13 Advantages of meditation for your mind and body

Meditation is an umbrella term for a variety of practices that promote calm, improved self-awareness and body-mind connection, and it can influence your mental, emotional, cognitive and physical well-being. Research suggests that in the long term, meditation can play a role in biochemical changes which contribute to healthy aging, global well-being and the quality of physical life.

1. Stress reduction

Reducing psychological stress is one of the main reasons why people turn to meditation. When daily life becomes hectic and stress accumulates, your thoughts can bounce uncontrollable, which makes it difficult to concentrate on a single problem. With 15 or 20 minutes of meditation, you can disconnect from the outside world and come to a quieter and more peaceful state of mind. Reducing stress is a key characteristic in emotional, mental and physical health management.

2. Anxiety management

Everyone has anxiety occasionally. But too much anxiety can make it difficult. When you meditate, you focus on the present moment, deleting the thoughts that feed anxiety. A review and meta-analysis have revealed “coherent and robust evidence” that meditative therapies can be an effective treatment for patients with symptoms of anxiety. Other research suggests that mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety in those who suffer from anxiety disorders.

A great analysis comprising more than 12,000 participants with diagnosed psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety or depression, revealed that full -conscious approaches were better than treatment. These approaches have worked as well as therapies based on evidence, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressant drugs.

3. Relief of depression

Stress and anxiety can trigger depression. The sustained objective of meditation can help to alleviate negative thinking and emotions. Some regions of the brain are linked to depression. This is in particular the medial prefrontal cortex, where you process information about yourself, and the amygdal, which controls the combat or flight response and triggers the adrenal glands to release the stress cortisol hormone. These two areas work together to trigger depression, but meditation breaks the connection, allowing you to put aside negative thoughts. Meditation has also been shown that suicidal thoughts and behavior, especially in those who suffer from a major depressive disorder.

4. Mood and improved perspectives

Acute and chronic stress can affect the brain, including hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and other areas that help regulate mood and emotion. By attenuating the response to stress, meditation can help you abandon your current frustrations, improve your mood and global prospects on life.

5. Increased self -awareness

Mindfulness and self -awareness go hand in hand. Mindfulness is a state of attention and consciousness not reactive, non -reactive and current. Over time, practice can help you recognize your emotions and how you answer it, both physically and mentally.

6. More compassion and kindness

Research suggests that mindfulness meditation can improve compassionate and prosocial behavior. The meditation of Metta, also known as the meditation of the aging, implies repeating kindness sentences led by yourself, someone you know or to all beings around the world to strengthen connections with others.

7. Best focus and duration of attention

When you meditate, you learn to correct wandering thoughts and bring them back to the present moment. Concentration meditation teaches you to focus on a single thing and redirect capricious thoughts towards this thing. Whenever you redirect your mind, you strengthen your attention time and your ability to stay focused.

8. Improved cognitive function

Cognitive functions help you recover, store and process information so that you can sail in the world. Meditation is linked to improving cognition, performance at work and decision -making. It also helps to protect and the slow progression of certain neurodegenerative disorders.

9. Boost of the immune system

Meditation decreases cytokine, which improves inflammatory processes and stimulates the immune system.

10. Better sleep

Because meditation helps to control thoughts and emotions in a spiral while opening the way for calm and relaxation, it also promotes a better sleep quality.

11. Pain management

Studies have shown that mindfulness meditation can considerably reduce pain by lowering stress levels, stimulating awareness of the body and improving the natural processes of the body’s natural pain.

12. Overcoming dependence

Approaches based on mindfulness can help increase awareness of thoughts and feelings that trigger desires so that you can learn to change your reactions to these desires. Research shows that mindfulness -based practices are slightly better than other therapies to promote the abstinence of substances consumption.

13. Improvement of health

Meditation practices can reduce stress and improve overall health and well-being.Stress is linked to a variety of diseases and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in all age groups. Meditation has been shown to reduce stress by affecting the autonomous nervous system, a key factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Practice can also improve systolic and diastolic blood pressure and lower blood cholesterol while increasing healthy lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). Meditation also affects the endocrine system and blood components, which help manage stress and a variety of stress -related conditions.

How to start meditating

Meditation can play an important role in your physical and emotional health, but does not replace medical care. You can search for a qualified instructor or start with yourself. Here are some tips for beginners:

• Time: reserve 20 minutes about the same time every day. If it is not possible, do everything that works for you. Flexibility is the key.
• Position: be comfortable. Whether it is crossed on a yoga carpet or sit on a chair, important things are to have a good posture, to be straight and comfortable.
• House: Close your eyes and consider your other senses. What can you hear, feel or taste? How does your body feel in this position? An increased awareness of your body can help calm your thoughts.
• Meditation: Keep your eyes closed, remember to “breathe” while you inspire and “breathe” while you are exhausting. In this way, keep focusing on your breathing for about 20 minutes. When other thoughts come to mind, work to bring your mind back to breathing.
• Roll: Try not to stop meditating suddenly. First, stop focusing on breathing, but sit with your eyes closed for a few more minutes. Open your eyes slowly and wait another minute or two before getting up.

You might find difficult meditation at first, but wandering thoughts are completely normal. Keep in mind that perfection is not the goal. Immobility and mindfulness can relax you physically and mentally, despite some intrusive thoughts. Allow yourself the time, practice and patience to learn the art of meditation.

Are some techniques better than others?

Many practices are the aegis of meditation. Some focus on breathing, others on a visual image, a mantra or a sound. Meditation is intensely personal. There is no good or bad, nor a single practice which is the best for everyone. You can try as many types or combinations of techniques as you wish until you find the right fit.

Meditation based on mindfulness is a good starting point, because its advantages include a decrease in anxiety and depression, sleep, mood and improved concentration and pain management, which all contribute to better health and overall quality of life.