Okay, what’s the deal with all this meditation nonsense we are hearing about CONSTANTLY these days? Does it really even do anything? Maybe you’ve tried to meditate but really just don’t see the benefits or can’t make it stick. I get it! I’ve been there.
It took me a few YEARS of inconsistent meditation to truly experience the value of it. When I started I would stick to it for maybe 3 days in a row then fall off and not remember to try again until a few months later. Some days meditation is incredibly frustrating and my 10 minutes feel like a year, other times it is pure bliss.
I think that’s kind of the point. Meditation forces us to slow down, to be still, to think, to stop and it frequently shows us what’s going on inside. We’re usually too busy rushing around to notice that.
I thought I’d cut to the chase and tell you why meditation is all the rage these days by sharing some of the ways meditation can improve your life!
10 MAJOR Benefits of Meditation!
1. It forces you to slow down and stop to chill for a sec.
We are all busy people. We run from one thing to the next. Our bodies can’t function without rest and neither can our minds. Chill. Seriously. It helps.
2. It increases happiness
Meditation can help to release endorphins and serotonin aka feel good chemicals. The more of those we can get, the merrier!
3. Increase creativity
Meditation has been proven to almost clear out our brain space. This allows for more open mindedness and creative solutions. It helps to think of alternative approaches to problems. Meditation creates more cognitive flexibility.
4. Relieves stress and anxiety
Meditation helps the body to relax. It slows our breathing, pulse rate, and metabolism which allows our bodies to calm down.
5. Increase self-awareness
In our busy worlds, we don’t often take intentional time away to think about what’s going on inside our brain or body. By sitting in meditation consistently, we learn to check in with a deeper level which aids self-awareness. The more we practice, the more we learn.
6. Increase productivity and concentration
It has been discovered that meditators’ brains have thicket prefrontal cortex tissue. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for attention and control. No more struggle for “will power!”
7. Generate kindness and gratitude
Practicing a loving kindness meditation helps us to feel less isolated and recognize similarities with those around us. Research shows that practicing loving kindness meditation helps to decrease implicit biases towards others (Kang, Gray & Dovido, 2014). By practicing we allow space to appreciate all of the gifts we have in our lives.
8. Improves sleep
In a similar way to how meditation helps with stress and anxiety, it also allows for improved sleep. By relaxing before we head to bed, we allow for better quality sleep.
9. Increase intuition
Meditation focuses our minds inward. By learning more about ourselves, we learn to trust ourselves more. We have a better understanding of our gut inclinations and when it can be helpful to listen to them.
10. Helps with memory loss
A recent study at UCLA used MRI’s to scan brains of individuals who meditate on a regular and consistent basis. The research found that individuals who meditate regularly have larger brains and much more gray matter then the non-meditating individuals.
Try out meditation for a week or two. Start with 5 minutes. Some of my favorite apps to get started are Headspace, Calm or Simple Habit. They all have a lot of free resources that can be super helpful if you’re a very beginner (or more advanced). Let me know how this goes for you.
Having trouble with meditation? Shoot me an email! I’d love to chat about it!!
