In today’s world, meditation is no longer a choice; it has become a necessity. As they say, you can't pour from an empty vessel. We have started focusing on our physical health by doing regular exercises. Similarly, meditation is an exercise to keep your emotional and mental health intact.
Meditation is a process of redirecting your thoughts throughout the day. You can initially start meditating first thing in the morning for 5 minutes if you are a beginner. If you have been into meditation practice for some time, you can start with a 20-min routine.
Meditation has helped many people by calming their minds, improving their sleep quality, reducing stress, and developing concentration. Research also shows that people who regularly practice meditation have thicker grey matter areas in their brain scans.
Before we illustrate a guide for you to start meditating, let us dive deep into the health benefits of the practice.
Benefits of doing Meditation regularly
- Stress Reduction
Regular meditation practice has been shown to reduce the cortisol levels produced in increased stress. Stress reduction is the most common benefit for which people start meditating. It is also proved that meditation helps in reducing your blood pressure and heart rate to a certain extent.
- Anxiety Control
In a study, it has been shown that meditation helps in reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorders. People practicing meditation have developed better coping mechanisms to deal with stress and anxiety.
- Improves Emotional Health
The overall well-being is majorly dependent on emotional health as well. With meditation, people develop a positive outlook towards life and a better self-image that helps them improve their emotional health.
- Increases Self-Awareness
Meditation helps in better understanding your thoughts increasing your self-awareness. The more aware you are about yourself, the better chances are you develop fast into your best version.
- Improves Focus and Attention
Studies have shown that students who meditate daily have improved focus, concentration, and attention span. You tend to improve on these qualities by being present at the moment with regular practice.
- Enhances the Quality of Sleep
With the reduction of stress and anxiety, sleep quality also improves. It has also been shown that you will feel refreshed with a few hours of deep sleep if you practice meditation regularly.
A Guided Way to Meditate and Awaken Yourself
- Sit comfortably in a relaxed position on the floor with a yoga mat.
- Begin deep breathing, feeling the sensations as you breathe in and out.
- Notice how your belly and the chest move when you start breathing.
- The whole idea is to bring your entire focus into the present moment.
- Initially, some thoughts will arise and cross your mind. Do not hush them away, rather be watchful of what you are thinking.
- As you practice daily, there will be progress in your attention span, and you will notice that your thoughts' frequency has reduced.
- When thoughts arise, visualize them as a cloud building up in the clear sky. Be compassionate with yourself, carefully notice what thoughts are coming, and let them pass away as a cloud disappearing in the blue sky.
- Some pieces of healing music would help you focus on yourself better.
The Bottom Line
Meditation helps in gradually changing your thoughts process. The change will not be visible overnight, and you have to be consistent with your practice. Don't be harsh on yourself, and let meditation ease your life by clearing your thoughts. Sit back, relax and enjoy the journey of becoming a better version of yourself.