“Take a deep breath and relax.” That bit of advice has been given by yogis from around the world for centuries, and for good reason. Meditation has the ability to melt the tension from your muscles and banish your worries. During meditation, you focus on you breathing, body movement, sounds around you, your feelings or a mantra. This type of concentration trains your mind to stay peaceful and focused during times of stress or anxiety.
Meditation is enjoyed all over the world, no matter the religion or culture of the person practising it. According to Better Health Victoria, it is found in most of the major religions including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism. With so many people reaping the benefits of meditation, find out how it can help you power through every single day.
Manages stress
Stress can have a drastic effect on the way your body functions and how you experience your life. It distracts you from enjoying your time with loved ones and if you let it get the better of you, it can even make you physically ill.
Meditation has the capacity to move you out of a stressed state and into a calmer and more reflective one. This relaxed state slows down your heartbeat, increases expiration, relaxes your muscles and helps you recuperate. Meditation also has the ability to cultivate self-awareness within you. This enables you to recognise the markers of stress early and to respond with effective strategies before the problems become bigger. In addition, the mental clarity that meditation influences will help you make better choices and manage major life changes.
Improves Physical Stamina, Strength, & Endurance
When you do your daily activities, you need physical strength and stamina. However, strength and stamina are not only derived from food. While it is true that food is your body’s fuel, your body needs at least eight hours of sleep to use the nutrients properly.
This is where meditation can help. Meditation allows your mind to enter an altered state of consciousness that is deeper and more powerful than sleep. The activity creates the necessary environment to balance your body’s needs and maximise your physical stamina for the day. Meditation allows your cells to regenerate and heal faster, controlling your blood circulation and distributing nutrients to your body. After meditation, your body will feel revitalised, preparing you physically and mentally for the day ahead.
Emotional balance
Emotional balance is the ability of the body and the mind to maintain equilibrium in the face of changes and challenges. This is hard to achieve fully, but meditation will help you cure unhealthy emotional states and enable your body to balance its neurochemical system. Meditation will break unhealthy habits by helping you detach emotions from the past and stay in the present moment.
People practise different types of meditation, most of which don’t require specialised equipment or space. If you have a floor chair or a yoga mat, you can practise meditation anywhere inside your home, even if it’s just a few minutes every day. Once it becomes a habit, you can use it to reduce your stress, develop concentration and increase your self-awareness.
