Meditation: Benefits, Types & How to Get Started
Make Meditation a Part of Your Day
Life can get pretty busy and complicated sometimes. With all the rushing around, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and caught up in the craziness. The hectic pace of life can sometimes feel like a bit much. We rush from appointment to appointment, meeting deadlines in a frantic rush. We find ourselves navigating traffic, busy lines, and crowded spaces, facing unforgiving deadlines and time crunches. So, what can be done? While we may not be able to entirely control the pace that life offers us, we can control our approach. Meditation is a key to maintaining a calm inner presence. Meditation benefits are many, and with the regular practice of training the mind to focus and to block out distractions, it will help you enter a space of calm and quiet.
Meditation Benefits
There are a lot of reasons meditation is good for you. The benefits of meditation are endless. Some of them include:
- Better focus and concentration
- Lower levels of anxiety, stress, and depression
- Increased self-esteem
- Greater sense of well-being
- Kindness towards others
- Boosting your immune function
- Decreasing pain, supporting a healthier stress response, and helping reduce inflammation.
The meditation benefits are undoubtedly alluring, but some of you may be wondering how you will find time to fit this practice into an already hectic schedule. Not to fear! You can realize the benefits of meditation in just a few minutes each day.
Meditation Benefits for Your Brain
Consistent meditation can help your brain for the better. It helps to increase gray matter and volume in areas that help regulate emotion and self-control. Can you believe it also helps you be more productive? All these benefits from just sitting quietly.
Because you’re clearing the mind and taking out the junk, it allows you to focus better and can improve your memory. Do you ever feel like you’re a slave to your racing mind, unable to focus and accomplish what you need to? Meditation is like a tune up on your car. It clears out the junk, tunes up your systems and gets you running again. It helps you to clean the slate and focus on moving forward instead of being flustered and running yourself ragged.
Is your mind running on a continuous loop of a daytime soap opera? Drama, drama, drama with a little craziness thrown in. It doesn’t have to be like this. Meditation helps you turn off the reruns and regain focus. The more you meditate, the more it helps you.
Meditation Benefits Gut Health, and Stress
Chronic stress affects the gut-brain axis and can contribute to digestive discomfort, inflammation, and microbiome imbalances. Meditation helps calm the nervous system and reduce stress hormones, which may support both digestive health and overall wellness. Even a few minutes of meditation each day can help create a healthier stress response.
Types of Meditation
If you think meditation is all about incense and soothing flute music, think again. There is a wide variety of styles of meditation to choose from, each with its own goal. Here are five of the more popular types so you can decide which one is right for you.
Mindfulness Meditation — This is the form of meditation you might be most familiar with, as it’s very popular in the West. In this type, you are working to become one with your mind and your breath. Your attention may wander at first, but bringing it back to center is what this form of meditation is all about.
Focused Meditation — If you feel the need to be more attentive in your daily life, this form of meditation may be for you. It involves focusing on every aspect of a given item or activity with the intention of shutting off all other thoughts. Choose a target to focus on, get in a comfortable position, and let all other feelings escape.
Spiritual Meditation — As the name suggests, this form of meditation is for those who seek spiritual growth and connection, whether that be to a higher power or nature.
Movement Meditation — Movement meditation is all about focusing on the motion your body makes during an activity, like yoga. If you get anxious sitting during other types of meditation, this one can be appealing.
Transcendental Meditation — The goal with this form is to transcend beyond your current state of being by breathing slowly. You might also have a mantra that you repeat for motivation and encouragement.
How to Start Meditating
You might have some preconceived notions about where you have to do it and what you have to wear. Just take a deep breath and relax; getting started is simple.
You don’t have to sit in the lotus position or do it for a set amount of time. Even if you can’t sit down, take a walk or sneak away for a few minutes and do some breathing exercises. Short, frequent meditation sessions work just fine. Just take some time to not do anything except focus on yourself and your breathing. And don’t worry if your mind isn’t clear when you start. That’s what this exercise is about — clearing your mind and finding your balance.
Take a mental vacation every day by including meditation into your schedule, or just carve out a few minutes as you transition through different parts of your day. Spend a few quiet minutes before eating a meal, before heading to bed, or after waking up in the morning. Your mind and body will thank you!
6 Ways to Practice Mindfulness Meditation
One practice that can provide stability and a sense of calm during chaos is mindful meditation. Mindfulness meditation is a mental training practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body. It combines meditation with the practice of mindfulness — being fully focused on “the now” so you can acknowledge and accept your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment.
Loving-kindness meditation is a practice that helps us feel unconditional compassion for ourselves and all beings. It can also create feelings of connection and empathy and help reduce feelings of bias, anger, depression, and anxiety. Begin by sitting quietly and finding a space of love and acceptance for yourself. You will then expand your circle of compassion towards others.
- Begin with self: Direct kindness and compassion to yourself by repeating a thought like, “May I be happy.”
- Family and friends: Direct your kindness to someone you love or care about by repeating, “May (name) be happy.”
- Someone neutral: Think about someone you feel neutral about, like a coworker, neighbor, or acquaintance, and direct your compassion to this person by name.
- Someone difficult: Think about someone you dislike or have a tough time being around. Direct your kindness to this person by name.
- Group: Think about all these people together and equally direct your kindness to all of them — “May they be happy.”
- Everyone: Finally, direct your kindness everywhere — “May all beings everywhere be happy.”
These simple efforts take less than just a few minutes each day, but they can make a huge impact on the way you view yourself and others and how you approach the world around you. Start short and simple and see if you can gradually extend the time longer. Take note of how this practice positively impacts your life. Small efforts can make a big difference!
Remember that getting into this type of practice can take some time, but no matter which works best for you, it can help you live a healthier and happier life. When trying it out, enjoy the process and remain in the present.
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