HappyLifestyleJournal
To meditate means to become acutely aware of what is going on inside you and learning how to focus all your energy on one thing.
While meditating, your attention is turned away from any disturbing thoughts and you become focused on the HERE and NOW. Meditation is commonly used to relieve stress, treat addiction or mental disorders, but it also has the ability to cure the body and help you sleep better.
Meditation brings many physical and mental benefits, and there isn’t even one thing that could be said to be harmful or bad about it. It is difficult to separate only a few benefits and present them as the most important ones, because there are over a hundred ways in which meditation can change your life for the better.
Here are just some of those benefits.
1. Boosts brain power, memory and intelligence.
It has been scientifically proven that meditation helps synchronize the left and right brain, which is very beneficial for improving thought communication, neural chemistry, and intellectual processing power.
Meditation is one of the best ways to supercharge your brain. A study conducted at Harvard University in 2000 showed that meditation actually increases the size of the parts of brain in charge of memory, brain power and focus, while decreasing the activity of those regions linked with negative emotions such as fear and depression.
2. Improves emotional stability.
Research conducted at the University of Utah showed that those who regularly meditate are more mindful and have more stable emotions – which subsequently leads them to being better able control their behavior as well. These people also reported less emotional charge before bedtime, which contributes to better sleeping and being more emotionally stable during the day.
3. Improves overall physical condition.
When you reach balance within yourself and you have that inner peace, your body benefits from it as well.
It is well known that emotional problems and stress can affect physical health, too.
The same way reaching peace and serenity has a positive influence. Meditation stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system which helps your body relax and calm down, especially after a stressful day at work. When this happens, your body gains the ability to repair and rejuvenate naturally.
Meditation also lowers high blood pressure and reduces the risk of anxiety attacks. Since it relaxes the body, the pains caused by tension (including tension headaches, ulcers, muscle and joint problems) are decreased.
Meditation also boosts your immune system as you charge your body with positive energy, and therefore you become more energetic and probably physically more active. Meditation is also good for increasing oxygen in blood and improving air flow to lungs (which helps you breathe easier), removing toxins from your organism, improving your metabolism, lowering cholesterol, and besides all of that it also helps you tone your muscles.
4. Increases self-awareness.
Meditation helps you calm down, clear your mind and recognize your feelings. Once you start understanding yourself better, you will be able to control how you feel more effectively and feel better in your own skin. The more time you dedicate to exploring and understanding yourself, the more comfortable you will be with who you are.
5. Increases happiness and creativity.
Meditation helps wake up the parts of your brain linked to creativity, and it increases your chances of thinking of creative ideas and acting upon them. It can also increase the release of chemicals in your body, such as serotonin and endorphin, which make you feel good and happy. Meditation also increases positivity and happiness and makes it less likely for you to turn to negative thoughts.
6. Improves sleep.
As meditation helps you relax and get rid of stress, it will help you fall asleep easily and rest better. You are also more likely to sleep deeper and feel more refreshed in the morning. Meditation offers you an excellent start of a new day filled with positivity and good energy.
