Benefits of Meditation

The hectic modern day lifestyle exposes us to constant stress and tension. Office deadlines, traffic gridlock, environmental pollution, unfriendly people and other reasons increase our blood pressure and make life difficult for us. The antidote to stress and tension is practicing a relaxation technique like meditation. In this article we reveal the benefits of regular meditation and a few tips to practice it effectively.

Easy Meditation Techniques

There are two types of basic meditation techniques: One is concentration meditation where you silently chant a simple mantra to direct your mind inwards and help it rest peacefully in the deeper inner layers. The other is awareness meditation during which you detachedly watch the thoughts as they flow by inside your mind.

Benefits of Meditation

• Regular meditation practice makes you more relaxed and easy, and you cruise through the day without experiencing too much stress or strain.
• You become more aware of the shenanigans of the monkey mind. This can help you realize the moments when negative thoughts afflict your mind. You can then detachedly observe these thoughts so that they become sublimated gradually without causing any adverse effects.
• Today’s hectic lifestyle is a leading cause for the increasing prevalence of ailments like hypertension, diabetes, etc. Many research studies have proved that regular meditation lowers blood pressure and slows down the breathing and heart rates. Therefore, yoga and meditation are becoming popular to treat psychosomatic diseases caused by stress and tension.
• Meditation helps you take it easy and gives you great peace of mind. You learn not to take life or disappointments personally or too seriously.
• With regular practice, your emotional stability improves and you experience tranquility and equanimity even while facing troubling circumstances.

Tips for Practicing Meditation

• Start with meditating for about 10 minutes every day and gradually increasing the time period.
• Don’t worry about the wandering monkey mind. As soon as you catch it wandering away from the mantra, bring it back slowly and gently.
• Do not worry about the quality of meditation. Just try to be as regular as possible to ensure you reap the above mentioned benefits.
• Do not be serious about it. Approach meditation playfully and learn to enjoy the peace of mind and bliss you experience during the meditation sessions with awareness.

Summary
We hope this article motivates you to meditate regularly to enjoy immense physical, psychological and spiritual benefits. With regular practice, you will become cool, calm and relaxed, and cruise through the vicissitudes of life with tranquility and equanimity.