In my previous article you could read what meditation really is. In this article I will talk a bit more about why meditation can be helpful to you.

Thanks to thousands of scientific studies that have confirmed the benefits, meditation is now widely accepted. People meditate for many different reasons. You can meditate to heal an illness, to relax, to clear your mind, to help you make a decision, to get inspiration, better concentration, etc. Although meditation can be very good for you, it is not a cure for everything. When you start with meditation, do not expect results overnight. It takes effort and time and might not give you perfect results.

Relaxation

A lot of people lead a hectic life or are under a lot of stress. They have difficulty to relax. When you meditate you learn to relax your body quickly and to stop thinking actively. You can quickly and consciously relax whenever you want and wherever you want.

A clear mind

When we feel stressed our thoughts are usually all over the place. We try to think and do a lot of things at the same time. Because we do not pay 100% attention to the things we do, we usually do not do it so well. When you meditate you learn to focus on one thing at a time and without being distracted by other things. You will notice that things will become clearer to you and that you are able to do your tasks better.

Self Awareness

A lot of times we do things that we are not even aware of. For example you eat a whole pack of biscuits without realising it until you finished it. Or you are lighting one cigarette after another and you are surprised to find out you smoked the whole the packet. You are not consciously sensing what you are doing or have no idea why you are doing it. Meditation brings you back to basics and can put you in touch again with your feelings and sensations.

When you meditate feelings can come to the surface. You might find out that you still feel hurt over something that happened, that you are upset, sad, etc. It is a little bit like therapy; meditation can help you acknowledge the problem and help you clear it.

Better Performance

More and more people meditate to improve their performances. Through meditation they learn to pace themselves and use the right amount of energy at the right time. It can give them the edge they need for certain tasks. For example athletes, musicians, etc. Maybe you have to give a speech in public and you already get the sweats just thinking about it. A lot of people achieve their best performances through meditation.

Finding answers

We usually think in words, but when we meditate the words seem to fade away. Instead of blocking images and feelings we become more receptive to them. We start to see connections and solutions become clear to us. Instead of being right in the middle of a problem, you are taking a step back and watch it. You will be amazed how many times the right answer will simply pop up when your mind is clear. When you meditate you learn to tap into your inner wisdom.

More quality of life

“Money can not buy you happiness.” Money does not decide the quality of your life. Maybe someone who has no money to spend has more quality of life than a multi-millionaire. If you can enjoy the breeze in your face while you sit outside your caravan and love the taste of a cheese sandwich, you have a better quality of life than the multi-millionaire who complains about the food and service while seated at the most expensive restaurant. When you meditate you get in touch with your senses. We get more pleasure out of the small things in life. We do not just blindly consume everything, but truly enjoy it.

Good health

Meditation can help you improve your health, or if you are sick it can help you get better. The reason why so many doctors prescribe ‘rest’ is because our body repairs itself when it is relaxed or asleep. When we are stressed or tensed we shut our immune system off and suppress the self healing mechanism. When we meditate it helps speeding up the recovery of your illness.

When you meditate your body is more relaxed and you will have less pain, you will sleep better, have more energy, breathe better, your blood pressure is normal, you have less anxiety, you are mentally clearer and relaxed, and you will start to enjoy life more. For whatever reason you want to meditate, it will benefit your life in many ways.