In these Covid days when just about everything seems to be changing every hour, there is an uncertainty, a chaos that leaves us feeling vulnerable not only to catching the dreaded bug but how our lives are even going to continue on in any semblance of what we were used to. How are we going to pay the bills? The familiar rights of passage like weddings and graduations celebrated in unfamiliar ways, or not even happening at all. A simple trip to the market is mired with a mask and a Rand McNally directional arrow dance that leads to X marks the spot of where to stand at the checkout. There is no end date to these modifications in our lifestyles and we don’t know if and when things will ever be the same again. Most people know mindfulness meditation can help with feeling more peaceful and relaxed when we are going through difficult times. Mindfulness can help us manage the wrinkles and crinkles of life’s chaos and reduce the stress of our upended routines (and its FREE!). But there is also evidence to suggest it may actually increase CD4 and T-cell activity. CD 4 cells help organize our immune systems by perking up other immune boosting cells in order to fight infections. T-cells are involved in directly killing infected cells, activating and regulating other immune cells and producing small proteins called cytokines which are important in cell signalling. A study by Black and Slavich reviewed 20 other studies involving 1600 people, mindfulness meditation and its beneficial effect on body physiology. Here is a link to that study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26799456/ Being in the midst of a worldwide pandemic it’s important to do everything we can to support our immune systems and keep as healthy as possible. A mindful meditation practice of as little as 10 minutes a day has been shown to have positive effects on the body and mind. When we sit and breathe softly and deeply into the overwhelm of emotional stress we might feel because of these strenuous times, their intensity begins to soften and diffuse, allowing us to relax and our physiology to flow in a more natural way supportive of a healthier state of being. Click on “Establishing practice” below for information on how to get started with your own mindfulness practice :