The Health Benefits of Meditation
When you hear the word “meditation,” images of old monks peacefully sitting down in a distant land or grassy fields may come to mind. In reality, however, meditation is actually a healthy activity that’s great for your health and wellness, whoever and wherever you are.
In fact, meditation is a mental exercise that trains you to become more mindful, self-aware, and calm through various breathing techniques. A regular practice allows you to align yourself as you bring balance into your life. And as we’ve previously shared in our post on ‘Finding Balance at spyngaFlows’, it’s important to find that equilibrium because it frees you from any type of pain or worry.
And to help you get started on this habit, we’ve compiled a list of the different benefits that a regular meditation practice can provide.
Physical Benefits
Did you know that meditating can help you get rid of unhealthy fat in your body? Wellness writer and eating disorder survivor Linnea Zielinski shares on Woman’s World that it helps develop healthy eating habits, as the cultivation of a more conscious mind can help you curb cravings for junk food and make better dietary choices. Through this, not only will meditation help promote healthy weight loss, but it can make you a stronger and more confident woman, too.
In addition, meditation also has surprising benefits for your skin. With the array of anti-aging and skin-perfecting creams and lotions out there on the market, it can be a little overwhelming for women trying to look their best. But Emily Fletcher, a leading health expert, suggests meditation is the secret to glowing skin. In her article on Parsley Health, she explains how stress has a way of showing on our skin, accelerating aging and breaking down skin elasticity. And as the most powerful stress-relieving tool available to us, meditation counters this process and helps you achieve glowing skin from within.
Emotional Benefits
Speaking of stress, meditation is one of the best — if not, the best — methods to combat this. Sometimes, life can be pretty hectic, whether it’s a busy day at work, or even accomplishing a long list of errands. Although we can’t completely eliminate the presence of stress in our lives, what we can do is control the way we respond to it.
The beauty of meditation is that it grounds you. It reminds you of what truly matters in life, and what’s worth your time and energy. This, in turn, will help you deal with stress positively and productively. What’s more, a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that meditation stimulates kind thoughts about yourself and others as well.
Mental Benefits
Last but not least, this mental exercise is of course, highly beneficial for your mind. Meditation has the power to clear anxious, distracting, and negative thoughts to help you become mentally fit. A research study published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement reveals that meditation training can greatly increase and sustain your attention span.
Not to mention, meditating can help your brain in the long run as well. The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that the chant-based meditation method called Kirtan Kriya has the ability to improve the memory of those suffering from age-related memory loss. This means that not only can meditation help your brain today, but it can also ensure better health in later life, too.