Meditation: The Surprising Way to Reduce Stress and Improve Your Health

Meditation has several health benefits that can make your life easier and better. For example, it can help you feel less anxious and more focused on what’s important to you. It’s also been found to lower blood pressure and reduce symptoms of physical conditions like heart disease, even without making any dietary or exercise changes. What’s more, meditation can ease the symptoms of mental illnesses like depression and anxiety disorders, as well as treat addictions like alcoholism or drug abuse. And in addition to all these benefits, meditation may also slow down aging in the brain and improve overall quality of life.

Why do we need meditation?

Meditation is a great way to reduce stress, enhance your mood, and manage pain. Many people use meditation for stress relief, but it’s also good for things like improving concentration, learning how to better manage your emotions (such as anxiety or fear), sharpening your ability to empathize with others, dealing with chronic pain from injuries or illnesses, boosting energy levels, fighting insomnia...and more. Meditation has been studied extensively—there are some 2,000 studies in all—and its health benefits have been demonstrated by researchers around the world. One example is a study at Massachusetts General Hospital that showed mindfulness meditation can help people manage their depression symptoms.

What are the most common types of meditation?

There are many different types of meditation. There are mindful meditation practices like yoga meditation for kids, free calm app or free meditation apps. There are also structured forms of meditation that have been shown to reduce stress and improve our health, like Vipassana (Insight) Meditation or Transcendental Meditation. Scientific research shows that each form of meditation has certain benefits that can make our lives better. For example, Mindfulness Meditation helps us be more focused on what’s important in life and reduces anxiety. Guided Meditations help us relax at night so we sleep better and feel less stressed in general. Yoga Nidra is a very relaxing type of meditation that helps us fall asleep faster at night by slowing down our breathing rate and heart rate. So when it comes to choosing a type of meditation practice, you really can’t go wrong!

Why meditate?

Meditation helps you feel less anxious, more focused on what’s important to you, better able to deal with pain, improve your memory, sleep better and lower your blood pressure. Studies have also found it can help treat heart disease. And if that’s not enough for you... meditation makes us nicer people.

In one study, researchers had a group of volunteers meditate for two months. When they returned to them six months later, they were noticeably kinder than before. A second study showed similar results—meditating for just 30 minutes a day over three weeks caused participants to become significantly more generous than those who didn't meditate at all. So why wait?

How to start meditating?

Start small. You don’t have to clear your calendar, flip a table and yell, This day is mine! Instead, start by simply taking one minute out of each day. If you can’t do that, try 20 seconds or even 10—but find a way to incorporate meditation into your life right now. If you want more help finding exactly what works for you, check out some mindfulness monday quotes here.

Where can I find a class?

If you’re just getting started with meditation, or want a refresher on how to get started, look for classes at your local yoga studio or community center. You can also search online for local courses or websites that walk you through step-by-step how to meditate. It may seem difficult at first, but it gets easier over time with practice. Give yourself a month before deciding whether it’s right for you.

What are some great online resources for people who want to start meditating?

Many people find that a good way to get started with meditation is by using an app or program. There are several free apps for Android and iPhone users that can be found in your smartphone’s app store, including Insight Timer, Headspace, iMindfulness, Omvana, Stop Breathe Think and more. Search online for best meditation apps for even more recommendations.

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