The Flow of Life

Many of the ancient wisdom traditions speak of the flow of life, or the river of consciousness that flows throughout life.
In my personal evolving model of holistic health, I consider this flow as central to my level of health and well being.
In the past I have "played" with meditation of various types. In recent times, I have been very interested in the research showing the effects on our brain function from different types of meditation, as well as how much stress affects our immune cells.I read the book "Transcendence' by Dr. Norman Rosenthal, which was recommended to me by a health practitioner that I respect greatly. It opened my eyes to the benefits that so many people have experienced in the areas of interest to me: stress reduction and calming of "fight or flight" responses. My fight or flight pattern was established at a very young age and was quite entrenched in my body. I decided to learn transcendental meditation to improve my health through the mind body connection. I practice it every day for 20 minutes, twice a day. Within weeks, I (and my husband) have noticed a difference. It is as if my nervous system has relaxed from being able to take a "breather." I feel that I am dipping into that "river of life", that "wakefulness" from which joy, creativity and wholeness flow. I can't wait to see what the future holds, as meditation becomes a part of my model, along with appropriate nutrition,exercise, energy work, sleep and rest.
I feel strongly that when we nurture these parts of ourselves, our relationships improve (with self and others)our work in the world is enhanced, we become more creative and we tap into the joy and happiness that is present in all of us.