The Healing Power of Meditation: 10 Simple Ways to Reduce Stress and Improve Brain Health

Scientific research has shown that meditation has many benefits for your well-being, including:

• Increasing your ability to withstand stress
• Making you feel more rested
• Helping to relieve and reduce pain
• Lowering your blood pressure
• Increasing your immunity and greater life experience!

The Many Benefits of Meditation

What’s more, regular practice over time can literally change the structure of your brain so that you can experience more positive emotion. That’s not all; there is evidence that meditation can also help improve your ability to focus, your level of alertness, your memory, and your academic performance and creativity.

Helping to relieve and reduce pain, lowering your blood pressure, increasing your immunity, and improving your life experience! What’s more, regular practice over time can literally change the structure of our brains so that we are able to experience more positive emotion. That’s not all; there is evidence that meditation can also help improve your ability to focus, your level of alertness, your memory, your academic performance, and your creativity.

Practicing meditation has been shown to help us get in touch with our feelings, and over time, it can increase how happy and optimistic we feel as well as our sense of spirituality. It can help us accept who we are and increase our sense of fulfillment. It can also help us build empathy and compassion and so help improve our relationships with other people.

Surely something with so many potential benefits is worth trying?

10 Tips on Getting Started with Meditation

1. Sit tall. The most common and accessible position for meditation is sitting. Sit on the floor, in a chair, or on a stool. If you are seated on the floor, it is often most comfortable to sit cross-legged on a cushion. Comfort is key. Now imagine a thread extending from the top of your head, pulling your back, neck and head straight up towards the ceiling in a straight line. Sit tall.
2. Relax your body. Close your eyes and scan your body, relaxing each body part one at a time. Begin with your toes, feet, ankles, and shins, and continue to move up your entire body. Don’t forget to relax your shoulders, neck, eyes, face, jaw, and tongue, which are all common areas for us to hold tension.
3. Be still and silent. Now that you are sitting tall and relaxed, take a moment to be still. Just sit.  Be aware of your surroundings, your body, and the sounds around you. Don’t react or attempt to change anything. Just be aware.
4. Breathe. Turn your attention to your breath. Breathe silently, yet deeply. Engage your diaphragm and fill your lungs, but do not force your breath.  Notice how your breath feels in your nose, throat, chest, and belly as it flows in and out.
5. Establish a mantra. A mantra is a sound, word, or phrase that can be repeated throughout your meditation. Mantras can have spiritual, vibrational, and transformative benefits, or they can simply provide a point of focus during meditation. They can be spoken aloud or silently to yourself. A simple and easy mantra for beginners is to silently say with each breath, “I am breathing in, I am breathing out.”
6. Calm your mind. As you focus on your breath or mantra, your mind will begin to calm and become present. This does not mean that thoughts will cease to arise. As thoughts come to you, simply acknowledge them, set them aside, and return your attention to your breath or mantra. Don’t dwell on your thoughts. Some days your mind will be busy and filled with inner chatter, other days it will remain calm and focused. Neither is good nor bad.
7. When to end your practice. There is no correct length of time to practice meditation; however, when first beginning, it is often easier to sit for shorter periods of time (5 to 10 minutes). As you become more comfortable with your practice, meditate longer. Set an alarm if you prefer to sit for a predetermined length of time. Another option is to decide on the number of breaths you will count before ending your practice.
8. How to end your practice. When you are ready to end your practice, slowly bring your conscious attention back to your surroundings.  Acknowledge your presence in the space around you.  Gently wiggle your fingers and toes. Begin to move your hands, feet, arms, and legs. Open your eyes. Move slowly and take your time getting up.
9. Practice often. Consistency is more important than quantity. Meditating for 5-10 minutes every day will reward you with far greater benefits than meditating for two hours, one day a week.
10. Practice everywhere. Most beginners find it easier to meditate in a quiet space at home, but as you become more comfortable, begin exploring new places to practice. Meditating outdoors in nature can be very peaceful, and taking the opportunity to meditate on the bus or in your office chair can be an excellent stress reliever.