Thursday, August 16, 2012

An Interesting Way of Beating Stress

Ironing (do we have someone here who never irons??;)



Ironing is hardly a popular household task. But the repetitive back-and-forth motions associated with that activity may be one of the best stress reducers around. Why? It has a lot in common with meditation, says Deb Shapiro, 30-year meditation teacher, based in Boulder, Colo., and co-author of Be the Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World (Sterling Ethos, 2009).

Strange But True: In day-to-day living, people tend to keep their minds busy with a myriad of activities, says Shapiro. When we’re stressed, that busyness is exaggerated. As a result, our heart rate and blood pressure may increase. Meditation helps us become totally present with whatever we’re doing, she says. Even the simple act of breathing in and out—focusing on the rhythm of the breath—can immediately quiet the body and the mind, helping reduce stress, she says.

Meditation can be applied to just about every household task—ironing, folding laundry, cutting vegetables—when you focus solely on what you’re doing. “When done with awareness, what is often considered boring and mundane work can actually be a way to develop a quiet and stress-free mind,” says Shapiro.

Taken from http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/bizarre-ways-to-beat-stress-and-unwind

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