Key Benefits of A Daily Meditation Practice

Meditation is an ancient practice that consists of different mental and physical techniques to train attention and awareness, and to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. Meditation was once a religious practice, but is now widely popular in non-spiritual contexts, such as, business, sports, and health. The practice can be used to relax, reduce stress, relieve anxiety, boost focus, and learn to adapt to challenges.

There are different types of meditations such as guided, body scanning, contemplation, yoga, mantras, and mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation builds your "inner peace" muscle and focuses on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the present moment without interpretation or judgment. Meditating first thing in the morning is one of the best ways way to ground down and feel centered for the day.

The Importance of Meditation

It is important to be aware of the practice of meditation and its benefits as chronic stress is a major problem across the globe. Modern life and everyday stressors can impact anyone at any age. Nearly 8 in 10 adults experience extreme stress regularly and 95% of workers in the United States reported feeling stressed out at work.

According to the American Psychology Association, 49% adults reported increased stress negatively impacts their moods and behaviors. With life's uncertainty and societal stressors it is vital to practice proper stress management techniques and coping mechanisms. Meditation is an amazing way to achieve deep relaxation and stillness.

Meditation Benefits

Meditation has numerous positive physiological and psychological effects and strongly supports the mind-body connection. It promotes a deep state of relaxation and tranquility. Meditation has the power to optimize brain and mental health, which contributes to better overall physical health.

Consistent meditation combats stress, boosts mood, slows down repetitive thought patterns, promotes deep sleep, lowers blood pressure, improves cognition, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, and supports gut health. The practice is proven to enhance physical and emotional well-being and nurture the stress response.

Mitigates Stress

Meditation can help mitigate stress by promoting relaxation and reducing the body's physiological response to stress. When we experience stress, our body releases hormones, such as, cortisol and adrenaline that can cause physical symptoms like increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and muscle tension. By practicing meditation, we can learn to activate the parasympathetic response, which can help reduce physical symptoms of stress and promote feelings of calm, stillness, and well-being.

Meditation also makes a positive impact on sleep by helping to calm the mind and slow down racing thoughts. When practiced regularly, meditation can help improve the quality and duration of sleep, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Research has shown that meditation can help reduce symptoms of sleep disorders, such as, insomnia and sleep apnea. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying sleep, consider developing a guided meditation practice before bed.  

Turns Off Autopilot Mode

Often times the brain can get stuck in negative, repetitive thought patterns, or on its "autopilot" default mode. This can lead to racing thoughts and detrimental, self sabotaging thought spirals. Meditation gives us the ability to cultivate body awareness and become aware of these repetitive thoughts and internal states to take the mind off autopilot.

Meditation has also been proven to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. A consistent daily meditation forms new neural connections and strengthens the nodes between the prefrontal cortex and limbic system to become aware of the self-obsessed, repetitive thought patterns to find peace and stillness in the mind.

Boosts Focus

Meditation is a powerful tool to train attention to further boost focus and concentration and improve cognition. During meditation, we train the brain to focus on one thing at a time, such as the breath or a mantra. This practice helps to improve the ability to stay focused, prioritize tasks, and be present when challenges and distractions come up in real life.

By regularly meditating, we sharpen our ability to filter out thoughts and stories in the mind from an objective point of view, which can promotes a sense of centeredness and stability. Meditation is like “innercise” for the mind; it’s brain training that decreases mind wandering, stimulates neurogenesis, and boosts working memory. Regular meditation stimulates new neural connections, boosts focus, and increases productivity.

Supports Gut Health

Meditation calms down the mind, which helps to alleviate digestive issues and promote a balanced gut microbiome. Meditation has the ability to positively alter over 1,000 different genes like gene NK-mB, which is known to cause gut inflammation. Consistent meditation influences the cultivation of good, beneficial microbes, which are essential for communication along the gut-brain axis, and activates the parasympathetic response, “rest and digest,” which maintains a healthy gut barrier and reduces inflammation.

Our ability to handle stress greatly impacts our overall gut health. Chronic stress directly inhibits normal gut activity by changing the speed of digestion, increasing intestinal permeability, and causing inflammation. Chronic stress also contributes to remodeling of gut cells and dysbiosis of gut microbiota, which can lead to weight gain, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and brain fog. A consistent meditation practice nourishes the gut and trains the mind to calm down leading to better overall health.

Cultivates Inner Peace

Meditation cultivates inner peace, balance, and calm. Consistent meditation in the morning leaves us feeling centered and grounded for the day. It gives us a place of stillness to return to when challenging situations come up during the day.

Meditation aligns the mind-body-soul connection and reminds us to act from a place of appreciation, kindness, and love. It teaches us to be okay with accepting things the way that they are unfolding in the present moment without judgment. A daily meditation practice is key in the pursuit of inner peace and happiness.

Establish A Daily Meditation Practice

• Develop a clear intention for why you are establishing a consistent meditation practice.
• Choose anytime of day, preferably in the morning after waking up, but anytime is good to sit with yourself and establish a consistent practice.  
• Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit with yourself in stillness for at least 10-15 minutes daily.
• Sit in an upright position and focus on your meditation object. Notice any thoughts as they come up and view them from a distance.
• Remember, meditation is a challenging practice and to be kind to yourself when redirecting your attention to your meditation object.
• Take some time afterwards to journal any thoughts or stories that may have come up.

Final Thoughts

Meditation teaches us to become aware of thoughts and sensations in the present moment and to accept them how they are in a nonjudgmental manner. Chronic stress is a global epidemic and meditation is an awesome stress management and anxiety relief practice. The practice is used to relax, reduce stress, relieve anxiety and depression, boost focus, and learn to adapt to stress.

Consistent meditation reinforces the mind-body-soul connection and has countless mental and health benefits. Meditation is not a simple practice and the key to success is consistency. Always remember that the only bad meditation is the one you didn’t do.

Thank you for reading this article.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.