Meditation is an ancient practice that is gaining popularity, as more people discover the many benefits of the practice. Although meditation has primarily been considered a spiritual practice, the benefits are more than spiritual. There are physiological, emotional and spiritual benefits to the practice of meditation. Studies have uncovered a wide range of physiological benefits.
Meditation can decrease the heart rate, blood pressure and even cholesterol levels. Your heart won’t be working as hard and you may find your blood pressure is lower at your next doctor’s visit, which reduces your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Physical relaxation is one of the benefits of meditation. Research shows an increase in alpha rhythm brain waves on scans of people engaged in quiet meditation. This has been shown to increase relaxation in the mind and body, as well as reducing stress.
Meditation relaxes the muscles of the body. The relaxation of the muscles and tissues of the body reduces pain, which can benefit a number of physical conditions that result in muscle and joint pain.
Meditation offers stress relief and there is physical proof. Studies have shown that the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, are reduced with a regular meditation practice.
The practice of meditation improves communication between the two hemispheres of the brain. This results in improved memory, concentration and even creativity.
The breathing in meditation improves oxygenation in the body and improves air flow to the lungs. If you have asthma, meditation can help to improve your lung function and reduce asthma symptoms.
You don’t need to spend hours in meditation to enjoy the health benefits of the practice. Meditation is fairly easy to practice, requires no equipment other than a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and even practicing several minutes at a time will bring improvements in your overall health and feeling of well being.
Choose a time of day when the house is quiet, such as the early morning before the kids wake up, and start with just a couple minutes. You can increase the time with practice. Although it can feel challenging at first, you will soon find that meditation offers immense benefits to your physical, mental and spiritual health.