Is Meditation Really All It’s Chalked Up To Be?


meditation basics

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that meditation holds the key to unlocking a vast array of benefits for your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. But despite knowing the potential that can come from meditation, there are still so many of us who still don’t meditate regularly – or at all. So, if you’re one of those people who know you should be meditating but just can’t seem to get started, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we break down the basics of meditation, the proven benefits you can expect and simple ways you can get started.

What is Meditation?

First things first, what is meditation? For those who have never done it before, they often think that meditation is sitting crossed-legged on the floor with your fingers in a weird shape as they rest on your knees and you chant or hum or recite some prayer. And yes, meditation can be that but it can also be anything that allows you to become aware and mindful.

Meditation, by definition, is the act of becoming aware and mindful. There’s a common misconception that it’s the act of turning off your thoughts or feelings but quieting your mind is much more of a result of meditation, than meditation itself.

As such, there are many different ways you can meditate. It can involve sitting or lying down, chanting or repeating affirmations, colouring, painting, walking, doing yoga or really, anything that allows you to bring your focus to the present moment.

The Scientific Benefits of Meditation

Meditation can change your life. It can improve your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health, as well as your relationship with oneself and others, your career, and so much more. Meditation has the ability to rewire your brain to remove harmful or damaging thought processes or behaviours to give you an entirely new outlook on life.

The benefits of meditation are so vast, we would be here all day if we listed all of them. So, here’s a quick look at some of the top advantages.

Reduces Stress

One of the main benefits of meditation (and reasons people start to meditate) is stress reduction. Various studies show that daily meditation can significantly reduce the body’s response to stress. Additionally, since stress is linked to a vast array of physical, emotional and mental health conditions, this benefit extends into all aspects of your life. It can help with sleep disorders and mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, fatigue and brain fog, irritable bowel syndrome, and so much more.

Decreases Anxiety And Depression

With so many people struggling with mental health issues, this is one benefit that many people can look forward to when they start meditation. Various studies have found that, not only can meditation help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, it can also help you learn how to manage difficult feelings, symptoms and situations to reduce the frequency and intensity of episodes moving forward. Meditation has also been shown to be beneficial for managing many other mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, OCD, and PTSD.

Promotes Emotional Balance

Meditation can help provide emotional balance to stabilize mood swings, improve self-image and even reduce symptoms of depression. As you learn to quiet your mind through meditation, you also learn how to observe your emotions and let them go, instead of allowing them to completely take over the way you feel.  

Improves Your Attention Span

When you’re struggling with finding clarity or having difficulty focusing, meditation can help by removing distractions from your mind and reining in your attention. As you meditate, you are essentially training your brain to focus on one thing (or nothing) instead of all of the distractions and sensations around you. Overtime, this can drastically lengthen your attention span and help with related conditions, such as ADHD.

Strengthens Your Immune System

There are many ways meditation can improve your immune system, largely due to its ability to reduce stress. Stress has a negative impact on your immune system and can lead to many health concerns and conditions. In fact, a shockingly large number of health conditions can be linked back to chronic stress in one way or another, whether it’s due to stress causing an increase in inflammation, high blood pressure or just a weakened immune system. So, by using meditation to reduce stress, you can also strengthen your immune system and decrease your risk of physical and mental health conditions.

Enhances Your Memory

If you find yourself constantly forgetting things, meditation can help as it allows the brain to produce more gray matter. This gray matter is key for cognitive health as it protects your hippocampus, the part of your brain connected to memory.

Lowers Blood Pressure Levels

Practising meditation can help lower high blood pressure levels. Overtime, this can drastically reduce the amount of stress put on your heart, which can result in a healthier heart and better functioning moving forward.

Improve Your Sleep

A major benefit of meditating is its ability to improve your sleep and quality of sleep, as both factors directly impact your physical, mental and emotional health. As such, meditation can help with sleep disorders, such as insomnia, while also helping you combat other issues that may affect you during the day, such as fatigue or exhaustion. Getting better sleep will also help reduce mental health symptoms and can even reduce the risk of developing certain mental illnesses as well.  

Helps Manage Acute And Chronic Pain

Various studies have confirmed that meditation can help with the management and reduction of acute and chronic pain. It has been proven to help reduce the length, intensity and frequency of pain, and some studies have even found meditation to be more effective at decreasing pain than other forms of treatment.

Treatment Serious Health Conditions

From cancer to cardiovascular disease, meditating can help with the treatment and management of many illnesses and diseases. One study found that cancer patients using meditation that involved mindfulness practices saw a reduction in pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance and psychological distress. Other studies found that regular meditation can reduce the risk of heart disease and even reduce the risk of being hospitalized for coronary disease by 87%.

Research also suggests meditation can help with:

  • ADHD
  • Anxiety
  • Asthma
  • Cancer
  • Depression
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • IBS
  • Pain (acute and chronic)
  • Sleep disorders

Quick Tips for Starting to Meditate

All you need is a quiet place free of distractions. This can be anywhere you want – in a closet, in a corner, in the bath, on your bed, up against a tree – you name it. You can have pillows to sit on, snuggle up in a blanket, lay down or sit up. There are no rules, which is what makes meditation so beautiful.

Now that you have your space chosen and have eliminated distractions, simply close your eyes. Take a long, deep inhale through your nose, allowing your belly to fill with air. Exhale out of your mouth. Do a couple of these breaths and pay attention to one area of focus, such as your belly rising and lowering or the sound of your breath. When you notice your mind has drifted off from your focus, simply bring it back. Keep breathing.

Here are some additional tips to help you get started:

  • Try different forms of meditation to find what you like (guided, visual, walking, yoga, colouring, etc.)
  • Set a time to meditate daily, preferably in the morning
  • Choose the same place, space and time to do your meditation
  • Don’t focus too hard on eliminating your thoughts or quieting your mind (this can be counterproductive)
  • Count your breaths as you go
  • Don’t get too caught up in the how
  • Start your practice with no expectations
  • Start with shorter periods of meditation and gradually increase the length of time
  • Wear comfy clothing
  • Take a couple of moments to wind down before getting started (stretch, breathe, shake it out, etc.)
  • Try to stay as still as possible
  • Set an intention before each practice
  • If all else fails, just breathe

Meditation can have all the tassels and frills, postures and poses, chants, prays and mudras, but it can also be nothing more than you finding a quiet place to breathe. It’s actually recommended to start with a simple meditation practice as a beginner, instead of diving right into the mudras and difficult breathing techniques (although, if you feel called to go all in, don’t let us discourage you!). This will help you get down the foundation of the practice so you can start reaping all of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits that come with it.

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