Mental Health Benefits Of Meditation

mental health benefits of meditation

Mental Health Benefits Of Meditation

Mental health benefits of meditation in our stressful modern world. Learn why meditation is one of the most powerful life skills you can teach a child, teenager or adult. Why traditional forms of meditation are becoming increasingly popular in our fast-paced world.

Meditation is all about the art of awareness, conscious awareness, and state of being. In a modern world where we are bombarded with distractions, brainwashed, and conditioned to be in a state of doing. At a time when we are overwhelmed by information and stimulus, in toxic, plastic, manmade environments. We have become not only constantly stressed, anxious and confused. But totally disconnected from our self, so disconnected from nature, our natural habitat. On a conscious or unconscious level, we crave a much safer space of solitude, freedom, and spiritual connectedness. Something that meditation can give us.

 

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Main Mental Health Benefits Of Meditation

Meditation has become a popular self-help tool to reduce many modern mental health issues it is used to help

REDUCES ANXIETY : Meditating daily has been demonstrated in clinical research to be a useful aid in the reduction of chronic anxiety and anxiety disorders.

REDUCES STRESS: Meditating has demonstrated in clinical research to be highly beneficial in reducing stress. It is known to move one from the stress response,  the “fight or flight response” to the relaxation response. 

LOWER DEPRESSION: Daily meditation has been shown to be a helpful aid in reducing depression and other mental health issues when taught effectively. It helps reduce ruminative thinking, because it helps loosen over attachment to our monkey mind.

INCREASE CONCENTRATION AND FOCUS: Meditation has demonstrated in different research to help increase concentration and focus. The ability to perform certain tasks more effectively.

INCREASES CONFIDENCE: The art of meditation helps us move out of negative sabotaging thinking into a more natural authentic way of being. So we are naturally more confident.

IMPROVE SLEEP: Regular meditation encourages the body into a more natural rested state of being. Regular meditators witness an improved better quality of sleep.

Health Benefits Of Meditation

IN THE REDUCTION OF HEART DISEASE: Regular meditation practice can be a helpful aid in reducing heart disease and stroke. And useful at lowering symptoms of high blood pressure.

PAIN MANAGEMENT: Daily meditation encourages the body off the inflammatory response causes by chronic stress into the relaxed response. It is a useful aid in pain management and muscle tension reduction.

Medical Research On Mental Health Benefits of Meditation

Mental Health Benefits Of Meditation
Meditation Infographic – Mental Health Benefits Of Meditation

 

Clinical and medical research on the benefits of meditation has been going since the 1950’s. The study of meditation is a growing subdivision in neurological research.

We know Transcendental Meditation has been one of the most clinically researched styles of meditation. Studies suggested that when T.M. was taught properly it not only reduced anxiety and stress it helped reduce PTSD in veterans.

Now as a meditator of 28 years, who has studied a wide range of meditation styles including T.M. I have personally find other types of meditation alongside relaxation therapy is more safer and suitable for PTSD. But one thing is clear, meditation is a powerful life skill that I believe should be taught to everyone.

Meditation is something that should be taught in schools from a young age. Meditation has been shown not only to reduce the fight or flight response but it helps to reduce inappropriate emotional reactions. It can be a useful aid in anger management and PTSD. Meditation in prisons has shown to be beneficial when taught and practiced long-term with low intensity. We know that meditating has the ability to reduce emotional arousal as seen in a clinical study using Sahaja Yogic Meditators.

Another study on the “Effect of mindfulness meditation training on anxiety, depression and sleepquality in perimenopausal women.” Proved to be beneficial in reducing mental health issues specifically anxiety, depression and sleep issues.

What other life skill, help’s you experience inner calm, peace amidst the chaos, the sadness, and loss, in our crazy modern life. What other skill can be as simple and cost-effective to learn?

Meditation is becoming an increasing form of therapy in modern medicine. Meditation apps are becoming more popular to help with pain management and as an emotional aid for life-threatening conditions like cancer.

Would you like to learn how to meditate?

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Free Meditation Course – The Meditation Library

Free Meditation Course – The Meditation Library

Free Meditation Course by The Meditation Library. Learn how to meditate daily even if you think you can’t meditate. Learn how to build your meditation practice up in a more simple stressless way.

In this Free Meditation Course, you will not only get your own free meditation mp3 instructional track. You get a 5-day video course to support your meditation practice. You will get daily tips on how to meditate and how not to meditate. We will also clear up some common myths and misunderstandings surrounding meditation like those below. Misconceptions around meditation can leave beginners of meditation more stressed and frustrated than calm and relaxed. This course is designed to make meditation more simple, less confusing and more easy to apply to your daily routine.

Understanding Meditation

So what is meditation? Meditation is a skill that is used to bring us into present moment awareness. Meditation techniques usually use one object or sense as its point of focus. In any breathing meditation, the point of focus is your breath. In a Mantra Meditation  your point of awareness is on the Mantra

free meditation course by the meditation library

Common Myths Around Meditation

Meditation Is About Controlling Your Thoughts- Wrong

This is a common myth about meditation. A by-product of meditation is you start to have more space between your thoughts, you lose attachment to your thoughts. You’re not entangled as uch by your thoughts. You become more of a witness an observer to your thoughts instead of getting carried with your thoughts. That is why meditation can be very helpful in reducing symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. But meditation is not about trying to control or stop your thoughts.

Meditation Is A Religious Or Spiritual Practice – Not Necessarily

Although different forms of meditation are used in some spiritual or religious practice and most meditation practice has originated from eastern Hinduism and Buddhism. Meditation today is most commonly used in the west as a stress management tool or aid for health and wellbeing. To meditate does not mean you follow any religious concept.

You Need To Sit Like A Yogi To Meditate – Wrong

No no-one needs to meditate like a yogi. You don’t need to si in the Lotus, Half Lotus or Burmese position to meditate effectively. I have meditated for about 28 years and I usually meditate on a chair. As long as you are sitting upright with your back reasonably straight not slouched or lying down you can meditate.

Meditation Is A Way To Sleep – Not Technically True

When you meditate you are attentively aware, you feel more relaxed and at peace. But traditional meditation is about being fully present, conscious or even super-conscious. Many people confuse meditation with guided meditations that are really more guided visualisations. This is where a therapist will take you on a guided journey evoking different senses, especially imagery. This often has a very different purpose from what most of us would say is the art of meditation. Some guided visualisations ( known as guided meditation) are designed to help one drift off to sleep. But traditionally meditation is about being fully conscious and about supporting us to let go of the stories. Rather than create a story in our mind what often a guided visualisation will do.

Meditation Is Difficult – It Doesn’t Have To Be

Some people come into meditation with high expectations, expecting all sorts of shifts or expectations in a short period of time.  They often put pressure on themselves to achieve or experience something. Meditation is the art of full being, not about an end result. In a way meditation is a journey, not about a mere destination. You will get many benefits of meditation the more you practice meditation. But it is not a process that should be judged, compared or analysed.

Meditation Is Boring – It Doesn’t Have To Be

Again many people come to meditation with very distorted perceptions and expectations around meditation. If you are used to a very active and busy, fun or high adrenaline-packed life. Meditation can take a little bit of adjusting. In a modern world that has deluded us to believe we must do this, be this, have this at the push of an app. We are so used to doing, thinking we have forgotten how to just be. Something that as babies and young children we do so easily.

Meditation Has To Be Long – Wrong

Although generally the more time we spend in a meditative state the more it increases our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. You don’t need to practice a traditional 20-minute meditation twice a day to reduce your anxiety and stress levels. It can be much easier and beneficial for many people to meditate in short bursts throughout your day. Now, technically in many ways, you can go through your day in meditation. Your day in conscious awareness but this is something that usually takes a lot of discipline and practice. to master 

Benefits Of Meditation

There are many researched health benefits of meditation.  Where meditation has proved effective at reducing depression, anxiety, stress, inflammation and pain. There has also been a variety of surveys documentating the increasing use of meditation for adults and children.

Would you like to learn how to meditate?

Access The Meditation Library’s Free Meditation Course

free meditation course for beginners

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