It’s World Meditation Day on the 20th of May making it the perfect time to dive into Reishi and her benefits for meditation.
Modern living can often bring with it more stressors than we realise from deadlines, and disagreements with loved ones, to steady streams of digital demands and distractions. Tension from these situations can not only affect us in the moment but have the potential to build up in the background taking up mental space and lingering within the body.
We like to run offence versus defence when it comes to managing stress and anxiety. While it can sometimes be easy to slip in and out of consistent meditation practice it's one of the tools we turn to regularly to help stay on top of stress levels in an effort to maintain a sense of balance rather than letting tension build and gather energy which ultimately leads to a crash.
Reishi & Meditation
We work with Reishi in a similar way, and this is one of the reasons why this queen of mushrooms is one of our favourites. Reishi’s ability to guide the body to a peaceful state of balance is second to none. In the Daoist tradition, Reishi is known as a Shen tonic, which loosely translates to a herb that nourishes the spirit or put another way supports the emotional, mental and spiritual power of a human being. When we’re connected to our Shen essence we can be thought of as being in our element and allowing our personality and radiant spirit to shine through.
What tradition has told us about Reishi’s spiritual potential and ability to cultivate a calm, harmonious state is supported by a more scientific understanding today with the adaptogenic beta-D-glucans and triterpenes in Reishi working to relax the nervous system and ease mental stress. This is thought to be how Reishi can work to help calm the mind and promote a relaxed state of focus, similar to a meditative state. This benefit has long been valued by spiritual seekers, meditators, yogis, and those looking to help manage the stressors of everyday life. For more on Reishi and its calming potential head to our journal post Reishi Mushroom for Stress Relief.
Pre-meditation Reishi Elixir
We love to sip on a cup of Reishi tea before meditating, to soothe, ground and enhance the practice. Just a ¼ to ½ of a teaspoon stirred into a cup of warm water is all it takes to create a Reishi elixir and feel free to add a dash of honey or maple syrup if you desire a little sweetness.
Yoga Nidra ~ A Relaxing Meditation Practice
If perhaps you’ve fallen out of the habit of meditating, you’ve tried it before and it hasn't stuck, or you don't know where to start you may want to try Yoga Nidra. Sometimes called Yogic Sleep, Yoga Nidra is one of the easiest and most transformational practices available; helping you relax and release, while also resetting your nervous system, your sleep cycle, and effectively helping you rewrite your neurological programming. It’s a guided practice where you lie down in a comfortable position and are taken on a meditative journey without the effort or focus that can sometimes be required from other forms of meditation. If you’re interested in giving Yoga Nidra a try here’s a link to a 25-minute practice recorded by Tara, who when she’s not immersed in the world of mushies is also teaches meditation.
If you combine Reishi with your next meditation session we’d love to hear about your experience. Feel free to drop us a note in the comments section below.
Our Inner Atlas Reishi is:
- Semi-wild crafted, grown on hardwood in natural environmental conditions.
- Certified USDA & EU Organic.
- Grown Di Tao – sourced from the pristine and remote Jinzhai County, Anhui, China.
- Fruiting body only – 100% real mushrooms with no added fillers or mycelium.
- Lab-tested for purity.
- Highly potent, containing greater than 30% beta-D-glucans (the active compounds)
