It's no surprise that meditation is the most widely used and suggested practice for inner peace, life balance, and stress management. Most people say that they are "terrible at meditating". I believe that we all have the ability to quiet the mind and focus on breathing, but we are usually at a loss how to meditate by ourselves. There are so many apps that guide us through mediation, but those are usually for a fee. It's hard to pay for something in advance if you aren't sure you are going to like it. Meditation practice is known and has been proven to lower heart rate, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, increase deep sleeping, and help you focus better. If you are a novice or a seasoned meditator, I highly suggest this FREE app to keep you on track. It's called Insight Timer (here is a link for the website, but you can download the app from your app store on your phone Insight Timer - #1 Free Meditation App for Sleep, Relax & More ). What I like about this app is that there are hundreds of choices in what kind of mediation you want to do: guided, breathing, Nidra, chakra, sleep, live classes, yoga, workshops, etc., choosing from length of meditation to whether or not you want a male or female voice, background music, or just specifically calibrated music/beats to assist you on your own mediation and relaxation journey. Feel free to give your practitioner a tip, but only if you want to. Happy meditating!
The Body Keeps the Score is a must read for anyone who has been through trauma or wants to understand the origins and manifestations of trauma. In a well-researched and accessible way, Dr. van der Kolk has created a foundation of breaking down what happens in the brain and the body due to traumatic events and how to heel those wounds. By ackowledging PTSD can happen in childhood or adulthood, he gives a voice to those who may feel that they are stuck in their healing because traditional psychology cannot help them.
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