Meditation should be done by everyone for its benefits, but many are sceptical about it because of its history. It’s true that the practice drew its root from Buddhism and Hinduism, but it’s not religious. Many religions practise it but you don’t necessarily have to be a religious person to meditate.

 

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The practice is beneficial to your mental health as it works wonders to your brain. When you meditate, your psych goes through some major positive changes. Your brain stops processing information as actively as it does, and this gives you a certain calm especially after meditating.

 

You can meditate in two ways:

1. Focused-attention, or mindful meditation
To practise this, you need to focus on one thing. It could be your breathing, an object, or a sensation in your body. When you do, keep your attention on that thing and, if your mind wanders, try and get your focus back.

 

2. Open-monitoring meditation
Contrary to the first type of meditation, you need to pay attention to all the things happening around you. The trick is you shouldn’t react to any of the things happening around you.

 

While the above is common knowledge in scientific research, a lot of people have personalised their meditation practice. There are several other ways you can practise it as long as you get the calming positive result.

 

Whatever mediation style you choose, here are the benefits you get after practising.

 

1. It helps reduce your stress level

 

Meditation helps you to reduce the level of stress you feel, no matter how long you meditate for. Reaching into your centre and taking deep breaths has a calming stress-releasing effect that everyone needs from time to time. You can also carry out deep-breathing exercises during the day when you feel your stress level mounting. First, exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound. Then close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose for four seconds. Hold that breath for seven seconds. Then exhale completely through your mouth for eight seconds. This is one breath.

 

2. Focus skill improves

When you’re stressed, your body releases the cortisol hormone. Mediation controls this and reduces the cortisol level. You can start your meditation practice for about five minutes if you’re trying it for the first time. Five minutes of focus is long enough to get your stress reduced.

 

 

If you recall, when meditating, you’re actually building your focus. Therefore, if this is one thing you lack, then congratulations because it would soon be your best skill. You can easily focus on something even when there are distractions from all angles. An added advantage is that your memory capacity improves. This occurs after your brain increases more grey matter. The grey matter in your brain is located in the hippocampus which is vital for learning and memory. Ensure you meditate regularly to gain this skill.

 

3. Reduces anxiety

 

There are a lot of things that cause anxiety, and it’s no mistake that therapists advise you to meditate when you’re anxious. When you feel less anxious, it means that you’re loosening connections of particular neural pathways. That’s the pathway that triggers a strong reaction to personal experiences that may cause fear or worry. So, when your neural connection weakens, then that’s great.

 

4. You think better

 

When you have a lot to think about you could feel overwhelmed. However, when you meditate, you can easily focus your mind on one thing and think better about it. Your creative gets to its peak in that state.

 

5. Natural high

 

Meditation is a good-feel kind of practice. You feel like you’re daydreaming or floating, yet you’re awake. It makes you feel light and happy because of the natural dopamine released into your body. Dopamine is a feel-good neurotransmitter released into your body when it experiences a form of pleasure. You get an instant ultimate relaxed feeling that makes this possible. It’s not so unrealistic when you imagine the monks floating while they meditate. Once you master the skill of perfect meditation, you would conclude it isn’t so hard after all – just don’t do it where people are or they would raise an alarm.

 

6. You become more compassionate

 

When you’re a regular at meditating, you see life quite differently. You tend to become more empathetic and compassionate. You can do a focused meditation on people who suffer and this would trigger your mind to have compassion on people in such situations.