Do you get a lot? Is your brain so cluttered with worrying thoughts you barely get anything done? I used to get soo worked up and anxious about all the little things in life. I would literally drive myself mad worrying about doing things right, getting things done on time and all the other shit we have to deal with. I would get soo worked up in things and not be able to calm myself down. So I basically I was my own worst enemy, like many of us often are.

And then I tried meditation and fell in love with it. There is a reason why more and more doctors are recommending complementary and alternative treatments, such as yoga and meditation. “Take a deep breath and relax”. Yogis have been recommending this for years and everyone knows relaxation is good for us.

The Health Benefits of Meditation

Science is also catching up with the health benefits as studies at many Universities including Harvard and Yale are uncovering the physical effects of meditation on our bodies and minds. For example studies have found that:

• in long-term practitioners of relaxation methods (including meditation), far more “disease-fighting genes” were active
• experienced meditators exhibit high levels of gamma wave activity allowing them to not get stuck on a particular stimulus, meaning they are more able to control their thoughts and reactiveness, even after the meditation session
• women and men who meditate for 40 minutes a day had a thicker cortical wall then non-mediators which means their brains were aging slower.

So how can you benefit from learning how to meditate?

Better Focus:

When we meditate we practice focusing and being aware when your minds drifts. When we meditate regularly we improve our ability to concentrate even when we are not mediating. We can more easily fixate our minds on the things we need to do and not let it drift to our worries. This has also been linked to improved memory. As we learn to focus, we learn to ignore distractions. When we are less distracted we can work better and are more productive.

Less Anxiety and Stress:

When we are better able to focus, we can stop our minds from drifting to worrying thoughts, we learn to be less anxious. We are more relaxed and better able to take a step back and look at things more rationally. Meditation increases serotonin production that improves mood and behavior. We get less emotional and are better able to deal with things. We get less worked up about things and can handle stressful situation better. Meditation helps us deal with our neurosis and unhealthy emotional states. It allows us to cleanse our consciousness and look at things differently, it frees us.

Lowers Blood Pressure, Stress and Increases Calmness:

As we learn to go into deeper states of relaxation our bodies become less responsive to stress hormones, a similar effect to blood pressure-lowering medication, but without all the nasty side effects. You become less stressed, which can help battle inflammation which has been linked to heart disease, arthritis, asthma and skin conditions.

You learn to calm our mind. People who meditate see thoughts as just that, a passing thought. Everyone has thoughts, negative and positive thoughts. Those who meditate however, learn to let such negative thoughts blossom and die and not let them fester and feed into something that rages on. When you learn to not dwell on things you cannot control, you mind and body are free and relaxed.

Other health benefits include:

• increased immunity
• increased fertility
• relieves irritable bowel syndrome
• enhanced creativity and happiness
• decreases in tension-related pain such as headaches, ulcers, insomnia, muscle and joint problems
• higher energy levels

. You can get a used version for only a few bucks. I do believe it is a good guide to getting started as it includes everything from an introduction to mediation, how to focus, tips, advice and much more. The book is split into two sections. The first being the introduction and a good guide to all the fundamentals. The second part is a guide for reaching a deeper state of consciousness. I prefer the first part of the book and enjoy rereading it as I always seem to find something new to try and help keep me motivated.

If I can recommend one thing, it would be meditation. Starting is quite simple, and once you get into it you don’t want to stop. I started with meditating right after I woke up for 10 minutes, just focusing on my breathing. I know not everyone is a morning person, but I enjoy starting my day this way. It keeps me calm and relaxed throughout the day and I start my mornings productive :). Others recommend starting with 2 minute sessions. Others with simple breathing or focusing exercises. Others again find it easier to start by taking a local class or watching a video. There are so many ways to get started. There are also apps and websites to get started.

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