In last week's blog, we covered 5 benefits of meditation to help you understand just how good meditation is for you. This week, we will cover 5 more benefits, and in particular, this week will have a focus on the health benefits of meditation with a focus on what it can do for your body! It's worth noting that the benefits here cite just a few studies - there are so many studies out there which outline the benefits and we encourage you to either further your research or reach out to us for a more in depth discussion.
1. Meditation is good for your heart:
When you experience stress or anxiety, do you experience the tensions in your heart? Not only does this cause serious issues for heart, it creates blockages in the blood flow which can be detrimental to your health.
Various studies have outlined that meditation is a wonderful tool to help reduce blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels. These are all big wins for your heart and your overall health. We don't want to be alarming, but the significance of this can't be understated. As an example, a high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. Keep your heart happy and healthy by learning to meditate
2. Meditation is good for your brain:
Grey matter in the brain is associated with a number of functions, including memory, decision-making, and emotion regulation. A study published in the journal Psychiatry Research found that regular meditation practice was associated with increased grey matter in the brain. The reason why this is important for your health is it has benefits to your emotional regulation, memory, and movement. Because this meditation is a self reflection-meditation, it is also one of the best, natural preventative measures against dementia!
3. Meditation helps reduce chronic pain:
There is an increasing level of understanding that chronic pain is first related to the mind. The trauma associated with the mind tends to magnify the effects of that pain, and we do know of cases where people's chronic pain has found significant improvement by meditating.
A systematic review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that mindfulness-based interventions were associated with significant reductions in chronic pain intensity and improved quality of life in a variety of chronic pain conditions. We do recommend though, that you supplement this with the appropriate physical activities and the right medical advice.
4. Meditation will improve your sleep:
Insomnia is a by-product of an overactive mind. It means you have too many thoughts! When you clear away your mind of those countless thoughts, you will naturally be able to sleep when it is time to sleep. We know this to be a fact by experience, and from the many stories of people who have done this meditation.
I tried all kinds of different things to help my sleep. I tried binaural beats, I was on medication, I was on melatonin. I went to my GP to find out about a sleep study, and straight away he said it's not going to work, the technology isn't advanced enough. So it was at that point that, I took a second look at this flyer that my dad had given me for this meditation. So, I thought "OK, maybe I will give this a go" And so when I came here and signed up, I have not looked back ever since. It's been absolutely fantastic!
However, it is also something that is acknowledged by scientists. But just think about how ridiculous it is that something as natural as sleep has become such a problem! Its because of the mind. It starts and ends there.
5. Meditation improves your immune function:
This is a big one, particularly with everyone's concerns about COVID. The immune system plays a crucial role in protecting our bodies from illness and disease. A study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that mindfulness meditation was associated with improved immune function, as measured by increased levels of antibodies in the blood.
A regular meditation practice, as well as a healthy diet and regular exercise will work wonders for your immune system. Which leads us to our bonus benefit...
Special Benefit - Meditation will slow the aging process:
The aging process is related to the lifespan of your telomeres. In layman's terms, telomeres are the "capping" on the end of your DNA (think of the plastic that covers the end of your shoe laces). They have a life span, and when that life span ends, so does ours. Smoking, stress, and poor eating are huge contributors to reducing the life span of telomeres.
On top of this, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a mindfulness-based intervention was associated with significant improvements in cognitive function and reductions in age-related decline in older adults. But what about for the younger generation?
Stress is radically reducing our natural lifespan! Humans should be living to 140-150 years old, and in the future will be a fact. They will look back on our generation, lamenting the way we lived without wisdom. If you meditate, exercise regularly, eat a vegetable-based diet, and practice yoga, you will increase your natural life span, and the younger you do it, the older you will live.
On top of this.... The most profound thing about this meditation is that you are the Universe. The Universe is not separate from anything! However, because we are all living inside of our own little, self-made bubbles (our own mind worlds) we are disconnected from the source of who we are. When you rid yourself that bubble, and discover that you are the Universe, you reconnect with the source of who you are and you will live an eternally happy life. Your body will age and disappear, but your being will live on forever.
This is the only meditation practice on the planet which can deliver this fact of life.