Meditation Benefits How Regular Practice Can Improve Your Health and Wellbeing

Ever seen one of those movies/TV shows where a half-crazed looking lady is sitting on a pillow in the lotus position, the backs of her hands resting on her knees, with her middle fingers and thumbs together, eyes closed, chanting “Om”? At this point, someone else comes in with a confused look and the other people say, “She’s meditating”. While this makes good comedy. The first time you see it, it’s funnier than The Three Stooges! It is not true to life. Real meditation is the practice of focusing on one thing to achieve a heightened state of awareness. Allowing the mind to be clear and calm. Ohms are optional. After all, this is not an article about electricity. Although the experience can be electrifying!Science has proven that taking time to calm your body and mind is good for your health. There are physical, mental, and emotional benefits associated with meditation, especially when it becomes a habit. Just like anything else, there is more than one type of meditation so finding something that fits your life and personal style shouldn’t be a difficult task and getting started is super easy.

Physical Benefits

The most obvious physical benefits of meditation include reduced heart rate and blood pressure. A surprising physical benefit includes a boosted immune system. One study conducted at a retreat took blood samples of the participants both before and after meditating 10 hours a day for eight days found that the genes involved in regulating immune response were more active after the eight-day meditation than they were before. (Hemlock, 2023) While this is extreme and impossible in the real world, smaller studies do suggest that short meditations on a daily basis do improve the body’s immune response. (Hemlock, 2023)

Mental Benefits

Reduction of stress is another benefit that has been seen with long term meditation practice and reducing stress is a factor in controlling anxiety. When your stress level is reduced, your level of anxiety tends to follow. According to one eight-week study, mindfulness meditation helped people with generalized anxiety disorder. (Hoge EA, 2013) Another physical benefit is pain control. Scientists looked at 38 studies involving people with chronic pain and found that meditation could reduce the level of pain, which improved their quality of life and helped decrease symptoms of depression. (Hilton L, 2017)

Emotional Benefits

Meditation is known to improve self-image lending to a more positive outlook, which in turn reduces negative thoughts that add to depression symptoms. Meditation can be an effective tool in reducing depression. Multiple studies have been done showing a correlation between mindfulness meditation and a reduction in depression symptoms. For example, in 2020, a study of adults on the effectiveness of an online mindfulness program found that participants had reduced symptoms of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Bergin, McHugh, & Norton, 2020)

Types of Meditation

It is possible that there are nearly as many types of meditation as there are people, therefore, it should not be a problem finding something that fits your personality and lifestyle.Guided meditation is the most well-known type of meditation. This is where you listen to someone with a calming voice as they guide you through a meditation. The biggest benefit to this type is you don’t really have to think much. Just do what the calming voice tells you to do and before you know it, you are relaxed.Mindfulness meditation is the next most popular type. Simply put, it is bringing your attention to something and holding it there.Regardless of which method you prefer, you still have to carve out the time and space where you can be alone with no interruptions.

Getting Started

There’s an app for that!

Headspace is a paid option that has either a monthly or yearly option and they offer a free trial period. There are also free apps like Aura

YouTube

This is another option

Alexa

Yet another option

Books

Believe it or not, you can still get an old fashion print book and read how to meditate.It doesn’t matter which option you choose, the important things to remember are

1. Really short meditations count too. As little as a minute can help. If you are consistent. As you get more comfortable start increasing the length gradually.
2. Be gentle with yourself. This is a skill. Like any other skill, it takes practice.
3. No one in the world can think about nothing or empty their mind. The goal is to focus.

Conclusion

Science has proven the many benefits of meditation on a short-term level. Imagine the impact it could have on health and wellbeing if it were done on a consistent basis over a lifetime.