Benefits of Meditation
The History of Meditation
• Ancient practice started in India thousands of years ago
• First recorded in the Vedas
• Survived over the centuries as word spread about the benefits of meditation
Benefits of Meditation
• Reduces depression
• Reduces anxiety
• Changes the brain
• Promotes a state of calm
• Prevents reactive behavior
Mindfulness Meditation and How it Can Work for You
• Focus on the here and now
• Consider your senses, what you hear, smell, feel, etc.
• Remaps neural pathways and bad thought habits
• Helps with symptoms of PTSD
• Helps recovering addicts
Benefits of Loving Kindness Meditation
• Promotes a sense of compassion
• Encourages forgiveness
• Encourages self-love
• Beneficial for sufferers of abuse or trauma
• Helps recovering addicts
• Interrupts bad thought patterns and replaces them with better ones
Active Meditation with Kundalini Yoga
• Even people who don’t think they can meditate can meditate
• Yoga is an active way of synching body and spirit
• The mind can grow calmer after physical activity
• Good for people who don’t like to sit still
Conclusion
While it may seem daunting at first to begin meditating, there are several tips and tricks, as outlined in this guide, that can help you to overcome those doubts and really find the benefits in your practice. Every one of us is different and finds answers in different ways. However, we are still all humans who require a good amount of serenity in order to find true peace and happiness.
But if our inner world is full of conflict, turmoil, and stress, or we are taking a lot on to our shoulders without taking the time we need to recharge, things can get messy. That is when the benefits of meditation are truly able to shine. When things begin to seem difficult, or we have a plan or goal we want to achieve but we find ourselves hitting a brick wall, it is important to be able to detach ourselves emotionally from the situation and observe it from a distance so that we can find the most effective path forward.
Not only that, but in meditating on ourselves, we will gain the insight we need to work through our weaknesses and begin to build them into strengths. All of us could use improvement in some form or another, and meditation makes self-improvement easy and insightful, rather than difficult and painstaking. We will still have to do the work involved in creating a better situation for ourselves, but with meditation as a tool on our side, introspection is easier than ever and we can start to see a clear path forward rather than being swamped by the negative interference along the way.
No matter how you choose to use meditation, the benefits are endless. We can seek solitude from the hectic outside world and focus on the things that truly matter. We can begin to build up our
relationships with ourselves and learn to love and embrace ourselves even though we may perceive ourselves as flawed. We can acknowledge those flaws with honesty and move forward in finding ways to strengthen them. We can learn from mistakes and see painful situations objectively so that we are able to move through them with productivity rather than being swamped by pain and depression. Meditation is the medicine that so many of us are sorely lacking. But it is a medicine that is free, and one that we can begin to use immediately.
So don’t hesitate. Include meditation into your daily life. You can start now, or you can start later. Whenever you decide to embark upon your journey, know that you are doing it for the best possible reasons. Improving your life, and the lives of everyone around you, is essential in promoting a peaceful community. We impact others with our energies and attitude, and if we are doing our best to put nothing but love and productivity out into the world, then that is what we are going to get back, guaranteed.
