Meditation Benefits for the Body, Mind and Soul
Meditation helps free your mind from distracting thoughts and provides lots of benefits.
In this fast paced world, the busy and hectic schedules that we have can drive us crazy. That’s why you sometimes need to disconnect and take a breather.
Meditation has many benefits, not only for the body but also for the mind and soul. Regular meditation can really change your life.
In this article, I will discuss the broad and impressive holistic benefits of meditation.
The word meditation comes from the Latin words “meditari” and “mederi”, which means to dwell upon and to heal, respectively. Meditation is deep rooted in ancient traditions and is recorded in several places all over the world.
Most archaeologists speculate the possibility that its inception came from the primitive hunters who went into an altered state of consciousness while intently staring at the fires for cooking their meat.
Meditation became extremely popular because of the teachings of Buddha.
Meditation is the process of clearing the mind from distracting thoughts, and focusing it on a single object, thought, feeling, or on the breath. This allows you to experience peace and calmness by quieting the thoughts running through your mind.
Types of Meditation
Below are a few of more common types of meditation:
- Mindfulness Meditation
This is the most popular type of meditation and also an integral part of meditation.
The goal this meditation is to quiet the mind and be present for anything that comes up. The focus will be primarily on the flow of breath, allowing a person to achieve balance regarding various feelings and emotions of daily life.
- Guided Meditation
This meditation is usually used by beginners. It is a guided technique that uses audio instructions to take the one meditating into a deep involved state.
- Concentrative Meditation
This kind of meditation is concentrated on a single point of focus. This involves the chanting of repeated mantras, focusing on an object, staring at a candle flame, or concentrating on the breath. By doing this, the mind is relaxed and ward off thoughts of being distracted.
- Movement Meditation
This involves some kind of movement, like moving around the house, walking, gardening, or cleaning. Any movement can be performed as a meditation, as long as mindfulness is applied, as well as moving at slow pace.
The 4 Basic Elements of Meditation
The best posture for meditation is the cross-legged posture, with your head and back in a vertical line.
- Location
The best environment for the practice of meditation is somewhere calm, serene, and void of any distraction.
- Posture
Meditation can be practiced whether sitting, walking, standing, or in a lying position. However, the cross-legged posture, with your head and back in a vertical line, is considered the position which is ideal for meditation.
- Focus
This is the main aspect of meditation. The object of attention could be a spoken mantra, the meditator’s own breathing, or looking at objects with open eyes.
Some people close their eyes to make relaxation easier to induce.
- Passive Attitude
Sometimes called poised awareness, or attention-awareness, because relaxation and alertness are in perfect balance.
Distractions from the environment, along with the inevitable intrusion of the mind, thoughts, and images, are allowed to naturally come and go without resistance.
But when you become aware that your attention has slipped away, you should bring the attention and awareness back to the object of focus..
The Benefits of Meditation
Here the some of the various benefits of meditation and why you should meditate:
For the body it:
- Strengthens the immune system
- Slows aging
- Creates higher levels of energy
- Lowers blood pressure
- Reduces heart risk
- Helps control the painful symptoms of chronic diseases
- Helps lose weight
- Create deep Relaxation
- Soothes the nervous system
- Provides release from irritable bowel syndrome
- Stabilizes hormone secretion and improves endocrine problems
For the mind it:
- Improves attention
- Helps maintain positive attitude
- Cultivates willpower
- Improves concentration and memory
- Reduces anxiety
- Eases phobias and fears
- Enhances judgmental abilities
- Boosts IQ levels
- Stimulates and prevents cognitive decline
One of the benefits of regular meditation is having a state of inner peace.
For the soul it:
- Leads to deep states of inner peace
- Greater intuition
- Attain higher states of awareness
- Increases compassion
- Creates harmony between the body, mind, and soul
- Healthy attitude towards life
- Helps overcome ego
How To Prepare for Meditation
Here are six simple steps to prepare you for mediation. These steps will put you in the best position to achieve a focused and uplifting meditation experience.
- Prepare Your Environment
The setting should be something conducive to meditation. It should be quiet and away from distractions. Neither too hot or too cold.
You should ensure that you will not be disturbed. Put away your phone and keep it in airplane or silent mode.
- Prepare Your Body
Make sure you are hydrated by drinking lots of water prior to meditation, so you will not be thirsty.
Get a little something to eat, so your stomach is not growling. Go to the bathroom if you feel that you need to. Anticipate distractions before you start meditation and take care of them before you start.
- Sit with your back straight
Sit upright if possible. Look for a comfortable chair, but not too comfortable that it will make you fall asleep. Wear comfortable clothing.
The best position for doing meditation is one where you will not fall sleep and where you can be free from any kind of physical irritation.
- Stretch A Little To Relax
Before sitting down, take a few moments to stretch and breathe deeply. This way, you will release tension from your body, mind, and emotions. As you relax, notice energy flowing freely through your body.
- Handle Distractions
Don’t allow the physical environment to disturb you. Tell yourself that any noise you hear will help you relax more deeply and lift you higher in your consciousness.
- Choose a Meditation Technique
There are various meditation techniques. Choose a meditation technique that resonates with you and that is uplifting for you.
If you find life troublesome, or if you have puzzling questions you’d like to answered, schedule a psychic reading with me now. I’ll also teach you more details about how to meditate properly, and show you how to regain your footing in life, once again.
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