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Health Benefits of Meditation

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Health Benefits of Meditation
Jodi Signer CMST&220 Rickett, 11:30 Feb 09, 2011

Finding Balance Through Meditation and Overall Bodily Awarenes

General Purpose: To inform.

Specific Purpose: At the end of my speech, my audience will understand that using medication is not the only means of treating mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

Central Idea: Meditation is a healthy alternative to focus the mind in order to help calm symptoms of depression and anxiety.

INTRODUCTION We all strive for balance in our lives, emotionally, physically, and mentally. But as you all may know retaining that balance is harder for some than others. I will use myself for a example. In March 2010, at the school hospital at University of Washington, I was diagnosed with hereditary depression. I was an emotional wreck, which was new to me because all my life I had always kept a positive attitude, and it wasn’t because life was good and I was happy, no it was because life around me hurt me and I ignored my true feelings. Due to all the stressors in my life my body underwent unbalance. Unbalance is defined as “an outside force that upsets the equilibrium or balance of something” and the Psychology definition is “to disturb the mental stability of (a person or his mind)”. Now medication helps stabilize the unbalance. Once I began taking anti-depressants I became emotionally stagnant. No more ups or downs, just there. Because I am an emotional being, I found stagnant boring, life lost meaning, I felt life wasn’t worth living if you can’t embrace the low times in order to experience the high times, so I decided to stop taking the medicine, and began looking into alternative medicine. Now, I know I am not the only one who struggles with these feelings in life. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 21 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood



Bibliography: Chakra balancing healing. (2003-2008). Retrieved from www.reiki-for-holistic-health.com "The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America." NIMH Gulman, Funda. (2004). Energy medicine. American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 32(5), 651-658. Tymn, Michael. (2010). Difficulties in spirit communication explained by dr. james hyslop. Journal of Spirituality & Paranormal Studies, 33(4), 195-209. Goldberg, Philip. (2010). American veda. New York City: Harmony Books. Hanh, Thich Nhat. (2006). Understanding our mind. Berkeley: Parallax Press. Johnson, Will. (2000). Aligned, relaxed, resilient: the physical foundations of mindfulness. Boston: Shambhala Publications. Jorden, Venerable. (2001). The stages of meditation: the dalai lama. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications. Seager, Adrian. (2005). Reflexology and associated aspects of health: a practitioner 's guide. Berkeley: Lotus Publishing. Tiwari, Maya. (1995). Ayurveda: a life of balance. Rochester: Inner Traditions. The concept of reiki chakra, clarified. (2008). Retrieved from Chakra-Balance.com This webpage was

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