Changing it up a little today and we’re going with Meditation Monday! Continuing with our January theme of weekly health and wellness tips for the new year compared to some more traditional chiropractic services and thoughts. As we become more and more aware of mental health and it’s crucial role, something to add to your health and wellness toolbox is meditation. It does not take much effort or time and the benefits are plentiful, which I have been overwhelmed by in the last few months since I have started meditating daily. There are numerous free apps such as Headspace or Calm that are great tools to get you started, while I personally use Insight Timer (also free) which made Time magazine’s top 50 apps of 2016. I typically try to find an extra 5-10 minutes in the morning in a quiet area to put some headphones on and get into a nice energized mindset for the day ahead. Alternatively I have also used it to help winding down from a long day or to help me fall asleep, or to even get some anxiety I’ve been having under control. Meditation has been shown to actually change some structures in the brain for the better, such as the hippocampus as a prime example which covers memory and learning. It is part of a great self-care routine that you can add into your repertoire as we progress into the new year, and you too will see it’s benefits. To take some time away from all of the distractions and stresses of the world to gather your thoughts, focus on your breathing and reground yourself and get ready to push further ahead in your next endeavours. Tim Ferris found that one of the common denominators amongst high level performers regardless of their industry all had some form of mindfulness or meditative practice to help them get to where they are. Please follow up with any other questions, regardless of whether that is chiropractic related with the chiropractic adjustment or anything health and wellness related and how we can help you achieve your physical and mental goals.