Why Meditate?

Why Meditate?

Have you ever wondered about the practice of meditation but were too afraid to ask? You’ve come to the right place. Let’s explore what meditation is, where it came from, how it can benefit you and how you can start meditation yourself.

According to the University of Florida’s Interactive Media Lab, which undertook a project to study meditation, its history, its benefits and its practice, “Meditation is the practice of deep concentration of the mind. Although there’s a paucity of recorded history on meditation, its roots travel back to ancient times. Researchers speculate that primitive hunter-gatherer societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness while staring at the flames of their fires. Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice. Indian scriptures called ‘tantras’ mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago.”

There are loads of benefits to meditation, and some folks even believe that meditation can help nearly any condition, mental or physical. What scientific studies have proven are the benefits below:

• Better overall health – Many studies have been conducted that show there are many health benefits of meditation, mainly because of the stress-reduction component. Neuroscientists have shown that meditation shifts your brain activity from the stressed-out right frontal cortex area to the mellower left frontal cortex. Meditation also decreases activity in the amygdala, the brain’s fear center.

Since stress not only aggravates but causes illness, it follows that general health will improve.

Some of the specific conditions research has shown meditation can improve:

• Anxiety
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• Insomnia
• As an adjunct therapy for chronic condition sufferers, like those with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, etc.
• High blood pressure
• Immune system deficiencies
• High cholesterol
• Asthma

• Improved concentration and alertness – Do you feel scatterbrained, unable to focus and incapable of getting things done? Meditation helps clear your mind, making you more productive, aware and focused.

• Less irritability and better emotional control – With jam-packed schedules and endless to-do lists, multi-tasking and information overload, it’s no wonder we get irritable to the point that the slightest little thing can set us off. It’s the classic mountain out of a molehill scenario. Meditation can help you to disengage from the aggravations of everyday living. By teaching you to live in today, you can give up worrying about yesterday and tomorrow. To use another cliché, you’ll be able to see the forest for the trees – the big picture – and let the little things go.

• Enhanced self-knowledge and self-awareness – Want to understand yourself better? Figure out what motivates you, what your life’s purpose is, why you act and react as you do? Meditation helps you gain a better understanding of your deepest self.

In next week’s blog post, I’ll give you an easy-to-follow, step-by-step formula for meditation you can do yourself at home.