There is a lot of hype, surrounded by the word ‘meditation.’ A majority of people use this term lightly and understand that ‘meditation’ has something to do with exercise. Other people consider that meditation is a form of deep contemplation.
“Meditation is the process of quieting the mind to spend time in thought for relaxation or religious/spiritual purposes,” according to yogapedia.com. Meditation often involves repeating a mantra. A mantra is a repeated phrase used as an incantation or an invocation to help soothe the mind. There are real benefits of meditation. Let us look at some of the advantages of meditating regularly.
Decreased Stress Levels
Living in the city, citizens accumulate stress by experiencing abrasive encounters dealing with humans and machines. Little by little, the tension begins to consolidate, until it reaches a point where it impairs the person’s daily regular performance. Now people can no longer come up with new ideas to satisfy their partner.
One of the effects of meditating is the clarity of mind. We are always in a hurry to achieve one goal or another that we forget the importance of the task in association with deadlines. The job might not be significant any longer. Meditation gives us peace of mind and reestablishes our connection with the present. Now, with a reinvigorated perspective, it becomes easier to classify each task according to its seriousness. More gets done with less stress.
Regulates Anxiety
Working part-time, trying to complete house chores, managing children, and making sure there is food on the table can be tough for parents. One of the side-effects is that adults can become apprehensive of anything terrible, which can happen. Constantly feeling anxious can wreak havoc on your nervous system. There can be other physical side-effects due to the nervous system not functioning at full performance.
Meditation incorporates breathing exercises and specific mantras, which are reiterated by the individual to increase awareness of the present. According to this study, meditation activates the cingulate cortex. After meditating, the individual begins to think optimistically, instead of consistently thinking negative thoughts. One of the effects of meditation is that the person starts to see present opportunities, in place of worries and apprehensions.
Increased Emotional Stability
People have physical feelings of pain and exhaustion, and then they have emotions. An athlete may have a bodily injury, but feel just fine. A woman may look fine, but she could be burning up with rage inside. Everybody has a different past. Some people come from lavish lifestyles only to end up in rags. Others come from rags and end up with riches. Remembering past relationships can also become a source of emotional uneasiness.
After meditating, the brain has learned to deal with stress and anxiety. Meditation also increases the mind’s ability to experience empathy for others. It also gives your mind the mental stability to proactively decide to not be around negative people. Meditation increases your awareness of the moment. Meditation helps the brain to realize that true satisfaction comes from overcoming greed.
Comfortable and Peaceful Sleep
City slickers, living life in the fast lane are especially prone to not getting a good night’s sleep. Folks spend so much time stuck in traffic, and waiting for their turn at the supermarket, that by the time they get home, their mind refuses to accept it is over. People end up shifting gears and hitting the pedal in their sleep, only to wake up in the morning even more exhausted than when they went to sleep.
People spend the whole day performing one activity after another. Falling asleep becomes a problem because, at nighttime, their mind becomes the most efficient. Meditation helps soothe the soul to calm it down. Meditation can be compared to having a hot cup of chamomile tea. It relaxes you and helps satisfy the nerves.
Better Concentration
Typing a message, reading or writing an email, driving in heavy traffic, and studying are all activities which require full concentration. We often make the mistake of trying to multitask or do two things at the same time. We make the justification that both projects are just as urgent. Unknowingly, we diffuse our full concentration over a series of two or more tasks.
Meditation helps a person realize that it is better to complete one task entirely before moving on to the next job. Unnecessarily straining your mind over elements and circumstances, which you have no control over, will only reduce concentration. Meditation and Yoga enhance student concentration to help them focus on one thing at a time. Meditation, and avoiding sensory disturbances such as visual or sound (TV) interruptions can help increase concentration levels.
Boosts Immune System
Modern life has its own set of environmental vulnerabilities. We come across germ infestations every day, in the form of swimming pools, public toilets, and beach benches. On occasions, when we have taken the best precautionary measures, and our bodies are also in the best physical form, we are safe from disease. What happens when we are not feeling so good and bear the risk of contamination?
When you are so busy that you don’t notice what you look like in the mirror, is when your body is the most susceptible to disease. Meditation can help strengthen the connection between the mind and the body. In a precarious situation, meditation can also help you focus on not getting sick. Mind over matter as the saying goes, just as these firewalkers put into action.
Improves Memory
Maintaining an online profile on various media sites, consistent interruptions from the TV, mobile device, and managing daily activities has rendered the human species with a very minimal attention span. A short attention span, incorporated with too many things to remember, can become a recipe for disaster. The problem is the number of things which need to be inculcated into memory, keeps on rising. How is a person to keep up with the daily proceedings?
Regular meditation helps people overcome the manifestations of exhaustion and fatigue. The study proves that with meditation, individuals can achieve a greater cortical thickness. The increase in cortical thickness causes a rise in gray matter, which assists in memory retention. Reciting mantras is especially conducive in recalling ruminations in the back of your mind.
Develops Physical Fitness
Modern man has become accustomed to sitting for long hours. Sitting for prolonged hours at work and home has generated many different types of illnesses and diseases. These sicknesses include physical ailments as well as ailments of the mind. We have come to a point where we no longer challenge our physical abilities.
Meditation is an easy way to start to prescribe your body with physical exercitation. The best part about meditation is that it accommodates all the various difficulty levels, from the beginner to the expert. You do not have to be a particular body type to begin meditation. By practicing regular meditation, you can achieve specific body figures, but it does need a commitment.
Author Bio: Amanda Jerelyn works in Health & Wellness department helping as a consultant at King Essay for nursing dissertation topics. She specializes in corporate stress-related issues and helps organizations achieve the appropriate ambience in their office locations.