A healthy diet and exercise are crucial for successful aging, but as it turns out, regular meditation can significantly benefit the physical, mental and emotional health of seniors. Meditation can take various forms but often includes deep reflective thought and concentration, both of which help to improve mindfulness.
At Brandermill Woods, our lush surroundings and wellness activities on campus are just what you need to incorporate this beneficial practice into your everyday routine. Consider trying yoga, tai chi or meditation apps to get started as soon as possible so you can enjoy these top benefits of meditation for seniors:
1. Improve circulation and digestion: The deep breathing involved in meditation helps to increase oxygen levels in the blood, improve circulation and may also aid in improving digestion. This is especially helpful for combatting high blood pressure along with the circulation and digestive issues often experienced by older adults.
2. Strengthen your memory: Meditation for seniors is a great way to stimulate the areas in the brain which are responsible for memory. Overall, this enhances one’s memory and cognitive functions. Additionally, it also helps to delay the onset or progression of dementia-related diseases such as Alzheimer's.
3. Decrease stress: After meditation for some time you will experience lower levels of stress and greater feelings of calm and relaxation. This leads to better sleep, lessens symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as curbs the effects of conditions triggered by stress such as irritable bowel syndrome and PTSD.
4. Boost your emotional health: Guided meditations for seniors will lead to improved emotional health over time. That’s because being presented with various questions and scenarios improves mindfulness so you can benefit from reduced negative focus and an increased sense of self-awareness.
5. Increase your attention span: While meditating, you’re constantly aiming to improve concentration and focus on the present moment. This helps to lengthen your overall attention span when performing everyday activities.
6. Help combat addictive behaviors: As mentioned earlier, meditating regularly helps to improve your focus and leads to a greater sense of mindfulness. In the face of addictive behaviors, your mental fortitude and emotional health will help you to rise above your triggers and impulses to eventually break the destructive habits.
Join us at Brandermill Woods to enjoy a number of activities that will help you to elevate your mind, body and spirit so you can enjoy retirement to the fullest.
