DAILY RITUAL MUSINGS

Finding Balance + Cultivating Peace & Tranquility

In our most healthy and balanced states, our autonomic nervous system is ebbing and flowing- oscillating between our sympathetic and parasympathetic states. The autonomic nervous system is part of the peripheral nervous system which regulates involuntary physiological processes like heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal. Within the autonomic nervous system is held the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems. For this information bite- I will focus on the first two aspects: the sympathetic and parasympathetic. 

The Sympathetic Nervous System

Our sympathetic nervous system directs the body’s rapid and involuntary responses to stressful or potentially dangerous situations, causing a gush of hormones to flood the body. This gush of hormones prompts the body system to be alert and aware by increasing the heart rate and sending extra blood to the external...

Here at DailyRitual, many of us practice meditation daily. The habitual process of training our minds to focus and redirect our thoughts has helped us and our clients in too many ways to count. You can think of meditation as exercise for your brain. And just like any exercise, meditation yields benefits. 

The benefits of meditation affect your mind, body, and soul. While we break down the benefits, you will realize that the physical, mental health, and spiritual benefits are all intertwined.

Physical Benefits of Meditation

Research shows that there are numerous physical benefits of meditation. And when we say physical benefits, we don’t mean building muscle or increasing flexibility. The physical benefits are more subtle, but can include:

Decreased Stress and Lower Blood Pressure

Stress can wreak havoc on your body, with increased heart rate, high blood pressure, fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, and more. Chronic stress can lead to multiple physical and mental...