Contemplate This:
It turns out that a sense of awe and wonder actually is good for your health. The latest research buzz is that, a sense of awe has an anti-inflammatory effect on our bodies along with a host of other benefits. These are not those “awesome” explosions and special effects from your favorite movie franchise. Rather we experience awe when we pause to take in nature’s beauty, or listen to inspiring music.
Which reminds me, according to Chinese medicine, being in touch with nature also enhances our qi or vital energy.
You have plenty of time each day for awe and wonder, and you need not go somewhere spectacular. Simply turn off your cell phone, TV and computer, extract yourself from the mind-numbing blather and try this:
To Your Health: A Daily Dose of Awe
Drink your morning coffee or tea quietly, without news, Facebook or other distractions. If it is quiet outdoors, go outside. Or, sit by a window and look outdoors at the sky and earth.Take a moment to connect with your favorite indoor plant, or listen to inspiring music. Stay quiet, slowly savoring the entire cup.
Awesome!
Watch sunrises and sunsets as often as you can. . No two are ever the same. Take in these miraculous moments of ever-changing color. I will stop almost anything in order to watch a sunset.
Find a park or open space. Take off your shoes, feel the earth, expand awareness into the sky and all that inspires you. Take in sights, smells, sounds and the feeling of the natural world.
Look up at the moon and stars. Get some perspective. Consider yourself on this earth, spinning through the vastness of space. Sense your connection to the universe.
Remember:
Your daily dose of awe brings you home to this moment and to the joy of being alive. Drink Up!
~Tricia