The Health Benefits of Meditation

The Health Benefits of Meditation

Stress affects everyone from young students to the elderly and every age in-between. The adverse effects of stress can cause a variety of medical and psychological issues that make it difficult for people to successfully maintain their personal and work lives. 

Solutions for stress often involve comfort techniques like food or alcohol but don’t have any real benefits. A better answer that offers genuine, proven health benefits for stress relief and other medical concerns is meditation. 

Benefits of Meditation

• Reduces the effects of the potential problems related to stress and anxiety as it helps to control these issues

• The mindfulness of meditation can help to combat depression by reducing cytokines, the inflammatory chemicals that affect mood

• Meditation improves self-awareness to enable people to gain more self-esteem and respect for their bodies and minds

• May help to reduce age-related memory loss

• Overcome sleep disorders through more effective relaxation skills

• Reduce pain because a less-healthy state of mind can reduce the ability to withstand pain

• Lower blood pressure through the reduction of tension

Like all skills, learning to meditate takes practice. People may worry they have done something wrong or that they should feel better instantly. It takes time and planning to become successful with meditation, but there are tips that make it easier to begin.

Begin with short sessions. Someone new to meditation may find it challenging to sit still and do nothing for a long meditative session. Start meditating for two minutes a day. Increase the time to five minutes once the first two minutes seem easy. Double the time from then on until it is possible to effectively meditate for 30 minutes or longer. Set a timer to avoid the temptation to look at a clock.

Meditate each morning. Mornings work best for many people because the world is quieter, and most people expect to follow a routine. It is simple to add a step to the routine, especially in the beginning when the sessions are only a few minutes long. The most significant benefit of morning meditation is that it allows people to start their day calmly and positively. As one of the first tasks of the day, people are also less likely to forget or put off the session until it is too late.

Choose a comfortable position. The cross-legged pose people associate with meditation is not necessary. People can use this pose if they prefer, but no one should feel obligated to do so if it makes them uncomfortable. Discomfort will complicate the process and make relaxation difficult or impossible.

Stay flexible about the location. Nearly anywhere can become a place for meditation, and that includes a park, a sofa, a bus seat, or somewhere else. It is often helpful to remain flexible about where the meditation takes place because that means the technique is possible when on vacation or when a schedule change occurs. 

Acceptable locations are anyplace that enables the person to feel safe and relaxed. Some locations work better than others. Someone that struggles to achieve deep meditation may want to consider a Sensory Deprivation Tank. The silent, dimly lit tanks allow people to float in climate-controlled warm water. The weightless sensation helps the body and mind to relax fully.

Learn how to maintain concentration. Mindfulness is the ability to close out any thoughts other than what is happening now. During meditation, people often experience the same overthinking, repetitive thoughts, and anxiety they experience daily. The challenge is to push these thoughts and feelings away by focusing on something more helpful. Focus on breathing, count slowly, and use gentle self-encouragement to return to this activity when the mind starts to wander.

Have a plan before meditation begins. Sometimes too many thoughts or worries continue to invade the meditation attempts and make the process difficult. Decide that all concerns can return after the session, but that they cannot interrupt the meditation. In time, the thoughts and the feelings of anxiousness will abate on their own.

Feel the emotions fully at first. Sometimes people need to accept that they must hear themselves out on a topic to stop worrisome thoughts or stressful memories. If the same thoughts continue to circle through the mind during each session, it may help to allow them to enter the mind unabated. The mind eventually learns to acknowledge the emotion and let it go.

Never insult the attempt to meditate. The quality of a meditative session is not the most important factor. The decision to improve the mind and body is what matters. Every new skill takes time to learn. Practice will improve how long and how deeply people can meditate. Anyone that expects themselves to launch into a deep state of relaxation that is uninterrupted for an hour on their first attempt will likely give up after one session.

The benefits of meditation do not need to end when the session ends. Once people become accustomed to staying in the moment during their meditation, they find it is easier to incorporate the technique into the rest of their life. Focus only on the task taking place now rather than what comes next, or tomorrow, or why to worry about from yesterday. Over time, mindfulness becomes automatic in meditation and life.

About the Author

Dr. Josh Kantor is the founder of Chill Space, a leading NYC Health and Wellness Spa. Learn More About their SAervices by Visiting ChillSpaceNYC.com