Many of us love to escape to our back gardens to enjoy some well-deserved time off from everyday life. Getting our fingers green has long been the pastime of many to relax, breath in some fresh air and forget about the worries from daily living.
In fact, in the UK, it was even recommended by the National Health Service (NHS) as an official way to reduce stress and anxiety.
However, a recent 8-week survey carried out by the BBC and the University of Westminster has proven that mindfulness meditation is in fact far better in reducing stress levels that gardening and even yoga.
The study was carried out for the hit UK television series ‘Trust Me; I’m a Doctor’ in which 69 individuals were included to test the effects. The group was divided into three groups. One group partook in a Saturday gardening club and were involved in conservation activities in their local area.
Another third of the group was told to attend weekly yoga sessions whereas the final group practised just ten minutes of mindfulness meditation every single day.
The Results
The results of the study were scientifically confirmed by measuring the cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in each individual. Typically, a human being will generate a huge burst of cortisol in the morning, and the levels will decrease throughout the day.
The group involved in yoga saw a slight decrease in these figures whereas the gardening group witness a huge 20% increase in their CAR (cortisol awakening response). However, the mindfulness group saw an average leap of a 52 percent increase, and those who actually enjoyed meditating saw an incredible 78% increase!
As you can see, the figures are clear. However, it is worth noting that the individuals actually had to enjoy what they were doing to reap the benefits. Those that didn’t enjoy their activity saw very little change in their CAR levels.
This is just yet another study that proves the outstanding benefits that mindfulness meditation has. There was even a study last year in the US that proves that mindfulness can even positively affect and reduce the levels of inflammatory hormones in your body.
So, if you’re feeling stressed and it’s a rainy day, why not give mindfulness meditation a go?
