Why You Should Meditate: It’s Good for Your Mind, Body & Soul

Source: Verywell Mind

A lot of people think that meditation is linked to certain religions like Buddhism. But it’s not associated with any particular religion at all. It can be done by anyone.

Meditation doesn’t necessarily change you into a different person, but it can help you discover more of who you are and understand yourself better. It helps you become more peaceful, serene, and accepting of yourself and your life.

When you meditate, it increases your awareness from within, and it helps you be more mindful. It’s all about being mindful in the present moment and feeling gratitude and compassion. Meditative techniques can lead you to a calmer and happier life.

Meditation helps decrease depression and overall mental health

It might sound too good to be true, but it’s not. Meditation won’t make your depression disappear overnight, but it can make it a lot more manageable.

Source: Healthline

It helps change your responses to negative thinking. As most people know, people with depression don’t usually have many positive thoughts. They might feel worthless, angry, or hopeless.

Meditation can help increase awareness of your thoughts and experiences. And while that might not sound like something people with depression should do, it actually helps you do it without criticizing yourself. 

However, it’s not just about suppressing your negative thoughts or pretending they’re not lurking around in your mind. Instead, meditation allows you to notice them, accept them, and ultimately let them go. In other words, it helps to disrupt your overpowering cycle of negative thinking.

Meditation is good for your physical health

There are so many benefits of regular meditation on the body. This ancient practice has some amazing effects on your physical health. However, you have to make it a habit and practice it regularly in order for it to make you healthier.

Source: Prevention

It might sound easy and simple – sitting in one place with your eyes closed. But it’s a lot more than that. It takes focus and dedication. However, you don’t have to do it for a long time each time you meditate, but you do need to do it on a regular basis.

Here are some of the physical benefits of mediation:

• Lowers your blood pressure
• Relaxes the body and relieves stress
• Reduces memory loss
• Helps control pain
• Fights insomnia

These are just a few of the physical benefits of meditation – there are more. The most important thing to remember about meditation, however, is that it reduces stress. And most scientists agree that stress is a major cause of any physical disease.

How do you meditate?

Now that you know the benefits of meditation, you might be curious enough to want to try it. But if you’ve never done it before, you might not even know how to begin.

Don’t worry – it’s not complicated and pretty easy to do. Sure, it might feel a little strange at first, but after you do it a few times, it will start to feel natural.

Here are some steps you can take:

• Get into a comfortable position

You want to find a very comfortable, quiet place to meditate. Make sure there is no noise or distractions. You can either lie down on your back or sit up, whatever is best for you. But the point is to feel as comfortable and relaxed as you can. Then, you can close your eyes.

• Concentrate on your breathing

Begin by slowly taking deep breaths through your nose. Do this for a few seconds, and don’t focus on anything else. Pay attention to how it feels to inhale, exhale, and the sounds of your breath. Your mind might drift, but that’s normal. If that happens, just redirect your mind to your breathing.

• Refocus your attention on your body

After you are done focusing on your breathing, then move your attention to other parts of your body. This is called performing a “body scan.” Many people like to start with their feet, head, or hands, but you can start anywhere you want. Then, shift your focus throughout your body and pay attention to how each part feels.

You might want to ask yourself questions such as if a body part hurts or feels tense. Is there any other pleasant or unpleasant sensation or aches anywhere? 

• Use guided meditation or visualize on your own

There are many places you can find guided meditation. You can find many of them for free on YouTube, or you can buy and download some that you particularly enjoy. If you prefer to do it on your own without the guidance of a recorded meditation, then you can add any kind of visualization you want to your meditation sessions.

Tips for meditation

Everyone meditates differently, so there is no right or wrong way to do it. But if you want more tips, here are some things that can help you along your meditative journey.

• Make it into a habit and a routine

It’s best if you meditate at the same time every day. That way, you’ll be more successful and stick with it. It’s okay to start with just a few minutes if you want. You don’t have to do it for very long for it to help you. But try to commit at least 5 minutes a day to do it at a time that is convenient for you.

Maybe right in the morning before you get up or right before you go to bed works best for you. Or on your lunch break at work to de-stress during the day. Try a few different scenarios and see which one works best for you. When you find the right one, you’re more likely to make meditation a habit and part of your daily routine.

• Try using a mantra

It’s pretty inevitable that your mind will try to wander while you’re meditating. So, if you find it difficult to keep your mental focus, you can try using a mantra.

You can choose simple phrases that you find easy to repeat such as “I am calm” or “I am peaceful.” Some people like to use the sound “Om” while they meditate too because they find it calming.

• Be patient and give it time

Just like with anything else in life, meditation takes time and effort. It might not be so easy to turn it into a daily routine, but it can be done. You might notice some differences right away, but you probably won’t feel that different early on.

It might take several weeks or months to really see a difference in your life. You have to keep doing it to really see significant benefits.

Final thoughts

If you’re interested in learning how to meditate effectively, you can always take a class or find a meditation teacher. You don’t even have to necessarily leave your house. There are plenty of resources online that can help you master meditation. So, why not give it a try?