Meditation and Its Top 5 Benefits for You!

Gautam Buddha used it to attain enlightenment. It is also an integral part of yoga. No session of yoga is complete without a short meditation session in the savasana pose. Today, people all over the world are learning the technique and reaping its many benefits to improve their life. And, here’s why you should learn it too!

In simple words, meditation is defined as a technique in which you teach your mind to embrace silence, clear it of all thoughts, and learn to focus. When practiced regularly, it increases self-awareness and helps you become mindful and calm. It’s both easy and difficult at the same time.

Easy because you don’t require any fancy equipment to learn or practice meditation. Difficult because it requires you to gain control of your mind i.e. keep it from wandering, thinking negative thoughts, and worrying about things that you can not control.

Meditation does not require any additional equipment or any other kind of paraphernalia. You only need clean and comfortable clothes, a quiet corner where you can sit undisturbed, and a clean comfortable mat. And initially at least 10 - 15 minutes of free time. As you grow accustomed to meditation, you can gradually increase the time. Generally 30 - 45 minutes is considered an ideal time for a meditation session.

Ideally meditation should be done in the early morning at sun rise after you’ve completed your morning ablution. But if you are not a morning person or you don’t have time to sit in quiet contemplation in the morning, you can meditate in the evening or at night before bed.

1. Set a predetermined time period: Decide how long your session will be before you sit for meditation. Set a timer for that time frame. When you are new to the practice, try to meditate at the same time everyday. This will help your brain in getting attuned to the practice.

2. Find your spot: Find a quiet spot or room where there are no distractions and you can be alone, undisturbed for the duration of your meditation session.

3. Choose a comfortable sitting arrangement: Place a clean mat on the floor. You can use a yoga mat also. Sit up straight in a padmasana or cross-legged. Initially, you can sit against the wall to help keep your posture straight. If you are not able to sit on the floor, you can also sit in a comfortable chair.

4. Get into meditation mode: Take a few deep breaths. Relax your body but do not slouch. Mentally scan your body. Find any spots that seem to be stressed or tense. Release the stress.

5. Concentrate on your breathing: During the first few minutes of your mediation session, focus on your breathing. Feel every inhalation and exhalation. Feel as if you are inhaling positivity and exhaling all the negativity. Keep a nice smile on your face.

6. Close your eyes or find a spot to concentrate on: You can meditate with your eyes closed or you can focus your eyes on a spot and meditate. If you are choosing a spot, then make sure, it is not something that will distract you. A lot of people use an image of “OM” or a burning candle to help them build focus when meditating. You can place the image/candle at some distance from you and focus your view and attention on it.

7. Let go of your mind: Once you’ve settled into your pose and your breathing is in rhythm, let your mind go. Allow it to think thoughts, entertain them, but after that let the thought go without reacting to it or criticizing yourself for thinking about it, especially if it’s a negative or an unpleasant thought. Do not give space in your head.

8. Keep focusing on your breathing: Do not lose focus on your breathing even if you get a disturbing thought. Continue to focus on inhaling and exhaling. Once you develop the habit, you will find that your attention will not waver even if an unpleasant thought enters your mind.

In the long run this practice will help you learn to stay focused and calm despite the noise or any unpleasantness in your environment.

There are many benefits of meditation. But to start with, let’s look at the 5 important benefits that you can gain from meditating regularly for just 10 - 15 minutes daily.

1. Improved Mental Health: In this fast-paced world, life is full of stress. You have to deal with stress at work, stress at home, and then there’s additional stress related to relationships, finances, health - yours and your loved ones - which has multiplied manifold due to the pandemic. All this stress not only affects you physically but also mentally. Constant mental stress leads to other health issues such as fatigue, sadness, anxiety, mood swings, overeating, and addiction to unsavory sources of comfort such as smoking, alcohol, and junk food.

Meditation helps calm your mind and it increases mindfulness. When you are calm, alert, and aware of your surroundings and environment, you are better placed to deal with the stress. It helps you understand and process your stress. You are able to think through your thoughts, process the negative emotions and let them go. Once you have done this, your mind is clear to find solutions. Even scientific studies back up this benefit of meditation. According to studies, meditation can help you manage your stress, let go of addictions, and lead a more aware and healthy life.

2. Improved Emotional Health: Your emotional health can take a beating due to constant stress, poor physical health, chronic or long-term illnesses of loved ones, grief, loneliness, abuse or other traumatic experiences, and any kind of incident that may affect your social standing. Poor emotional health or unstable emotions can cause outbursts, make you easily irritable, impatient, and aggressive. If not managed in time or properly, these emotional outbursts can create issues in your personal and professional life. People may avoid your company and you may lose important projects and promotions at work.

Regular meditation helps you understand and process your emotions - especially negative emotions such as anger, grief, shame, loss, jealousy, guilt, low self-esteem, apathy, desire, and ego. It also helps you imbibe positive traits such as kindness, gentleness, thoughtfulness, gratitude, joy, and contentment. When your emotions are in balance, you are able to deal with stress or any negative situation without losing your temper and with a clear and calm head.

3. Improved Physical Health: When your mental health and emotional health is in control, your physical health will also benefit. For example, no stress or low stress and stable emotions will help manage your blood sugar and diabetes. If you are feeling happy and content and stress free, you are likely to avoid overeating or indulging in junk food, thus leading to better weight management. When you are calm, content, and stress free you also tend to get better sleep. Good sleep at night leaves you feeling fresh, alert, and happy in the morning.

While meditation cannot cure chronic illnesses, it may help you deal with the pain induced by long-term diseases and manage the negativity resulting from the health concern. However, if you are suffering from a chronic illness or a critical health concern, check with your doctor if and how you can include meditation in your daily regime before you start to practice it.

4. Makes you alert: A dull mind, confusion, and poor concentration can create innumerable issues in both your personal and professional life. You could forget to turn off the stove at home, take or give the wrong medication, leave out an important detail in a work-email, or not be able to comprehend the task given to you correctly or quickly enough. All of these things can cause problems and even lead to a bigger loss. Regular meditation clears your mind. A clear mind is alert and focused. You are able to think clearly and respond to situations in an apt manner.

5. Helps Slow Down Memory Loss: As we age, we tend to become more forgetful and miss out on important details or dates. Sometimes, due to constant stress we tend to forget things or our memory becomes hazy. Continuing from the previous point, regular meditation in addition to making you alert also helps in slowing down memory loss due to old age or stress.