What is Meditation and What are it’s Benefits
Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind on on an activity, thought or object to train the mind to create awareness, improve attention, achieve mental clarity, emotional calm and stability.
Meditation has been practiced in different forms since ancient times,thought to have generated in India and is currently practiced worldwide.
There are two commonly used forms of meditation: concentrative and mindful. Concentrative meditation, or transcendental meditation, focuses on a single image, sound or mantra or even your own breathing pattern.
Mindful meditation does not concentrate on a single purpose, but rather promotes an overall sense of awareness, including any thoughts, images, sounds and feelings that enter your mind.
The main benefit of meditation is the reduction of stress, which leads to the prevention of several other illnesses, for which stress is the catalyst.
Meditation can even be used to ease chronic pain, stress, depression and anxiety, support cardiovascular health, boost mood and immunity and resolve issues associated with pregnancy. Meditation is a skill that needs to be developed. Through practice, individuals can achieve the ability to enter into meditative states with ease, and even become more relaxed in everyday life.
What Meditation can help with several medical and psychological ailments such as :
Stress
Pain
Addiction
Respiratory issues
Mental health
Cardiovascular health
Sleep disturbances
PMS and menopause
Meditation is safe, side-effect free form of alternative treatment that cultivates mindfulness and active attention to the present, free of judgement.
Benefits of Meditation
Meditation can boost your health, happiness and social life. It’s been shown to actively change your brain chemistry for the better by increasing grey matter and cortical thickness in areas related to concentration. It also increases volume in areas related to emotional regulation. Some of the many benefits of meditation include:
Cognition – Can increase grey matter, aiding in focus and memory retention
Social Life – Increases compassion and empathy, makes you more attune to social cues and can decrease loneliness
Productivity – Improves ability to multitask and creative-thinking and problem-solving skills
Mental Health – Increases positive emotion, decreases negative and anxious thoughts, regulates and reduces stress and helps you sleep more regularly
Physical Health – Increases immune functionality, decreases pain and promotes balanced inflammation in cells that can lead to serious health concerns
Tips For Meditation
Sit Comfortably – It’s important to get in a position that’s easy for you to maintain, so as to avoid unnecessary distractions
Find a Quiet Environment – It’s easier to meditate when you’re not distracted by background noise
Close Your Eyes – Often the first step to clearing your mind
Breathe Naturally – Instead of making an effort to control or regulate your breath, let yourself breath naturally without force
Go Gradually – Maintain the practice for a few minutes to start, and gradually progress to longer meditative sessions
Meditation can help you manage your life. Though it may seem challenging to clear your mind initially, don’t worry too much. You’ll be surprised by how well you feel after and throughout the course of the day. The health benefits of meditation are quite restorative and can actually last a lifetime.
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AUTHOR
Dr. Anteneh Roba
