There has been a lot of attention on the benefits of meditation in recent years. It seems that time and time again, meditation is one of the top answers on how to restore inner peace and rid your life of unwanted stress and anxiety.
While meditation is gaining ground in the mental health communities, it seems most people have a vague idea of the concept and what it entails.
Let’s take a further look at what exactly meditation is, as well as other important terms, and most importantly, why it’s so good for you.
What is Meditation?
The Cleveland Clinic defines meditation as “a practice that involves focusing or cleaning your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques.”
The app, Headspace, describes mindfulness, one of the most common types of meditation as “the ability to be present, to rest in the here and now, fully engaged with whatever we’re doing in the moment.”
Mindfulness is one of the most popular types of meditation. It involves training your mind to be aware of your breathing patterns while shutting out any other thoughts.
Although the practice of meditation has been around for centuries, our western civilization has just started to embrace it in recent years. At the very core, meditation is a daily spiritual practice that allows you to release your stress and restore an inner calm to your mind.
It can help you to quiet your mind of racing thoughts, your nonstop internal dialogue, and your running to do list. Most importantly, it helps to create mental space where quiet can eventually find its way.
This is a practice that is honed over time. It can be somewhat of an uncomfortable practice, especially in the beginning when you have yet to feel the effects.
But like anything else, meditation is a muscle you strengthen with repetition over time. We’re confident once you’re reaping the benefits, you will understand what all the fuss is about.
What are the benefits of meditation?
Meditation has been proven to improve not only your mental and spiritual well being but your physical health as well. Even better, meditation can be done anywhere and at any time, costs absolutely nothing to practice, and can be started as soon as you’re ready.
Benefits include:
● Reduces anxiety and depression
● Relieves stress
● Improves quality of sleep
● Prevents Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss
● Improves attention span
● Decreases effects of aging on the brain
● Reduces perceived pain levels
● Helps control food cravings
● Helps overcome addictions like smoking
● Decreases blood pressure
Meditation is a practice that every person in every walk of life can and should take part in.
To learn the best meditation practices and how to get started, visit one of our upcoming events to find out more!