5 Benefits of Meditation on the Brain

Meditation is utilized all over the planet. The purpose is to clear your mind of all thoughts and focus on being still and calm. We live in an age where sitting still in a quiet room with no distractions or technology is unheard of. Yet, our bodies need the break from the chaos. To decompress and gain an understanding of how to control our own wandering thoughts. Meditation can lead to a multitude of benefits, including:

Emotional health: Reduce stress, lower anxiety, a better sense of self-worth

Improved Sleep

Enhanced Creativity and Problem Solving

Lengthened Attention Span

Aids in Preventing Age-Related Memory Loss

Improved Emotional Health

In the modern age, we are followed home from work. You can still be reached in an instant through emails, phone calls, text messages, social media, etc. It is hard to obtain any balance, and a moment of peace is held tightly onto before it fades.

Meditation can allow you to appreciate the details of the mug that contains the drink that warms your throat. You will be able to notice and be grateful, but let the moment go because you can now create more. You can cultivate the feelings from within because regular meditation provides you with more self-worth.

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” thich nhat hanh

Meditation increases your sense of well being and provides you with more energy and mindfulness. The practice fosters therapeutic effects that improve quality of life when implemented into your routine. The user feels more connected to their surroundings and experiences more empathy. If you are feeling disassociated from your surroundings and peers, there are meditations geared toward building compassion. This category of meditation (Metta), boosts the areas of the brain associated with processing empathy and social connectedness.

The American Journal of Psychiatry conducted a study where they accessed twenty-two individuals that struggled with anxiety and depression. Twenty of the Twenty-two noted a significant reduction in symptoms.

Improved Sleep

You are cozy in bed exhausted and ready to drift off, but your thoughts are running on an endless loop. You switch the pillow to the cool side for the fifth time after hours of trying to sleep with no avail. Half the population will experience this problem, and the solution could be mindful meditation.

A study observed a control group and one that practiced mindful meditation before bed. The group who meditated fell asleep first and stayed asleep longer than the control. Taking the step to meditate before bed generates a higher quality of sleep and shuts off intrusive thoughts.

Enhanced Creativity and Problem Solving

"Insight problem solving is hindered by automated verbal-conceptual processes. Because mindfulness meditation training aims at "nonconceptual awareness" which involves a reduced influence of habitual verbal-conceptual processes on the interpretation of ongoing experience, mindfulness may facilitate insight problem solving." University of Groningen, Department of Psychology

Decision making takes place in two sectors:

Divergent and Convergent

Divergent thinking is the process of formulating multiple new ideas while convergent involves thinking of a specific solution. FA and Om are Buddhist meditation practices that guide the mediator to focus on a particular object. If attention is swayed, they encourage the user to come back and refocus. This aids in keeping away the runaway thoughts, and the increased focus can be applied outside of the mediation to daily problems.

"In OM meditation, instead, the individual is open to perceive and observe any sensation or thought without focusing on a concept in the mind or a fixed item; therefore attention is flexible and unrestricted. Lorenza S. Colzato"

Lengthened Attention Span

There are meditations that are focus-attention centered, they act like going to the gym for your brain. Meditating regularly, like exercising your arms or legs, will build your skill. As you continue to meditate, you will notice more endurance when trying to concentrate. Human Resource employees who tried meditation reaped the benefits of improved productivity at work. They switched tasks less often and remained concentrated for longer.

Aids in Preventing Age-Related Memory Loss

The human mind is the vessel for our emotions and memories. When it begins to fade, it can induce extreme emotional pain in the person inflicted but also the families. Introducing meditation in conjugation with previously mentioned benefits also works to improve attention and clarity, which helps keep your mind youthful.

Kirtan Kriya is a method of meditation that binds a statement or chant with a repeated motion of the limbs to focus thoughts. Participants observed a more exceptional ability to perform memory-related tasks and retain the process.

Furthermore, in addition to fighting age-related memory loss, meditation can aid memory in patients dealing with dementia. It can also help control stress and improve coping in those caring for family members with dementia.

Easy Ways to Get Start Meditating

Now that you know the benefits, I know you are foaming at the mouth to get started and begin to see the changes for yourself. Getting into meditation can be a daunting task, and there are a few programs that offer guidance and learning materials to help you better understand why you are meditating in the first place.

Breath Focus

Find a comfortable position where you can be alert but relaxed. I recommend a chair where you have support, and it feels familiar. Set a timer for ten minutes and see if you can devote your attention to your breath. What does it feel like at the entrance of your nose or mouth? Cool? Warm? Observe the feeling of your chest expanding and contracting, whatever comes to mind is fine. There are no right or wrong answers, and it's normal for your thoughts to drift. Go into the experience with an open mind and acknowledge when your mind loses focus, without attaching negative or positive feelings to it. Just redirect your attention and begin again.

Body Scan

This strategy is similar to breath focus, and they are often used in unison. Find a comfortable position with support, notice the surface beneath you, and check-in with your body starting at the top of your head. See what you notice, if anything at all. Slowly work your way down your neck and shoulders. Follow the path down your torso and legs and into your toes. Identify any areas of tension and see if you can consciously relax them. If you find yourself still retaining tension, you can tense the affected muscles for ten seconds or so and then release to relieve stiffness and stress.

Parting Thoughts

Meditation is not just for monks and hipsters. It can be a beneficial tool in relieving ailments and enhancing existing abilities. It may be uncomfortable at first, but trying things outside of your normal sphere is good for you and leads to growth. Like any skill, it has to be practiced and studied to improve. Do not feel guilty if your mind wanders; it's natural, and as you continue to meditate, it will subside. Meditation rewires the brain to be happier and healthier. We continue to get busier and busier as a society, the fleeting moments of peace will keep you grounded and boost your sense of well being.