In the past I’ve mentioned the benefits of meditation to reduce the stress response.  Meditation has been proven to reduce your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure and help maximize oxygen to your cells.  Likewise, this simple habit can lower cortisol levels from the adrenal glands and improve your immune function.  When you reduce the stress response in the body, you effectively reduce your risk of every disease.  

I think there is a lot of mystique and misunderstanding involving this age-old relaxation technique, but meditation involves simply sitting in a relaxed position and clearing your mind. You do this by trying to quiet your thinking and focusing just on your breathing or on nothing at all.  It’s best to have 10 to 20 distraction-free minutes every day for the best results.  If you can do this effectively, you can receive noticeable benefits even in the first session.  It takes practice and some people find it very difficult to get their mind quiet.

I was recently taught a somewhat unusual procedure to help practice meditation and get many of the same benefits.  Try walking as slow as you possibly can for 10 minutes.  Use a cross-crawl pattern meaning as you move your right foot forward, move your left hand forward and vice-versa.  This movement has been proven to integrate the right and left sides of the brain and has been used for people recovering from brain and spinal injuries.  As you do this, try to walk slower and slower and concentrate on nothing other than your walking.  In addition to providing the benefits listed above, this exercise will also help with coordination and balance

I must admit, I was skeptical at first, but I have found this exercise beneficial and very easy to do.  Give it a try and let me know what you experience.