Meditation is the practice of engaging the mind on a particular thing to reach a high level of spiritual awareness. It is this ability that can lead to achieving so much on a physical and spiritual level. 

At the end of this blog, you would have known why you should meditate, the basics, and the awesome benefits of meditation. The blog is also going to teach you about how to start meditating and then finally, the tips for it to be a success.

Why Meditate?

You should meditate to enjoy its many benefits. In a world where peace of mind is elusive and scarce, meditation is readily accessible and free of charge, it is a move that you would not regret taking on. It only requires a decision to be on it and your time. All else is your knowledge of how to do it. The blog is going to act as your beginner’s meditation handbook.

What are the Benefits of Meditation?

There are many benefits that meditation gives. It is almost not exhaustible. The best few benefits are split into two; the psychological and physical.

Psychological Benefits of Meditation

Sociability
Mediation does a great deal to improve your sociability. In as much as it is a private activity, the practice makes you be in tune with your inner self. This particular reason kicks nervousness and anxiety to the back burner and makes you easily mingle with others. In life, it is important to have meaningful connections. Meditation helps with that.

Life -Purpose, and Meaning
Meditation helps crystallize what is important and what is not in your immediate and future life. It helps make you sure about what you are passionate about and what is it that should be discarded away. It declutters your life’s purpose to ensure that you have a clear mind about what is you want to focus your energy on.

Stress Relief
The process of meditation works up the nervous and hormonal system to release the chemicals that takedown and suppress stress and depression-related conditions. Regular meditation also goes ahead to prevent the onset of the conditions.

Heightens Stress Resilience
When meditation is done for a long period, the body is adapting to be quick to adapt to the onset of the stress and depression triggers. This makes the internal system quickly recover from the stress impact and effects before they form their roots on you. This makes the immune system not to overreact to the triggers of depression.

Positivity
Because of the stress levels being low, the result is our feeling of calmness and having a positive outlook on life and the challenges that come with it. The connection with ourselves makes us confident in a way that it shows in how we take on the things that life throws at us.

Emotional Stability
Meditating over a long period has our inner systems balanced. It makes as to be less defensive and reactive to outward influences. This is the result of lowered stress levels caused by meditation.

Learning Capacity
Meditation stimulates the pre-fontal cortex; as a result, the brain’s learning center is developed. The better brainpower makes it easy for learning and retention. Whatever one consumes through the learning process gets stored in tranquil chambers of the brain. It makes it easier to be accessed when summoned at the right time, like in the case of answering a test or application of whatever had been learned at a previous time when it comes to the practical tests of life.

Empathy and Compassion
Meditation causes one to be vulnerable and thus get to know and be aware of the feelings of those around us. It makes one receptive to the emotional struggle of others. The deep connection of our brains makes us lookout for the needs, emotional and physical, of others around us. It makes us more selfless.

Present Moment and Focus
Meditation’s major quality is the focus. It makes you get your concentration abilities to a very higher level. This kind of sharp focus and concentration is important in problem-solving situations of life.

Sense of Connection
The sense of connection is of the level of self and those of others. Meditation makes you aware of your self on deeper levels. The deeper you go on, the journey of self-knowledge translates in your having and forging deeper relationships with those around you too. This connection is vital to having meaningful connections and relationships with other human beings around your world.

Physical Benefits of Meditation 

Immunity boost
Meditation boosts the immunity of our system as a by-product of keeping the stress levels on the low. This makes should that you won’t be taken down by ailments that easily. If you have an ailment, meditation will accelerate the process of recovery.
Meditation can also act as a preventive measure to so many ailments. 

Blood pressure
The calming effect that is a by-product of meditation is what makes the blood pressure levels in your vessels to be at a low level. The lowered stress levels also relate with the heart beating at a lower level, and that cholesterol levels are at a minimum in the vessels.

Blood flow to the brain
Your brain’s health and efficiency are at their best when there is a steady flow of blood to it at all times. Meditation ensures a steady flow of blood to the brain. The healthy brain also ensures that the output result of the things that we do is above average. It also ensures that we are alert and awake when that is the desired state of mind.

Muscle relaxation
This is another by-product of the reduced stress levels. Meditation reduces muscle tension that limits mobility, vertebrae discs displacement or cause spine problems if unchecked. The resultant relaxed muscles make you more agile and athletic.

Brain capacity
Meditation stretches the brain in literal terms. A high volume and thickness of the brain increase the capacity of the functioning of the brain. This comes with better memory, clarity of thought (concentration), smartness, self-control, and awareness, to name but a few.

Aging
Meditation slows down the process of aging. The mediation process results in the release of relaxing hormones. Those very hormones decelerate the release of cortisol, and the result manifests in general slowed down aging. 

Stress recovery
Meditation triggers that part of our nervous system that helps in the recovery from stress. It is a good measure to come back from a stressful state.

Good Mood Boosters
The process of meditation causes the release of feel-good hormones that include serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters put a check on our moods. They make us be in great spirits and put a wall to protect us from the “feel bad” ones

Brain flexibility
Mediation makes the brain adapt to the demands of change. It makes the brain organize and readjust itself. It makes the brain not be static. This quality is crucial for the learning process.

Reduced Cortisol Production

Cortisol is produced when we are stressed. This makes our immune system a bit compromised and vulnerable.
Meditation has the amazing ability to suppress the production of cortisol.

The Basics of Meditation

There are many techniques of meditation. The different techniques are geared toward different outcomes and goals. But with that side, there is so much that is common at the basic level and terms of the awesome practice.

Most meditation techniques involve sitting in a place devoid of distraction, closing the eyes, calming the mind, and straining your focus on the breath. But here is more.  Breathing acts as an anchor that enables us to reach the deeper levels of our conscience. Our minds get to stymie the distractions and keep the focus on the present. The mind gets to allow the flow of thoughts, in and out.

The mind is so easily distracted because of its intended design to be active. The point of meditation is to be a passive observer of the happenings of the mind’s thoughts without interfering. Then with time, we learn to channel the focus on breathing. The mind learns to be comfortable with the idea of stillness. The resulting qualities of focus, calmness, mindfulness, compassion are what become the arsenal of our daily dealings.

How to Start Meditating

To start on your meditation, you won’t need much. You will need only two important meditation accessories: a comfortable place to sit on, and a timer. 

Comfortable Sitting Place

There are three options about what to sit on:

• A chair
• A meditation cushion
• A meditation bench 

The Meditation Chair

The meditation chair is ideal for those who are starting out. It is a good place to start to get you into the practice of meditating before proceeding to acquire a meditation cushion. It is, perhaps, always readily available. The chair also comes in handy for those with back problems or generally, those who find sitting on the meditation cushion to be uncomfortable.

The Meditation cushion

This is also called the zafu. It is normally circular in shape. It is the ideal option because it is easy to attain an upright posture when seated on it. On the cushion, one is less likely to slump, thus making the meditation process more productive.

The Meditation bench

This is more likely suitable for taller people. It is a good option for thor those who will find the cushion to be uncomfortable. The urge to slump is a bit less on it. Meditation is more comfortable on the bench because it absorbs more weight that would have been supported with the legs. 

A timer

You will simply go to your app store and get a good timer for free. You really don’t have to buy a timer.

You cant also use the clock menu on your android. You simply tap on the countdown timer and set it to the intended time and start when you are ready.

Make sure you turn into airplane mode when you are using your phone time. You don’t want calls and messages hijacking your precious meditating session.

Tips for Meditation Success

Noise

Do your meditation in the quietest of environments. You are better aware of your environment in terms of where and when it less noisy, choose the times when the noise is the least. For other factors that will enhance quietness that is within your control, you should make the most of that. Quiet times for meditation seem to be early morning and late in the evening (for the night owls) for most neighborhoods.

Go slowly with the time sessions

It is a good idea to start with two minutes for the first week. Then incrementally add another two minutes every week. In the end, you will get to be on ten minutes in the fifth week. Don’t be over-ambitious to start with long times. Meditation teaches patience and discipline. This is a good place to start.

Timings

Prioritize to do your meditations in the morning. The tranquility that it offers makes the mindset ready for it. Morning mediation also prepares you for the long day ahead that is full of challenges that will require the application of what meditation teaches, i.e., patience, understanding, tolerance, calmness, etc.

Clothing

You should be in very comfortable clothes. Loose-fitting clothes are ideal. Tight-fitting clothes and jeans shouldn’t be worn while meditating. Also, you can have a pair of socks and even a comfortable jacket on if it is chilly.

Empty Stomach

This is two-sided. Don’t meditate on an empty stomach. Have something to eat before the session, and have it to a comfortable fill. You don’t want your mind dwelling on the fact that you are hungry.
Also, visit the loo before meditation. Being pressed can take away from the quality of your meditation.

Expectations

Do away with preconceived expectations at the end of the session. The expectations put some pressure on your subconscious and take captive of the session. Meditation is designed to take you away on a spiritual journey. You should not influence it by your prior expectations of it. 

Emotional leash

Let your emotions run free as you meditate. It is very normal. Be an observer, and keep focusing on your breathing and maintaining the pose and remaining in that state. Don’t feel guilty of whatever emotions that come along, but just let them roam free.

Follow Guided Meditation

There are many channels on youtube that can guide your meditation sessions. There also many websites that have good meditation guides, both paid and free. Feel free to make use of them. This can help you to boost the quality of your meditation session.

Community

Find a community of meditators. Look around social media for mediation enthusiasts and plugin. Even better, you can join them for group sessions. The group can also be a good place to share ideas and learn.

Finally, Smile when you are done

Smile because of that you have been able to do for yourself. Smile in gratitude for that peace that your body is experiencing. Smile because you stuck to your plan and that you are trustworthy. Smile because you have done the most important thing for the day and because you are very ready to face the rest of it.

 

You are now a different person to that that started reading this blog a few minutes ago. You know the basics of this age-old thing called meditation. You know why you should meditate. You know about its many awesome benefits. You now know how to start and the tips to meditate successfully. We can always gladly share with you more info concerning other meditation accessories and tools that will spice up your meditation. When you fill in your email address here be sure that we will always keep in touch.