Meditate for Survival

Last month, the world watched as twelve boys and their coach were trapped in a cave in Thailand. As a parent, thoughts flooded my mind of my own children being in that situation and how they would be able to survive. Not only did the boys survive, they all made it safely out of the cave and handled the stressful situation beautifully. It baffled me to think of twelve kids trapped and remaining calm for weeks. How could this possibly happen?!Their coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, used a technique that we frequently discuss at Peachtree DBT: meditation. When divers first found the group, they found them meditating to remain calm and relaxed. Chanthawong had previous training after living in a monastery and studying to become a monk. He trained the boys in the art of meditation which aided in their success to survive.Meditation is a form of mindfulness. It trains our mind to become more quiet and focused and can also assist in quieting the rest of our body. Research has also shown the effects of mindfulness meditation in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. With as fast paced as our lives can become, taking time to quiet our mind and body can only be beneficial to make us more effective in all that we have to do.Interested in adding some mindfulness meditation to your daily life? Check out Headspace – you won’t regret it!