How Can Meditation be Life-Changing

It’s no surprise that meditation has been around for centuries. But in recent years, meditation has transformed from something only a few genuinely practiced to a habit integrated into mainstream wellness routines. And while it’s great that more people have become aware of the importance of practicing mindfulness and staying present, many feel wary of meditation, seeing that it’s only a trend a few are using to make money.

Now whether you are skeptical or simply curious about meditation, let’s dive deeper into the practice and discover why seemingly everyone, from your neighbor to your favorite health guru, is swearing by it.

What Exactly is Meditation? 

So, you watch a TV show where one of the characters is supposedly meditating. But to you, all they are doing is sitting crossed-legged on their floor, eyes closed. How can this be life-changing? you wonder; you do this at least once every couple of days… you know when you’ve lost all hope, and the floor becomes your safe space.

You might not notice though that while they are in this position, they try their hardest to focus on their breathing, analyzing how their mind wanders and where it goes. Accordingly, with enough practice and patience, soon they’ll able to stay more aware and focused on their breathing. This, in turn, allows them to be more present in whatever situation they may find themselves in.

What could also be surprising to discover about meditation is that there is no one correct way to meditate. You don’t necessarily need to take that sitting position to practice mindfulness. Give every method a try and experiment to find out what works for you!

Some Benefits of Meditation 

So, meditation turned out to be more than just sitting quietly, but what does that mean for your health and well-being? Here are some reasons why people associate meditation with happier lives.

• Reduces Stress and Anxiety

In our current age and time, it seems like everywhere you turn, you’ll come across someone suffering from some level of stress and, in turn, anxiety. Many turn to meditation to try and relieve stress. And the way this practice achieves that is by teaching you to stay anchored to the present moment.

Every day you decide to take part in this practice, you become more skilled in being mindful. And once you apply that mindfulness in your day-to-day life, this could prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by your thoughts, surroundings, or what’s happening around you.

• Increases Connection with Others

Another way meditation can impact your life is by giving you the basics that’ll allow you to make more meaningful connections. One way is by allowing you to become more self-aware. As you focus on your mind during your meditation sessions, you’re more included to start discovering some things about yourself. Meditation also promotes self-inquiry. Accordingly, one can assume that it’s only when you connect with yourself that you can start connecting with others.

Meditation can also help strengthen your ability to connect to others by teaching you to stay focused for longer periods. With social media and the rapid-moving world that we live in, it seems that our attention spans significantly decrease with every coming generation. However, certain types of meditation aim to improve focus and attention span, allowing you to be more present in conversations, and actively listening instead of getting distracted easily.

• Works to Reduce Age-Related Memory Loss

Meditation can also help significantly with improving your memory. This is because meditation works to increase attention and keep your mind clear, and uncluttered by the thousands of thoughts we go through daily. Consequently, this practice aids in keeping one’s mind young. Furthermore, this increased mental clarity can not only increase focus and mental quickness but can also help decrease age-related memory loss.

• Increases Empathy

And last but certainly not least, meditation has been linked to increased empathy and kindness in its practitioners. This is because certain types of concentration focus on building a relationship with oneself. To practice these types of meditation, you must learn how to be kind to yourself, and develop positive thoughts and feelings. Afterward, the practice leads you into a path where you extend that kindness and empathy to the circle of people surrounding you before expanding that circle and extending that kindness to others farther from you.

Conclusion

What’s remarkable about meditation is how it offers some peace for everyone. Whether you want to learn how to calm your mind or desire to channel your energy more positively, by experimenting and exploring different meditation methods, you’ll surely find a way to achieve that goal.

Remember that meditation won’t offer a magical solution to all of your problems. Instead, think of meditation as a way to nurture your body and calm your mind so that you can start solving your problems.

Photo: sun ok/Shutterstock

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