(Photo by Vramak)
When people talk about meditation, the first thing that comes to many people’s mind is a person in a room filled with candles, incents, and sitting in a very awkward position, with their eyes closed, no movement, and for long periods of time.
While this may be true for many people, it is about as far from what typically mediation looks like as possible
You can mediate sitting down, in the shower, relaxing outside, or even in your own bed.
But the various stigmas associated with mediation tend to dismay them from giving it a shot, dismissing it as some “bullshit” that wouldn’t be something they would do, or something that hippies do after they take part in some “recreational” drugs 😉
I am here to tell you that meditation is “in”, and spending just a few moments a day to relax and clear your head can have serious benefits for your life
1. Meditation makes you smarter
While meditation’s primary focus is to “find your center” and clear your thoughts and feelings so as if you feel more at ease with the world around you, many people do not know that meditation can also make you a more intelligent human being
Harvard Medical School conducted a study in which 20 people who meditated regularly, and 20 people who never had meditated before, had their brain tested to determine what parts of the brain are affected and become active during meditation. What they found was amazing
Brain regions that are tied to sensory awareness, attention, and emotional processing, were all thicker (or more astute)in the minds of the mediations than that of the people who had never sat like they were remaking “Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon” 😉
It is believed that mediation can actually shape the brains structure, allowing for more information to be processed and generally sharper the minds of anyone who decides to meditate
2. Reduce your stress
What makes an investment banker who is making over $500,000 dollars a year loose his mind and quit his job at the height of his success and become some monk in a far away country?
Stress
Everyone faces stress in their daily lives, whether it comes from work, family, friends, or all of the above, it is a common not-so-pleasant denominator among our existence as human beings
But instead of beating your head against a wall or quitting your job to move to Cambodia, why not take a stab at meditation?
Research from multiple sources have found conclusive evidence that people who meditate regularly have significantly lower stress levels than that of people who do not mediate at all
When you meditate, you help the body rest and regenerate through decreasing your metabolic rate, and also lowering your heart rate. As a result, mediation can help to ease the high blood pressure and bodily duress that occurs when you are in a stressed state of mind
3. Improve your overall health
In addition to reducing the stress in your life, studies have shown that there are medical and health benefits to making mediation part of your daily regimen
It has been proven that when you meditate regularly, you can
a) Reduce heart disease
b) Lower blood pressure
c) Help maintain a steady heartbeat
d) Thicken artery walls
e) Reduce stroke risks
So even if you live a stress free life (tell me your secrets if you do please 😉 ) the health benefits of stress alone make mediation a worthwhile investment of your time
4. Mediation can be used as free therapy
While few people will admit it to personally doing it, over 14 million Americans visit some form of licensed therapist a year. While this may be necessary for many people in order to help them with their problems in life, the fact remains that therapy is expensive
Mediation can offer a good and free alternative or correspondence to therapy for many people
When a person meditates, their mind tends to calm down, and the constant chatter of thoughts and ideas that rush through our minds nearly all day, vanish in an instant during mediation.
During this state of calm, you can think more clearly and precisely about things in your life, and even discover the root of many of the problems in your life that might cause you to visit a therapist
You can discover negative patterns in your mind and keep negative emotions in check that would otherwise ruin your upbeat emotional state. Meditation has also been shown to help people who are combating fears, anxiety, anger control, and even depression
What are some of your reasons for mediation?
This is something I still neglect to do as my everyday routine. With all the distractions around you, even at home, it makes it difficult to find that 20-30 mins of quite time. Maybe I should try ear plugs lol
My favorite way to meditate is to sit down, consciously breath and count my breaths up to 100.
I do this after I eat my first meal and before I get to bed. In gives me a clean start to my day.
-Caligula
Meditation helps me focus on what is important right NOW rather then what seems important.
Meditation makes you see the divine. That’s the greatest motivator. Once you’ve caught a glimpse of that you’re on a slippery slide into consciousness. It’s irreversible.
Meditation is relaxing.
It helps get so incredibly centered within yourself it’s amazing.
I have never been more relaxed, peaceful, calm, poised, stoic, and present than when I have meditated.
Good post.
If you can’t feel your pulse in strange places without using your hands then you aren’t really present. Weirdest feeling ever.
I keep trying to meditate but am ALWAYS getting distracted. Like, Going back to old thinking.(
I feel like I tell myself I’m going to get distracted and I do.)
Any suggestions for really focusing my mind?Ways to make the process easier….
@Mike Li
Ear plugs defiantly might help you find some quiet time inside your head, another great option would be to put on some ambient music that puts you into a calm state and will allow you to draw attention away from the distractions in your house
@Caligula
Awesome technique
@Remco~
Very cool 🙂
@Hamlet
Very true, once you go mediate, you never go back 😉
@Mulado
Great points, and thanks for the praise
@IvanPerez
Sometimes you can have a “out of body” type experience during mediation and I have had times where I felt as if I couldnt feel any parts of my body and other times where my whole body felt like one big sensory receptor
@up2nogood
What I said to Mike Li might help you better focus your mind.
Another suggestion would be to focus on your inner body, and simply visualize and feel your heart punding, or the blood circulating through you. When you change your focus inward, it becomes increasingly difficult to lose focus on things that are outward
Meditating is awesome. I do it every day.
It REALLY helps you find yourself and wow.. Like I learn just as much meditating and I do in field ;P (somewhat).
I mean, when I meditate it allows me to see things for what they are, accept them, and just be myself regardless. Like there’s an itch on my shoulder, I accept it fully, and then I CHOOSE not to itch it. I accept it as part of life and something to be enjoyed.
The more I meditate, the more I disassociate with the fear when I’m in social situations. Its like “HA!! Yeah, I see you there fear. You’re a little joker!” like you can really see how you LET the fear control you and really you can do anything. Its becoming to the point where I’m like “Haha I can’t believe I used to think I had to listen to the fear or listen to others HAHAHAHAHA”
Meditation is awesome.
Tried it for 30 mins and I feel great. I realize that this should be practized more often. Have never felt like doing it even though a lot of people recommend it. This will become a habit. thumbs up
My mind is so much clearer from meditation. Now when I really get focused on something, I can cut through all the BS and focus immediately on the important part. Saves tons of time and effort.