1. Reduces stress
Meditation is a simple and fast way to reduce your stress. In the simplest terms, a regular meditation practice teaches your body to calm the stress response. The persistent release of the stress hormone cortisol -which happens when we are in a heightened state- is subdued with meditation and our bodies become able to enter a healing state. While Iāve listed this as a single reason here, the reduction of stress in itself leads to a myriad of other wonderful health benefits. Ā So many of the challenges we face in life, whether it be physical pain, mental burnout, emotional imbalance ā all of it can be linked to stress. By reducing stress, we are doing our mind, body, spirit and psyche an immeasurable world of good.
2. Lowers blood pressure
Studies have shown over and over that meditation decreases blood pressure, and that a regular meditation practice helps maintain this over time. Reduced blood pressure over time can relieve strain on the heart and circulatory system and thus help prevent heart disease, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular problems. Meditation appears, in part, to help reduce blood pressure by relaxing the nerve signals that direct heart function, decreasing blood vessel tension, and calming the āfight-or-flightā response that our bodies go into during stressful situations.
Studies have also shown that a regular meditation practice can have a positive influence on temper, and that it is a valuable strategy in anger management.
3. Improves sleep
By calming a āracing mindā that can often prevent us from falling asleep, not only can meditation help reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, but science has also shown that meditation can help increase the quality and duration of sleep once we do drift off to La-la land. Not only is better sleep important for our overall health (I canāt even begin to cover all the important things our bodies do while we are sleeping, but trust me when I say that sleep is essential to good health), but also who doesnāt love a good nightās sleep!
4. Aids in combating pain
In one large study involving over 3500 people, participants were subjected to the same cause and intensity of pain. Overwhelmingly participants in the āMeditatorsā category showed a much greater capacity for coping with the pain, and even reported lower sensation of pain as compared to those in the ānon-Meditatorsā category. This has great implications for not only the experience of sudden pain, like stubbing oneās toe for example, but also for the use of meditation as a way of helping to deal with and treat chronic pain in conjunction with medical care and other therapeutic modalities.
Ā Ā
5. Helps stave off illness
Whether it be a headache, a backache, or something else, research studies have shown that meditation can help and even prevent many illnesses. One recent study found that the practice of meditation contributed significantly to the relief of tension headaches. Another showed a correlation between meditation and a reduced number of respiratory illnesses (compared to the control group), as well as quicker recovery times, and fewer sick days off work. And yet another study showed a statistically significant difference in banishing burnout between those who meditated regularly, and those who did not. Certainly, one can see how having a regular meditation practice makes good sense in a healthy lifestyle.
6. Contributes to improved memory and attention span
What was I saying, I forget? What?..... SQUIRREL! š
Just like a workout for your body increases your physical strength, meditation ā a workout for your mind ā helps increase your mental strength. Regular meditation can foster better focus, clarity, and memory. Itās also been shown to reduce distracting thoughts and mind wandering, and even help improve accuracy and performance when completing various tasks. There is some evidence to suggest that regular meditation may help fight age-related memory loss and even dementia.
7. Fosters compassion and kindness
Nobody would argue that the world couldnāt do with a little more kindness and compassion. One of the most wonderful things about meditation is its ability to foster kindness and compassion not only for others, but also for oneself. Making a regular routine of meditation can help us understand ourselves on a deeper level. And by better understanding ourselves, we can find our best selves, and share that person with the world. By better understanding ourselves we can also better understand one another, and that helps us have more positive feelings and take more positive, cooperative actions towards one another, thus fostering the peace and harmony that supports, sustains, and strengthens our communities.
8. Helps improve mental health
Regular meditation can foster a sense of peace and calm that can greatly benefit your wellbeing. Reduction in anxiety and depression, improvements in stress reactivity and coping, along with all the other benefits Iāve previously listed like reduced stress, pain and illness, improved sleep, memory, and greater compassion ā all of these things help contribute to positive mental health. In addition, the calmness and clarity of mind that people can experience during meditation does not end when your meditation is over. These feelings of positive mental health can be carried throughout the rest of your day-to-day activities and throughout your life.
9. Itās accessible to anyone, anywhere
What other complementary healthcare modality allows you to literally do it anywhere, any time? Meditation is practiced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. And with good reason. Not only does meditation offer all the tremendous benefits Iāve outlined already (and more), but itās one of the easiest ways to bring health into your life. Meditation does not require any special equipment, it can be learned quite easily, and the only things needed to do it are a willingness to practise, and a few minutes of time.
10. Itās free
Along with being accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time meditation doesnāt cost a thing. Sure, you can certainly purchase the help of a professional meditation coach (such as yours truly) to help learn how to meditate, and/or to help you delve deeper into meditation. Or you may even choose to buy a meditation app ā both worthwhile investments to be sure. But any amounts you might choose to invest are negligible when comparing to something like a gym membership or massage for example. And of course, you can also choose to learn meditation by seeking out free online videos, articles, blogs, and the like, or by signing out some books from your local library.
And so Dear Reader let us recap. Meditation is free. It is accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time. It offers innumerable health benefits like reductions in stress, blood pressure, and pain. It helps combat depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. It helps improve sleep, enhances focus and attention, and may help reduce age-related memory issues. It helps keep illness at bay, and contributes to greater kindness, compassion, empathy, and accord. And all of this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the many things that meditation can do to help bring health and harmony to your life. Knowing all of this, why wouldnāt this be the year you finally learn how to meditate. š
Sources:
UC Davis Health. Health benefits of meditation: From better sleep to improved memory, meditation can help. Brenda Gustin. 2019.
Greatest. Science-backed reasons to meditate. Alexandra Duron. 2014.
Healthline. 12 Science-based benefits of Meditation. Written by Matthew Thorpe, MD, PhD and Rachael Link, MS, RD ā Medically reviewed by Marney A. White, PhD, MS, Psychology. 2020.Ā
