The Art of Meditation

Every day we race through the hours, rushing from one chore to another without taking a minute out for ourselves. This becomes routine. Meditation is one such mental exercise that exists so that we can train our minds. Don’t you hit the gym ever so often or try to eat healthy to stay fit? If you can do so much for your body, then you can meditate a little for your mind as well without the god awful stagnant gym membership fees that deduct from your account each month!

Now by meditation, we don’t mean that you should jump into a robe, settle down on a patch of grass and get to it, no. It's simple yet not quite that simple. However, as time progresses, the art of meditation has evolved. Let’s find out more.

Types of Meditation

There are various types out there. Some of the very common types are Zen, chanting, calm-abiding, Tibetan and mantras, etc. Now, usually, when people hear about all these types, they get intimidated and drop the idea altogether. What you need to keep in mind is that some of these can be very simple, while some might be a little complex. Pick one that comes easily to you. Let it speak to you. 

How to Meditate?

• Start by sitting or lying down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes once you feel like you have settled down.
• Next, try to keep a check on your breathing. Make sure that you don’t forcefully inhale or exhale. Let is carry on naturally. It is all about the breathing! Remember this. 
• Lastly, focus on your breathing and observe the movement of your body with each breath.
• Keep it up for 3-4 minutes, and make sure that your mind doesn’t wander.

Importance of Meditation

Meditation is known to work wonders for the body as well as the soul. When you are meditating, you are allowing your brain to take a time out. The best part is that while your brain is on a “time-out”, the element of awareness of your surrounding is always present. Moreover, it is the perfect way to declutter your mind of stressful depressing thoughts in addition to the pesky little stinker known as anxiety.

To further strengthen its importance, one can take a look at this blog post by Harvard, which explains how meditating can trigger a response in our body known as the relaxation response. It's a great read!

Benefits of Meditation

1. Relief from stress is the one most common benefit that people derive from meditating. A high amount of stress can cause various issues like depression, anxiety, elevated blood pressure levels, etc. Meditation can help tackle it all.
2. Secondly, as mentioned above, meditating triggers a relaxation response. As a result of this, people can sleep better and lessen the intensity of insomnia.
3. Studies have shown that it can have work on the longevity of your attention span. It can eradicate issues such as mind-wandering, excessive worrying, and short attention spans.
4. A very major benefit is that one can easily boost their self-control and manage various triggers, including impulses related to food and drugs.
5. Among other benefits, an important one is a reduction in blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to the risk of a stroke. 

Bottom Line

All in all, meditation can have various positive effects both on your physical and your mental health. It is an extremely easy practice that you can do anywhere without needing any equipment. Make meditation a part of your day for a stress-free and peaceful life. You can do it!

Love and light,

Chatty