Reasons to Start Meditating Today
Meditation For Everyone
Mediation has been around for thousands of years. The practice of meditation is about training your mind to become more aware and allow you to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment or negative interaction. It’s a healthy way to gain perspective of the world around you, and mindful insight into yourself and others. Integrating this practice into your routine can offer endless benefits physically, emotionally and spiritually.Â
1. Self Discovery. You can gain positive insight into who you are as a person, without the influences of the outside world. This includes your likes and dislikes, discovering your boundaries and figuring out your true passions.
2. Giving Toxic Emotion the Boot. You have the opportunity to uncover, and let go of, negative emotions you may subconsciously be hanging on to. Releasing these toxic emotions can allow you to move forward in life.
3. Slow The Aging Process. Meditation is linked to increased telomerase activity. The telomeres are caps on the ends of your chromosomes. Aging occurs as these telomeres lose their ability to divide. This is likely a positive side effect of reducing stress with meditation.1
4. Blood Pressure. Mindful-based stress reduction, which includes meditation, light yoga and body awareness, has shown to reduce blood pressure in individuals.2
5. Pain Management. Studies have offered evidence that mindful meditation can improve pain symptoms including low back pain, IBS and fibromayalgia.3
6. Reduce Stress. Meditating reduces cortisol production. Cortisol is a stress-induced hormone that can make you feel anxious and nervous.4
7. Prevention. Reducing levels of stress can help prevent stress-induced conditions. This includes migraines, ulcers and depression.
8. Happiness. Meditating will encourage positive emotions. When our stress levels are lowered we feel calm and connected within ourselves allowing the happiness to shine through.
9. A Sharp Mind. Meditation enhances your ability to focus, concentrate and problem solve.5
10. Balance. Overall you’ll feel more balanced which will help you manage your emotions better. You’ll feel less confrontational and have the ability to analyze negative situations more clearly and communicate effectively.
11. Fulfillment. Meditation can help you to feel more fulfilled, increasing your sense of purpose and self-worth. This inspires confidence as you move forward in life.
12. Relationships. It can help you get more out of your relationships with others. A combination of everything mentioned above can bring you closer to loved ones helping you understand and communicate on a deeper level.
13. Memory. Mindful meditation has been shown to increase blood flow to areas of the brain that deal with memory. One study showed increased verbal fluency and memory improvements.6
14. Sick Days. Meditating can help prevent you from getting sick. One study showed a decrease in acute respiratory infection in those who practiced mindful meditation over the control group.7
15. Creativity. Meditation can open your mind and expand your creativity. Once the creative juices are on the move there is no limit to what you can accomplish!
16. Enjoy A More Restful Night Sleep. Giving your brain a mental rest helps to quiet your mind giving you a chance to catch more Zzz’s.
17. A Higher Power. Meditation can increase your connection to the Divine, the Universe, God, or other spiritual realms much larger than our own.
18. Enjoy the Now. Meditation promotes living in the present moment. This allows you to enjoy what’s going on now, instead of dwelling on the past or focusing on the future.
With all the amazing benefits of meditation, don’t waste another day putting it off. Try our guided meditations; They’re just the thing you need to walk you through this mindful process. I know you’ll love them as much as I do, I guarantee it!
This information is not meant to treat, cure or alleviate any health or medical problems. If you have any concerns, please consult with a medical physician.
1Jacobs, T. L., Epel, E. S., & Blackburn, E. H. et. al. (2011). Intensive Meditation Training, Immune Cell Telomerase Activity, and Psychological Mediators. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36(5), 664–681.
2Hughes, J. W., Fresco, D. M., & Myerscough, R. et. al. (2013). Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Prehypertension. Psychosomatic Medicine, 75(8), 721–728.
3 Zeidan, F., Grant, J., & Brown, C. et. al. (2012). Mindfulness meditation-related pain relief: Evidence for unique brain mechanisms in the regulation of pain. Neuroscience Letters, 520(2), 165–173.
4Brand, S., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Naranjo, J. R., & Schmidt, S. (2012). Influence of Mindfulness Practice on Cortisol and Sleep in Long-Term and Short-Term Meditators. Neuropsychobiology, 65(3), 109–118.
5Maclean, K. A., Ferrer, E., & Aichele, S. R. et. al. (2010). Intensive Meditation Training Improves Perceptual Discrimination and Sustained Attention. Psychological Science, 21(6), 829–839.
6Newberg, A. B., Wintering, N., & Khalsa, D. S. et. al. (2012). Meditation effects on cognitive function and cerebral blood flow in subjects with memory loss: a preliminary study. Annals of Neurosciences, 19(2).
7Barrett, B., Hayney, M. S., & Muller, D. (2018). Meditation or exercise for preventing acute respiratory infection (MEPARI-2): A randomized controlled trial. Plos One, 13(6).
