Benefits of Meditation (1)

1
Do You Know the Scientific Benefits of Meditation?
There are so many benefits of meditation. It
doesnt just make you feel good in the moment,
it changes your brain, and scientific research
has proven it.
Humans have been meditating for a long time. In
fact, ancient Indian texts called the Vedas,
dating back over 3,000 years, give detailed
instructions on meditation practices. Long
before the internet, computers and even mass
forms of communication, weve understood the
power of meditation. Despite technological
advances and entire civilizations dying and
being born, the practice of meditation has
survived. That longevity speaks to the personal
power of meditation. Now, through scientific
research, we are able to see that meditation has
profound effects on our brain, body and
spirit. In this article, were going to dive
deep into meditation research. Well show you how
science has proven what weve known all along
meditation benefits every single part of our
lives, and by instituting a meditation practice,
you can vastly improve your health, your mind,
your body and your spirit.
What Does Meditation Do? Because meditation is
often seen as a spiritual practice, it can be
difficult to think of it as something with
proven, scientific benefits. But the reality is,
meditation isnt just about
2
connecting with and healing your soul
meditation has real, physical effects on your
mind and body. Through meditation research,
weve been able to discover the science of
meditation and how it changes your brain. Weve
also learned that meditation doesnt just change
your brain in the moment, while youre
meditating, but the benefits are long-term and
lasting. To understand the scientific benefits
of meditation, you must first understand the
brain because every meditation benefit comes
from the effects that meditation has on the
brain. Your brain is constantly changing.
Scientists call this neuroplasticity and it works
like this Every thought, experience, mood,
belief, emotion and action is a series of
electrical impulses firing off in the brain, fed
by various chemicals. Each time they fire off,
they strengthen. So every time you repeat an
action, thought, belief or emotion, you
physically strengthen that connection
literally, your brain changes. As you
strengthen connections, other connections fade
away and the physical structure of your brain
changes. This neuroplasticity happens
automatically, but it actually gives you a lot of
power. When you become aware of and intentional
with your thoughts, you are taking control of how
your brain changes. This is why meditation is
so powerful. It doesnt matterwhat type of
meditation you choose to engage in. The
conscious decision to be calm and mindful will
physically change your brain to be more calm and
mindful.
Meditation Benefits The Mind Now that you
understand how meditation changes the brain,
lets look at how these changes can specifically
manifest themselves into your life. Meditation
Makes You Happy In a 2013 study, researchers used
an Oxford questionnaire to determine the study
participants level of happiness. It turns out,
96 of the participants who practice meditation
scored as "happy," while only 56 of
non-meditating participants scored the same.
Whats even more interesting is the results were
the same across all demographics, so age and even
years of practicing meditation didnt have an
effect on the results. Only one result stood out
those who meditate are happy.
3
Meditation Can Relieve Symptoms Of Depression
Easing the symptoms of depression is one of the
most widely studied benefits of
meditation. While there are numerous studies,
research completed in 2014 revealed 18 major
studies, which demonstrated that meditation, in
many forms, can alleviate depressive symptoms at
all stages of the illness.
Meditation Alleviates Stress
Depression is an illness, and meditation can help
alleviate the symptoms, but what about
depressive and stressful feelings in people who
dont suffer from depression? It turns out that
even healthy people can see great relief from
everyday stress by simply practicing meditation.
A 2015 study discovered 29 scientific studies
that prove meditation is effective in
alleviating stress in otherwise healthy people
Meditation Stops Anxiety And Worry
Anxiety happens when we buy into our fearful
thoughts and then obsess over the possible
outcomes. Meditation trains your brain to step
back from those thoughts, gain some distance,
and, as a result, become a calmer person. Study
after study has proven this to be true, and in an
analysis of 47 studies, relief from anxiety was
proven over and over again.
Meditation Makes The Healthy Areas Of Your Brain
Grow
Believe it or not, you can actually grow more
gray matter. Gray matter is the stuff your brain
is made of, and when certain parts of your brain
are stimulated over a period of time, gray
matter grows. A landmark study in 2011
discovered that meditation makes your brain grow
more gray matter in extremely important areas
like those that control self-awareness and
emotional regulation.
Meditation Helps You Focus
Concentration, attention and focus are so
important for nearly every activity we
participate in, but in our world today thats
constantly moving from one task to another, its
difficult to improve those skills. Enter
meditation. Its been proven time and time again
that those who meditate are able to focus
better, pay attention longer and concentrate more
effectively.
4
Meditation Makes You Creative
Creativity is an important skill that helps you
come up with new ideas and solve problems more
effectively. We use creativity all the time, and
being more creative can help you deal with
stressful situations better. A 2012 study found
that, by helping you step back from your
thought-processes, meditation makes you a more
creative thinker.
Health Benefits Of Meditation When you ask
yourself, what is meditation good for? you
might be able to come up with some great answers
about the benefits of mediation for the mind and
spirit, but what about the body? As it turns
out, meditation is extremely healthy and healing.
Here's why
Meditation Reduces Pain
No one likes pain, and its a natural response to
try and alleviate pain as much as possible. In
2011, scientists discovered that meditation is
powerful tool for alleviating pain. Not only
does meditation regulate the pain centers in your
brain it helps you tolerate pain and lessen
intensity.
Meditation Can Help You Quit Smoking
Nearly one third of the entire world smokes
cigarettes. Given the very real dangers of
smoking, finding a cure for this addictive
behavior is crucial. Thankfully, scientists have
discovered that a meditation practice can
significantly help you quit smoking. In one
study, participants who participated in a
mindfulness meditation program were 36 more
likely to quit smoking after four weeks, as
compared to 15 of those who didnt participate.
Even more astonishing, 36 of the participants
were still sober from cigarettes after 17 weeks,
compared to 5 of those who didnt practice
meditation.
Meditation Can Cut Your Risk For Heart Disease In
Half
Heart disease is the number one killer in the
world. While there's been a lot of progress in
medicine towards ending heart disease, theres
still a long way to go. Fortunately, cutting
your risk in half may be as simple as practicing
meditation. One study showed that participants
in a transcendental meditation group reduced
their heart disease risk by 48 at the end of
their participation in the program.
5
Meditation Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation throughout the body contributes to
various autoimmune diseases and cancers. Keeping
the body from experiencing unnecessary
inflammation is important, and meditation can
help. In a 2016 study, scientists discovered
that those who participated in a 3-day meditation
retreat had significantly lower levels of an
inflammatory biomarker called interleukin 6.
Its incredible that 3 days of meditation can
improve your health so much!
Meditation Helps You Fight And Manage Diseases
Modern medicine is constantly making attempts to
cure and manage prevalent disease that plague
our world, but progress is slow. On the other
hand, meditation has been proven to be an
effective treatment and even preventative
measure towards disease likes asthma, arthritis,
Alzheimer's. hypertension, high cholesterol,
epilepsy and psoriasis.
The Disadvantages Of Meditation When you read
about new treatments that claim to alleviate
symptoms of depression, reduce stress or even
cure diseases, your first thought might be,
thats great, but what about the side
effects? While all medications and herbal
remedies have potential side effects ranging from
annoying to deadly, sometimes the risk is worth
it. Weighing out those risks can be stressful,
and you should always speak with a medical
professional when attempting a new
treatment. Fortunately, there are no risks to
meditation. Thats right, meditation is
scientifically proven to be an effective
treatment for a variety of conditions, and there
are absolutely no risks involved! You might find
it difficult or even boring, and certain
meditation positions can be uncomfortable at
first, but practicing meditation comes with no
threats to your physical, mental or spiritual
health only benefits. If youre considering
starting a meditation practice, go for it and
keep in mind Its free Its easy Anyone can do
it, regardless of age, gender or mental and
physical health Its scientifically proven to
make you a happier, healthier person
6
There are no risks or disadvantages
Mindvalley Academy Education for People Who
Refuse to Fit into the Ordinary World ? ?
See all blog posts from Mindvalley Academy
MEDITATION
Tags
Other Related Articles
MEDITATION
Transcendental Meditation The Power For More
Peace And Happiness Mindvalley Academy 19
days
ago
? 8 shares
MEDITATION
Easy Meditation for Beginners 10 Helpful
Meditation Tips Mindvalley Academy 20 days
ago
? 0 shares
Copyright 2016 Mindvalley Academy. All Rights
Reserved.