by Keren Banza
Meditation is a routine process of teaching your mind to redirect thoughts and feelings, to focus and to centre yourself. It is also a journey that is never too late or too early to start, no matter your age or circumstance.
I personally would recommend meditation because of the many benefits you can gain from doing it. It not only helps when it comes to personal issues but also transcends into an academic, social and professional setting.
Here are 4 benefits of meditation:
1. Reduces stress levels
Stress is a feeling we all have dealt with or are dealing with. It can be very overwhelming and if not treated right can lead to harmful effects on ones mental and physical states.
Stress can lead to sleep deprivation, increased anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, and clouded thinking. Meditating helps calm the mind which in turn will also calm the body, allowing for clear thinking and allows you to feel more in control.
2. Lengthens your attention span and concentration
Trying to remain focused and attentive can be difficult especially when your mind is always wandering or clouded. In any field of life whether personal, academic, social, or professional having a good attention span is a necessity.
Meditation helps increase the endurance and strength of your attention span.
3. Improves your sleep
According to HealthLine, nearly half of the population will struggle with insomnia at some stage of their life. Sleep is important to allow your body to rest, and your mind to process all the information and events of the day.
Meditation allows for better connectivity between parts of your brain, clears your mind and relaxes you which allows for better sleep.
4. Can decrease high blood pressure
HealthLine has found that meditation relaxes the nerve signals that coordinate heart functioning and tension in blood vessels. This means that blood pressure decreases while meditating and, if done regularly, over time reduces strain on the heart.
If you are thinking that meditation may not be for you, do not worry because they are different types of meditation that help you to deal with different issues and each have unique methods.
Here are 5 types of meditation for beginners.
1. Metta (loving-kindness) Meditation
This meditation aims to create an attitude of love and kindness towards yourself, other people and sources of stress. While breathing deeply you open your mind to receive and send positive messages to the world, specific people and yourself. The key is repetition.
This helps if you are affected by anger, resentment or self-conflict.
2. Mindfulness Meditation
This aims to allow you to be fully present with your thoughts, where you are and what you are doing by blocking out what is happening around you. The nice part of this form of meditation is that it can be done anywhere at any time.
You reflect on your thoughts and let them pass without any form of judgement or hostility towards them. This helps if you are stressed, feeling negative emotions or need to focus.
3. Guided Meditation
This form of meditation is when you form an image or scenario in your mind that you find relaxing. It is typically lead by a guide or teacher. It is meant to evoke the use of as many senses as possible so that it is easier to become relaxed and calm in your space.
This helps with centring yourself and clearing your mind.
4. Body scan meditation or progressive relaxation
This mediation is done by scanning your body for areas of tension or stress. By starting from one end of your body, usually the feet, to the top releasing the tension. You would have to tense and then relax your muscles.
This can help if you are struggling to fall asleep because it relaxes your whole body.
5. Breath awareness meditation
This form of meditation requires you to do mindful breathing. Breathing in and out slowly and deeply, either counting your breaths or just focusing on your breathing. This allows you to ignore other thoughts that are clouding your mind.
This helps if you have anxiety or struggle with concentration.
When it comes to meditation, it is all about finding the right type of meditation that will suit you, your schedule and your goals. You do not need to spend hours on meditation. Simply finding 5 or 10 minutes in your time is enough to get you started on your meditation journey.
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