You may be familiar with the topic of meditation and may have even tried it out a few times. There are lots of researched benefits associated with meditation including a reduction in stress, an increase in concentration and awareness of one’s body and mind, boosts in happiness levels and acceptance, as well as lowering blood pressure. Wow!
Regular meditation is like a workout for your mind (it is just as important to keep your mind healthy as it is to work out your physical body) and can actually change the physical structure in your brain. The left side of the prefrontal cortex has been shown to be involved in positive emotions. Activity on this side of the brain has been shown in studies of meditation to increase as you continue to practice meditation. Working out your mind helps you to learn to better focus and concentrate and has been linked to improved memory functions as well.
Since meditation induces relaxation in the body it can help lower blood pressure and boost your immune system. Hormone and endorphin levels can also be elevated from including meditation in your daily life.
How Can Meditation Be Helpful in Pregnancy?
The benefits of meditation are especially good news for ladies that are pregnant! Some of these benefits can be passed to your baby while still in the womb! Meditation and becoming more aware of your own body can help you bond with your baby while he/she is in the womb.
A major reason why meditation can be so beneficial to mothers and unborn babies is because it can help reduce anxiety. Anxiety and stress basically wreak havoc on the mother’s body. It can interfere with the healthy functioning of the body particularly by suppressing the immune system. Anxiety can also lower pain tolerance, which is not something a pregnant woman wants to hear when she will be giving birth eventually.
Some other negative effects of stress and anxiety that can more directly affect an unborn baby include higher chances for low birth rate, complications in labor, risk of miscarriage or birth defects, and premature delivery.
The good news is that meditation is a healthy and safe way to address these concerns. Meditation can help you keep your immune system functioning normally during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. Since meditation can also increase pain tolerance levels, it can lead to a easier and less painful labor and birth for the mother. The reduction in stress hormones that comes from exercising the mind and learning to meditate is just the first step. It can also actually help the body to produce endorphins as well, to increase pleasure and feelings of happiness.
