Gifts of Meditation: 10 Facts You Didn’t Know
What is Meditation?
“Meditation is paying attention to that which is real: art, love, harmony, peace, life, and joy, without being distracted. As a result, you can become aware of distractions but you no longer get distracted by them. You become more focused on the present moment.” ~Michael Beckwith
If you’re a beginner, someone who’s tried meditating in the past, or someone thinking of giving it a try, then this is for you!
When thinking of my first experiences with meditation, the facts shared below might have helped me feel less like I was “doing it wrong” and more encouraged to deepen into the experience.
Suffice it to say, there is no way to do it ‘wrong’. Certainly, feeling unable to quiet the mind is normal. However, even small moments of quiet where there is absence of thought is beneficial.
Referring to meditation as a practice is a good indicator that it’s like most new things we want to learn. We can practice training our minds into a quiet state. We can learn to reach for seconds or minutes of quiet focus any time we choose.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Meditation:
It’s natural for your mind to resist. The mind is designed to ‘monkey’ around. It would be unnatural for the mind not to think, contemplate, and consider. That is to say, focused attention can be challenging in today’s environment. As a result, contemplation and consideration can escalate into worry, anxiety, and sometimes fear. We can train our minds to take a back seat. We can rewire our minds to quiet faster and with less prompting over time.
It improves awareness. In other words, recognizing where your thoughts are and why. You’ll notice when you’re present in each moment and when you’re not. Above all, creating an awareness of the mind and what it’s doing from moment to moment.
It improves relationships. As a result of being aware of what your mind is thinking and how you’re feeling, meditation can help regulate moods, increase acceptance of others and help avoid taking the words or actions of others personally.
It attracts like-minded people. The practice of meditation strengthens feelings of connection and increases feelings of love and compassion. You’ll find yourself attracted to other kind and empathetic people or they’re being attracted to you!
It improves focus in your daily interactions. Studies confirm meditation can increase focus, learning concentration, and improve memory and attention span. One journal study indicates increased blood flow to the brain causing boosts in both memory and concentration. Neuroscientists agree. Meditation not only improves mental focus and cognitive performance, it also changes brain patterns.
Physical Benefits
It can heal your physical body. There are many different types of meditation. In addition to ‘passive meditation’ mentioned above, ‘active meditation’ is a practice that can help heal your physical body by directing all your attention and focus on an area for a specific block of time.
It’s a sleep aid. Using mediation to calm your mind, focus on your breathing, and be aware of the present moment can help achieve better sleep. As a relaxation tool, it promotes overall calmness, increases natural melatonin levels, and quiets the mind and body mimicing the stages of early sleep.
It can improve stress. Focused concentration addresses stress by continuously bringing yourself back to the present moment. Therefore, it can then be asserted that meditation has a positive effect on areas of anxiety, chronic pain, depression, heart disease and high blood pressure. So when stressors occur, meditation gives you the tools to quickly return to a relaxed state of mind.
Meditation & Spirituality
Connect to an energy bigger than yourself. Meditation is the act of being intentional in taking time to connect. As a result, building a strong relationship with your spirituality, oneness with a greater source, and connecting with all other life around you.
It can help you become more intentional. That is to say, establishing a mindfulness practice strengthens constant communication with yourself. You begin feeling your way through what is working and what is not. To be sure, having an awareness of what you need or what needs to be released results in creating an intentional lifestyle. Meanwhile, you’ll find yourself making decisions that truly resonate with who you are and reflect a life you truly love.
Cons
In conclusion, none. Could you devote .1% of a 24- hour day to practice quieting your mind?
Fun Facts and Resources
Globally, 200-500 million people meditate. Tripling since 2012.
In the U.S, meditation is almost as popular as Yoga at 14.2% to 14.3% respectively.
16% of women mediate as compared to 12% of men.
7% of children in the U.S. now meditate.
The #1 reason people meditate: general wellness.
Meditation has been shown to reduce depression relapses by 12%.
52% of employers offered mindfulness training in 2018.
Bonus Fun Fact & Resource:
My granddaughter is one of the 7%! Her pre-k class takes time for both yoga and meditation. Little people learning to be comfortable sitting in stillness, regulating emotion, and building the foundation for all of the above. Not to mention having fun doing it!
Please feel free to comment or share your own experiences with meditation. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
