Throughout the United States, millions of people struggle with various mental and physical health problems every single day. These health issues may be traced back to a variety of sources and can be the result of numerous imbalances that people may not even be aware of. There are numerous treatment options for imbalance-related issues, ranging from prescription drug treatments to integrative medicine. One treatment enhancement option that people tend not to immediately think of when trying to fix a health issue is mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of being fully aware of the present moment and accepting your place for what it is. To be more mindful, people use various techniques including meditation, breathing practices, t’ai chi, yoga, prayer, and the iteration of mantras. Often, people find these various mindfulness techniques useful because they can be practiced virtually everywhere and at their own pace.
Integrating Mindfulness
The best way to develop a habit is to start doing it every single day. Of course, this isn’t always something that’s easy to do. We all have schedules; we all have lifestyles and routines that we are used to living within. Setting time aside to start developing a new habit such as meditation or yoga doesn’t always work for everyone, so here are a few ways that you can integrate mindfulness in your daily life without compromising your routine:
- 1. Be Conscious of Your Emotions - Be aware of how you are feeling in any moment. Say to yourself something like, “I feel stressed” and then list reasons why you may feel this way. Listing the reasons out allows you to take inventory of what needs to be done, which may take you out of the present moment. To bring yourself back, remind yourself that you will complete your tasks when the time to do so is readily available.
- 2. Focus On Your Breathing - Breathing techniques are an age-old technique in the mindfulness community. Regulating your breathing will calm you down and slow down a busy head. Counting the number of seconds between breaths can help you develop a rhythm and allow you to find presence in this action.
- 3. Recognize Your Surroundings - One of the most effective ways to incorporate mindfulness into one’s life is to take moments out of the day to acknowledge your surroundings. Whether this takes place in your car, at the office, or on a walk through your neighborhood, by actively thinking about your place in the world in a given moment, you can experience a greater connectivity between your mind and body. Use this method during acupuncture or TMS treatments to reduce stress and create a better environment for healing to take place.
Benefits of Mindfulness Paired with Integrative Medicine
Mindfulness can be beneficial for everyone, but when used with integrative medicine, the results can be exponential. Here at Yang Institute of Integrative Medicine, we offer a wide variety of services including acupuncture for back pain in Marlton, New Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia area and other traditional medical processes such as moxibustion and Chinese Herbal Medicine.
Mindfulness alone has a wide range of benefits on both mental and physical health. Mindfulness has been linked to decreases in stress and anxiety and even has been shown to have physical benefits as well, such as decreasing blood pressure. We offer therapies such as TMS Therapy, and acupuncture for fertility in Bryn Mawr, PA and surrounding locations that, when paired with mindfulness, can have significant benefits.
During an acupuncture session, try the aforementioned mindfulness techniques for increased effectiveness. Be conscious of how the acupuncture is affecting your emotions and your body. Embrace these feelings. Breathe; and let the procedure work with you.
Schedule a Session
Try to incorporate mindfulness into your next integrative medicine session with us at Yang Institute. To learn more about the services we provide or to schedule an acupuncture treatment session, call us at 215-259-5831 or contact us online.
