You’ve all heard about meditation being beneficial for a whole host of different ailments, but I hear you… I just don’t have time!?
What if we change the way we think of meditation and instead of finding 20minutes to sit in silence we use little fragments of time in our day to pause and find that meditative space in the mind.
I’ve started posting #amindfulminute on my instagram squares each week to offer you just that. Take a look here:
And so, the benefits of meditation:
Reduced Stress
Through breath work that has been scientifically proven to encourage your body to shift from a stress state to a rest and digest state. Meditation and breath work can literally change the state of your nervous system as well as alter the chemical make up in your body.
Deep breaths are the antidote to anxiety!
Better Sleep
As a result of shifting our nervous system from sympathetic (stress state) to parasympathetic (rest state) we are able to encourage sleep more easily and more deeply. The mind becomes clearer so there is less chatter going on in the head at night time when we need to switch off.
Better Relationships with others
Certain meditation techniques (such as Metta or loving kindness) encourage us to see the world through the lens of love. When we meditate on feelings of love and kindness we begin to change the way we see ourselves and then the way we see others. Meditation encourages us to be compassionate towards ourselves. To speak kindly to ourselves and to see the good in others.
Enhanced Breathing
Most of us are over breathers. We breath too much because our breath pattern does not allow us to breath in to the deeper lobes of the lungs. In doing this we effectively end up with a build up of CO2 in the system – cue not enough O2 to the body and the brain. Breath work teaches us to breath to our fullest capacity and in fact, less is more!
Reduces Blood Pressure
High BP is a common ailment for many in modern day life. Meditation has been proven to help reduce BP. In my last Month of Meditation (MOM) group, one participant reduced her BP so much she even defied what the Doctors thought would be possible!
Clearer Headspace
Meditation cultivates greater moments of clarity and a sense of spaciousness within the mind. It enables you to find that magic place where all thought dissolves and there is pure and perfect stillness in body and in mind. Once you experience this once, you will want a little more of the magic!
Encourages Present Moment Awareness
In being present, we can really enjoy what is unfolding in the here and now. We are no longer concerned about the past or the future. The experience we are in now is all that matters… When you find that sweet spot in meditation you enter into a place of pure uninterrupted joy.
Reduces Anger
Meditation teaches us to become aware of the space between stimulus and response so that we can choose to respond rather than react. We learn to sit in that pause so that we can consciously respond to a situation rather than react too quickly in the heat of the moment.
Reduced Risk of Respiratory Disease
Studies show that those who meditate have better resistance to respiratory diseases (and this includes previous COVID strains!). Through more efficient breathing and through the chemical changes that take place within the body during meditation, we reduce our risk of multiple diseases and viruses.
Meditation Heals
Where our attention goes, our energy flows. Meditation has been shown to heal through directed attention. Scientists have shown that participants can literally ‘send’ blood flow to specific areas of the body through the power of the mind. It is our blood that carries our nutrients and it is nutrients that power healing… The mind changes the body… WOW!
It is clear that meditation is powerful!
If you’re looking for ways to improve your current practice or you are starting from scratch, I am running regular beginners and level two courses for novice and experienced meditators.
Feel free to pop me an email or visit my Meditation Course Page for more info.
hannah@composureactive.co.uk
