Meditation, Qigong, or Chocolate
Zen Wrapped in Warm Karma, Dipped in Dark Chocolate
What could these three things have in common? It must be click-bait already. Right? Maybe not. Let me explain.
I have written extensively before about pranayama and different types of yogic breathing techniques here, which is a list of my Medium articles on breathing techniques for relaxation and focus and energizing your brain for the day. Many of the benefits of pranayama are also present in meditation too.
Meditation is a simple, yet powerful tool that can help you transform your life.
Meditation is a simple, yet powerful tool that can help you transform your life. Some of the benefits of meditation which is a type of yo
- Meditation can help “focus” our attention
- Meditation can calm the mind and relaxes the body.
- Meditation relieves stress.
- Meditation improves sleep.
- Meditation improves concentration and memory.
Meditation while at work for a break or in the morning has been shown to benefit individuals to lower their stress levels. And has been used for millennia to help individuals to get in touch with their inner person and understand themselves better by learning to focus their mental energy.
Qigong is a stress-reducing healing art with roots in Chinese medicine and philosophy.
Qigong is a stress-reducing healing art with roots in Chinese medicine and philosophy. Qigong means “life energy cultivation” and practitioners believe that qi (energy) flows through the body along pathways called meridians. When this flow of energy is disrupted, it causes diminished function in one or more of the organs or tissues of the body. The goal of qigong is to cleanse, strengthen, and circulate your vital life energy to prevent disease and promote harmony between the body and mind.
Qigong practice typically involves slow movement, deep rhythmic breathing, a calm mind, and meditation, with gentle effort applied in a relaxed manner. Several styles emphasize moving meditation, coordinating slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and calm focused intent. Other styles focus on coordinating various breath patterns with postures while sitting upright in a chair or on the floor with the back straightened but not rigidly held upright. Another type of qigong includes whole-body shaking to activate Qi flow within each part of the body and throughout it as a whole.[
Chocolate is everywhere and is often the inspiration behind celebrations and special occasions.
Chocolate is everywhere. It has been used for thousands of years and is often the inspiration behind celebrations and special occasions. Health experts say chocolate is a good source of antioxidants, which are compounds that protect the body’s cells from free radicals, substances that can cause illness and premature aging. Chocolate also offers a variety of health benefits as well as being a comfort food and source of pleasure, energy, and nutrients to millions around the world.
Chocolate contains phenethylamine, a stimulant discovered by researchers (PEA). PEA is found naturally in the brain, and consuming more of it stimulates the release of dopamine and norepinephrine. These three compounds, when combined, can provide relaxation, elation, and euphoria.
In addition to good food, chocolate offers many health benefits.
- Chocolate is packed with antioxidants. Loads of research have shown that eating foods high in antioxidants can reduce your risk of many diseases and conditions. These include cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and depression.
- Chocolate reduces inflammation. Too much inflammation can lead to a number of chronic illnesses including arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and type-2 diabetes. The antioxidants in chocolate help reduce C-reactive protein (CRP), which is an inflammatory marker linked to these diseases.
- Chocolate lowers blood pressure. A large study following nearly 20,000 middle-aged adults for 10 years found that those who ate the most chocolate were 46% less likely to get hypertension than those who ate the least amount of chocolate.
- Chocolate helps lower cholesterol levels by reducing LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind). This can help prevent clogged arteries from forming plaque buildup, which leads to heart attacks or strokes.
- Eating chocolate regularly may also help prevent blood clots from forming by reducing platelet activity in the blood — another important way it protects against heart disease and strokes!
Now we come to the mind part of this post: If you’re stressed out about work or life in general then indulging in some dark chocolate will calm your nerves down so that you can handle any situation with ease.* Eating dark chocolate releases happy neurotransmitters like serotonin into our bodies, making everyone feel good when they eat it!
So if you want to relax while at work or after work try some chocolate, a little qigong, or some meditation to calm and refocus your attention and reduce your work anxiety. If you start with just a few minutes of qigong or meditation they are practices that can be built up to be more later. Or you can just have a little chocolate.
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