If you're going through this training, chances are, you already want to try your hand at meditation. There's a high probability that you probably already know some, if not all, of the 10 major benefits of meditation.
Just to be sure, if you are still in any way, shape or form on the fence regarding this practical and all-natural way to relax, here are just the 10 major benefits of meditation. Please note that the actual list of meditation's benefits is quite long.
These are just the most commonly reported benefits.
Benefit #1: It slows down your mind
Part of the reason why people are so stressed out is because they have a thousand things on their mind. They're just so focused on so many things at the same time that they spread themselves too thin.
They're not very patient, they don't have much focus, and it's very easy for them to drop the ball. It's very easy for them to spend day after day thinking that they really haven’t done much with their time or the opportunities presented to them.
By learning how to meditate on a practical basis, you slow down your mind. You're able to focus and appreciate one thing at a time. This is not a step back. In fact, this is a great way of reclaiming your ability to focus and control the many different areas of your life.
Benefit #2: It relaxes your mind
Focus is one thing, relaxation is another. Please understand that these are two totally different things. You can be focused on something that really stresses you out and take care of the problem. However, once the issue is done, you may still be tightly wound up. You may still be stressed.
Meditation enables you to completely relax your mind. It is a great way of not only taking off stress, but also relaxing your mind. You get inner peace, you get serenity.
Benefit #3: It relaxes your body
There's a tight connection between your body and your mind. The less stressed your mind becomes, the more relaxed your body gets. These two are strongly tied to each other. By working on your mind, you go a long way in relaxing physically.
Benefit #4: You gain perspective
Part of the reason why people are so stressed is because they think that they're jumping from one emergency to another. They are literally caught in the end-of-the-world every single crisis. It's as if they're putting out one fire after another.
Well, it turns out that most, if not all, of the things that you're stressed out about are nothing to stress out over. In the big scheme of things, they are really small potatoes. When you adopt a daily or consistent meditation practice, you get to see the big picture. Gaining perspective enables you to achieve some level of inner peace.
Benefit #5: You create distance between your emotions and your perception
One of the most common symptoms of stress is when everything seems to revolve around who you are, your personal value, and your goals in life. In other words, every small disappointment becomes a giant failure.
When you don't agree with somebody else, instead of leaving it at a fairly shallow level, the disagreement becomes really personal. You really have a tough time letting go of your emotions.
Well, when you learn how to meditate, you create distance between your emotions and perceptions. Just because you perceive certain things, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to interpret things in a very emotionally negative way.
The more you meditate, the calmer you feel. It doesn't have to be the end of the world. It doesn't have to be all about you. Life doesn't have to involve a tremendous amount of unnecessary drama.
Benefit #6: Your focus increases in power
Where your focus goes, energy flows. Unfortunately, if you're stressed out, it’s very easy for you to try to focus, but there’s really not much power left. You can't muster the willpower needed to get stuff done, regardless of how much you think you've set your mind to something.
At some level or another, something is tapping your energy. It's just leaking out of you and you really can't, for the life of you, focus like a laser. When you learn how to meditate and control your mental processes, your focus grows in strength. You are able to target specific tasks with your willpower. When you do this, you become a more effective and productive person.
Benefit #7: Your focus increases in clarity
Just as focus involves willpower, focus also involves clarity. Things start to make sense. Things fall into place. Unfortunately, if you're under a lot of pressure, it's easy to suffer from brain fog. Everything looks like the same, everything is fuzzy, and it's hard for you to tell which is which. You don't even know what your priority should be or not.
It is no surprise that regardless of how much focus stressed out people try to put on certain tasks, they can't get anything done. It's as if they tried to impose their willpower to do certain things, but it turns out that they're doing the wrong things at the wrong time to produce the wrong results. They end up chasing their tails.
When you meditate, your focus not only grows in strength, but it also grows in clarity. You start using your values as your filter as to what to focus on. This can have a tremendously positive result on your productivity as well as your sense that you are able to make things happen in your life.
Benefit #8: It lowers your blood pressure
In research study after research study, scientists have discovered that consistent meditative practice actually lowers blood pressure .
This is a big deal because there is a cardiovascular disease epidemic in the United States and other developed nations.
As people live more and more sedentary lives, heart-related issues are killing more and more people. If you meditate, you tend to naturally lower your blood pressure, and this can possibly prolong your life.
Benefit #9: It can speed up emotional healing
If you have a tough time forgiving people, by learning how to meditate, you can gain emotional distance from painful or anger-inducing memories. Sooner or later, you are able to see things in perspective, and this puts you in a position to forgive.
Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that if you meditate, you will automatically forgive people who you feel have done you harm. That will still be your choice. However, when you meditate, you start viewing things in perspective, and it's more likely that, if you want to, you can forgive and move on. This can go a long way in helping you heal emotionally.
Benefit #10: Can bolster psychological repair
I wish I could tell you that all of us came from ideal childhoods. I wish I could tell you that we all had great pasts and that we've always hung out with great people and we've always had amazing times. It would be awesome if we all came from nurturing, loving relationships and families.
Unfortunately, that's not true. There are a lot of us who have suffered psychological wounds and are having a tough time recovering. When you meditate, you tend to gain perspective. This enables you to put yourself in the position to start looking at the past as well as the present consequences of your past with a fresh set of eyes.
If you feel that you've been victimized, if you feel that you've been harmed in the past, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to continue looking at yourself the same way. Again, just like with speeding up emotional healing, meditation only puts you in this position. You still have to choose this benefit. This doesn't happen automatically.
Keep the 10 benefits above in mind if you're still hesitating or feeling apprehensive about meditation. While it is a commitment, please keep in mind that, in most cases, its advantages definitely outweigh whatever real or imagined disadvantages people may see with a meditation practice.
