What are the Benefits of Meditation?
There is so much talk about meditation right now. In the media, on social media, from yoga and meditation teachers and counsellors/therapists, maybe even from your family and friends. Pretty much everyone seems to know at least 1 person that meditates and swears by it (fun fact, I am that friend/family member). Sometimes it's hard to understand what the other people are getting out of it, because it's a hard practice to start. 5 minutes of meditation feels like forever at the beginning, and our minds will constantly tell us we don't have time or there are other things we could be doing instead. And to be quite honest, we aren't focusing on the long-term benefits because we'd all rather have short-term ones.
So what are some of the benefits of meditating on a regular basis?
Mental Health: Decreases Stress
Physical Health: Lowers Resting Heart Rate
Mental Health: Increases Self-Awareness
Physical Health: Lowers Blood Pressure
Mental Health: Reduces Anxiety
Physical Health: Improves Sleep Quality
Mental Health: Improves Mood
Physical Health: Reduces Physical Pain
Mental Health: Improves Memory & Concentration
Physical Health: Boosts Immune Functioning
These are just 10 of the benefits of meditation for our mental and physical health. There is a lot of research supporting this as well (jump on Google Scholar or read the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn to take a peek). While some of these benefits start to take effect sooner than others, they are all long-term outcomes of meditation. Stick with your practice, and if you need help reach out to myself or any other meditation teacher (or yoga teacher or therapist) to guide you along the way.
Namaste.