and connecting to your soul’s purpose and deeper knowing… the list goes on! It is no wonder that some of the most successful business moguls are avid meditators. So many wonderful doors open for you when you can set aside time to meditate consistently. 

Maybe it’s something you’ve tried here and there, or something you thought just wasn’t for you. No matter what your impression of meditation has been, I encourage you to commit to adding it to your routine for a solid week and see how you feel. Anecdotal evidence and clinical research both are continuing to show meditation is one of the simplest quality-of-life allies you can align with. Think of your sessions as a gentle undoing of the low vibrational energies and inner chatter you are constantly subjected to. Release attachment to ruminating on past and future and hold space for yourself to be in the now. Improve mindfulness, connectedness to body and breath, release of negativity, judgement, and other states of mind that hold you back from being fully in your power.

Top 5 tips to designing a meditation discipline you can stick to:

1. Create a sacred space in your home that is prepped for meditation. Discover more guidance for this here!
2. Begin with breath work so you can release tension in the body and clear your mind.
3. Choose a mantra, intention, or affirmation to weave into your session, such as: “I stand in my power, connected to Heaven and Earth.”
4. When in doubt, explore things you are thankful for – try writing a gratitude list before you meditate.
5. If your mind tends to wander from your meditative intentions, simply acknowledge those thoughts and let them go - refocusing on your breath.

This timeless practice has been dolling out benefits for centuries, and recently, the results of 18 studies that used gene expression analysis in research on meditation and related mind-body interventions have found that they reverse the molecular effects of chronic stress (1). Some recent and notable clinical studies have shown that these practices increased theta and alpha wave frequency range in the brain as well as rapid changes in gene expression immediately after contemplative practice like meditation (2). Specifically, this can silence two out of six pro-inflammatory genes and accelerate cortisol response recovery (3).

Meditation is linked with a reduction in feelings of depression, anxiety, and even physical pain (4). A study published last year in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that meditation's merits can be measured both subjectively, gauged by how much less stressed a person felt, and objectively using biological and neurological tests like blood tests and MRI scans (5). Even if you do not get blood work done, your you’ll notice results quickly! You will see definite shifts in your mood, abundance, health, and general outlook on life. Find a tender calm in the midst of chaos, enjoy, and know you are always and inherently worthy of having this time to just be.

Explore the meditation offerings on my website to help you relax, reduce stress, build internal energy and love, and even ease many health concerns. The tools available include guided meditations and workbooks to heighten your experience and support your journey to a healthier, more fulfilled life of balance and harmony. A good place to start is with my Chakra Guided Meditation Album. It includes eight beautiful meditations that can be used to help bring you back to balance. You can purchase the entire album here.

As a free gift to you, please enjoy this Divine Oneness Meditation I created to guide you to connect to yourself, your purpose, others, and the divine. We are one!

-Elena

References:

(1) Buric, Ivana, et al. “What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind–Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices.” Frontiers in Immunology, vol. 8, 2017

 (2) Ravnik-Glavač M, Hrašovec S, Bon J, Dreu J, Glavač D, et al. Genome-wide expression changes in a higher state of consciousness. Conscious Cogn (2012)

 (3) Kaliman P, Alvarez-Lopez MJ, Cosín-Tomás M, Rosenkranz MA, Lutz A, Davidson RJ, et al, Rapid changes in histone deacetylases and inflammatory gene expression in expert meditators. Psychoneuroendocrinology (2014

(4) Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga E, et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being. Johns Hopkins University Evidence-based Practice Center (2014)

(5) Cahn, B. Rael, et al. “Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 11, 2017