“Inflammation is a common contributor and possible cause underlying all diseases, whether you are talking about heart, liver, kidney problems, obesity, or psychiatric disease,” says Dr. Daniel Lee, clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center and School of Medicine.
In general, when your mental energy takes too much from your physical energy, it puts your body in a state of deficit, and inflammation in the body occurs.
It takes mental energy when we use our brains to think and analyze. In fact, we are constantly using our brains to think, analyze, and figure stuff out. This continual thinking from the brain takes energy from our body. At some point our body needs to rejuvenate.
We need to take time to relax, and get out of our heads, so our body can rejuvenate. There is such a thing as “too much thinking,” just like too much of anything is not good. Thinking needs to be balanced with non-thinking. Balance is good. Take time for thinking, then take time to relax. This allows for optimal functioning of the brain and the body.
What happens when we think too much?
When the thinking of the brain takes too much energy from the body, this depletes the energy of the body. Lower body energy affects our immune system — it functions more slowly. The immune system is our natural response to inflammation in the body. An impaired immune system results in incomplete repair of cells and tissue, and inflammation in the body expands.
We’ve all heard the saying, “keep your mind active,” especially as we age. Well, this is a little bit of a misnomer; more precisely it’s saying, “keep your brain active.” While brain activity is all well and good, there needs to be balance. There needs to be brain activity, and rest. Just like anything, balance is best.
We are thinking when we work and when we play. Our brain is “on” all day during work or at school. Our brain is “on” when playing sports, or other games such as cards, board games, checkers or chess. If you are, for example, constantly working, playing games, or thinking, you are not giving yourself downtime — a chance to rest, relax, and renew.
This can lead to inflammation in the body.
Common examples of inflammation are arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and other autoimmune problems. Be active, get going during the day, but give yourself time to rest, too. Balance. Then the body gets a chance to recuperate, and your immune system ramps up to repair damaged cells and tissue. Isn’t an awesomely functioning immune system invaluable?
This is similar to exercise. Exercise is good for the body, but you need to rest after exercise.
A good way to relax the brain is to get into the mind. The mind only knows balance and does nothing in excess. The flowing energy of the mind brings our bodies back to balance.
Meditation teacher and author, Ron W. Rathbun, says, “We need to get out of our brain activity, and into our minds, so the mind can balance the brain and the body. In mind, we balance the body and reduce inflammation. The mind allows for mental and physical rejuvenation.”
Nature is simple. There is the brain and the mind. By learning to access your mind, you move away from the brain and into a more relaxed state of renewal.
Kelee® meditation is a way to access the mind.
In a study at UCSD, patients who did Kelee meditation for 12 weeks saw a significant reduction in stress, anxiety and depression. Lead author of the study, Dr. Daniel Lee, says, “These days, researchers are looking for answers on how to control inflammation to fight disease. However, Kelee meditation provides a unique way to access the mind to calm and quiet brain activity, which helps to relax the physical body allowing for recovery and rejuvenation. It is through understanding the concept of moderation and the balance between mind function and brain function that ultimately leads to the improvement of quality of life and begins the process of the reversing the disease process naturally, without having to rely on medications.”
Wondering how to access your mind and balance your brain and body? You can download this simple-to-follow ebook, Kelee Meditation: Free your Mind, and practice Kelee meditation today.
How do you naturally ease inflammation in your body?
Nikki Walsh is a freelance writer and mom of two kids living in Southern California. She holds an MBA in marketing from University of California, Irvine and a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from UCSD. She has been practicing Kelee meditation for 19 years. When she is not writing she can be found out and about having fun with her kids.
©2016 with permission of the Kelee® Foundation