Meditation
What is Meditation?
Meditation is an approach to training the mind, similar to the way that fitness is an approach to training the body. It’s a practice that can benefit EVERYBODY, but it can often feel challenging or intimidating for people who are trying it for the first time but don’t let that stop you for doing something good for your body, mind and spirit.
Meditation is a simple, straightforward practice available to everyone, regardless of physical ability, age, or any other “limitation” that might otherwise hold you back from trying something new.
Meditation not only benefits your mental health but has been proven to improve aspects of your physical & spiritual health as well. There are thousands of studies documenting the positive impacts of mindfulness and meditation. Mental impacts include increased focus, compassion, and a sense of calm. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that meditation can help to ease the psychological symptoms of depression, anxiety, and pain related to stress.
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years and remains so popular because it helps to ease stress by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and counteracting stress hormones. In fact, people who meditate regularly have learned to condition their bodies to relax on demand, which helps manage stress more directly.
At first, meditation can feel uncomfortable because it is like exercising a muscle that perhaps you’ve never worked out before. However, once you get started, benefits come quickly as just a few minutes of practice a day can make a big difference.
Meditation is a tool that you can use to bring yourself back to the present during stressful situations that might otherwise derail you from your day, so taking a few moments to check in with yourself is well worth the time and effort.
Meditation isn’t about becoming a new person; it’s about training your brain to become more aware of your surroundings in a way that gives you a healthy sense of perspective. By learning to meditate, you learn to observe the world around you, as well as your reactions to your surroundings without judgment. Once you accomplish this, you’ll be able to understand your own feelings better and create a healthier, more in-touch relationship with your mind and the way it operates.
Put most simply, meditation is a way to train your mind to focus on the present, instead of allowing it to stray toward worry about the future, or dwelling on the past.
Meditation gives us the tools to be less stressed, as well as calmer and kinder to ourselves and the people we surround ourselves with.
“There are many types of meditation, but most have four elements in common: a quiet location with as few distractions as possible; a specific, comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions); a focus of attention (a specially chosen word or set of words, an object, or the sensations of the breath); and an open attitude (letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them)”. According to the NCCIH, Meditation in Depth
Meditation was recently in the News on Good Morning America indicating it as an effective tool in the Age of Coronavirus. In fact, the last I checked there are well over 200 studies for almost any ailment the human body can encounter regardless of the origin of the ailment (mind, body or spirit). So, the science has spoken that meditation is a life changing modality and yet a small percentage of American’s do not even practice.
In Fact, with its benefits meditation has become the fastest growing health trend all over the world, becoming second only to yoga in terms of popularity. (Zuckerman, 2020)
*Below, are some of the latest findings regarding meditation’s effects on one’s well-being.
Meditation reduces insomnia by 50%.
Mindfulness meditation reduces post-traumatic stress disorder by 70%.
Practicing meditation for only four days can already increase your attention span.
The main motive of 76% of people who practice motivation is well-being.
Meditation in a span of six to nine months can reduce anxiety levels by 60%.
People who practice meditation are less likely to suffer from heart diseases.
Mindfulness meditation relieves back pain by 30%.
Meditation lowers blood pressure for 80% of the people who practice it.
60% of people who practice meditation find that it improves their energy, while for 50%, meditation aids in their memory and focus.
Meditation reduces depression relapses by about 12%.
Regular meditation practice increases telomerase, an enzyme known to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and similar diseases.
Personally, I use Primordial Sound (a Vedic mantra based meditation) and Guided Meditations for my daily practice depending on my mood. I make sure to get in at least one for 20-30mins a day but ideally I like to do two a day. It is suggested to get the morning meditation in during dawn or shortly after you get out of bed; And the second meditation of the day between the hours of 2p-6p. Once you get use to mediation and experience some of its benefits carving out time to make sure you get it in won’t be a problem I can assure you. In fact, you may be like me where you are looking forward to it and thinks the time comes and goes very quickly.
One of the many things of meditation that stands out to me is that it gets you in touch with who you really at the core of your being. Once your recognize that life is viewed through a different lens which brings about greater peace and greater control of your emotions and actions.
There is an old Chinese Proverb that highlights this sentiment:
If there is light in the soul,
There will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person,
There will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house,
There will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
There will be peace in the world.
Here’s to doing our individual parts to making the world a better place to live.
*Footnote:
46 MEDITATION STATISTICS: 2019/2020 BENEFITS, MARKET VALUE & TRENDS by Arthur Zuckerman
