People have been meditating for thousands of years. In the United States, the practice did not become more mainstream until relatively recently. Beyond the increasing number of celebrities such as Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres who espouse the advantages of meditation, it is hard to ignore the numerous health benefits as well. There are also a wide variety of secular and religious ways to approach meditation.
Why
Here are a few of the many advantages of meditation:
- Reinforces a Healthy Lifestyle
It is not uncommon for people who meditate to be more inclined to make choices that are better for their bodies. Fruits and vegetables can seem more appealing, and alcohol and caffeine less so. Smoking and meditating don’t really mix and smokers may be more inspired to kick the habit.
- Increased Mindfulness
Meditating can be a path to becoming more mindful of the world around you. It may increase compassion and make you more sympathetic toward others. Donating to charity and even recycling might become more important activities. Greater mindfulness can also impact decisions about what you eat. Some regular practitioners become vegetarians or vegans because they don’t like the thought of eating animals anymore.
- Stress Reliever
One of the primary benefits of meditation is that it can help lower stress and better regulate your nervous system and emotions. While stress is a part of life, it can also create health problems over the long term. There are many conditions associated with prolonged stress including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and immune system disorders.
- Minimal Time Commitment
Experts recommend meditating for 20 minutes twice a day, which is an incredibly short period of time given the number of potential health benefits the practice can bring.
- Better Self-Control
Meditation may help you establish better self-control in your daily activities. You may be less inclined to lose your temper or over-eat.
How
Numerous people try meditation at some point in their lives, but many have trouble committing to it for the long term. Developing a sustainable practice from the start is important if you want to achieve the numerous benefits associated with meditating. Here are some tips:
- Make It Structured
In order to learn and progress, it is important to set aside specific time to meditate each day rather than just trying to fit it in if you have some free time. This makes it a priority rather than an afterthought.
- Anyone Can Do It
There are no limitations on who can meditate. Children and people in their 90s are able to successfully meditate. Some people approach the practice with a more spiritual point of view, but there are plenty of individuals who enjoy meditating and are not the least bit religious
- Don’t Try to Force Your Mind
Focusing your attention can be very challenging, particularly for beginners. The mind has a tendency to wander and attempting to force it to stillness doesn’t usually work well. Instead of concentrating on what is going on in your mind, try to observe the in and out of your breath. Getting distracted may happen relatively frequently at first, but don’t get frustrated. Training yourself to continually redirect your thoughts back to inhaling and exhaling will help you become better at meditating.
- There Is Not One Correct Way to Meditate
There are many different techniques for meditating. You can follow someone else’s lead or simply figure out what works best for you. There is also no specific way to sit. You can try a lotus position, but sitting on a chair or lying on the floor is fine too.
There are countless benefits of meditating. While it may be a little frustrating until you figure out exactly how to do it, people who stick with it can potentially reap great rewards.