“Take a deep breath. Relax your muscles and let go of your stress and worries. Focus on the air coming in and out of your lungs. Be in the moment and do not let your mind wander”
Meditation is becoming mainstream and for good reason! Whatever the your intention is, whether it’s mindfulness, stress reduction or transcendentalism, there is a meditation practice suited for you.
Meditation is not an easy practice. It requires a lot of willpower and self-control. But if you push through the hurdles and learn it’s ways, the benefits are amazing! After all, it’s not just your body that needs exercising. Your mind does too! And if you want to achieve holistic health, you better do both.
So, yes, squeeze in meditation in your everyday life and harvest its benefits. Whether it’s early in the morning or before bed time, find some time to just tune out and switch your brain off. And if you need some encouragement, here are five proven benefits of meditation.
Improves Emotional Balance
Our emotions can often get the best of us. As humans, we are subject to fleeting emotions that come from the stress of our daily lives. Meditation helps us manage stressful situations better. It gives us a sense of control over our raw and sometimes, unwanted and unjustified emotions. It increases our patience and ability to see our inner self more clearly. Allowing us to see which emotions are valid and not.
Improves Concentration
Studies have shown that meditation helps increase concentration and attention. Problems with short attention spans and concentration is not just a problem for those diagnosed with ADHD/ADD. Anybody can have it. Meditation helps you shut down distractions and become more centered. This can be extremely beneficial at work or at school.
Increases your Happiness
Feeling a little down? Meditation can help increase happiness and life satisfaction! According to Ronnie Newman, director of research and health promotion for the Art of Living Foundation, there have been studies that have shown that when meditating, brain signals in the left side of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for positive emotions, increases; while activity in the right side, responsible for negative emotions, decreases.
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
A study conducted at John Hopkins found that mindfulness meditation programs have evidence of decreased anxiety, depression, and pain. Mindfulness Meditation trains your thought to stop worrying about the future and obsessing about the past. It allows you to be in the present. More scientifically, it decreases the level of cortisol (stress hormone) in your brain.
It has great benefits to your cardiovascular and immune health
Meditation can even help cardiovascular health. Meditation can help lower the risk factors for heart diseases by reducing stress and lowering your blood pressure. According to Dr. Glenn Levine, chair of the AHA and American College of Cardiology, meditation, which includes mindfulness approaches and Transcendental Meditation, has encouraging benefits when used alongside standard treatment for heart problems, including lowering cholesterol, losing weight and stopping smoking.
Do you absolutely need to meditate to be healthy and happy? Certainly not. However, you may try it and fall in love. Give it a go and let me know how you like it!
