© Chez Cåsver (Flickr) china – buddhism figure
© Chez Cåsver (Flickr)
Psychological benefits
Increased positivity: Meditation has been proved to increase serotonin levels, which influences mood and behaviour. It also gives you a chance to see the clearer picture and tame your unruly thoughts. Meditation is the exact opposite of living mechanically, allowing you to be more aware of your thought process. Enhanced concentration and memory: Buddhist monks who have been meditating for years are often capable of extraordinary feats of concentration due to their longstanding meditation practice. Meditation can aid focus for study, work or even learning a new language. Improves emotional stability: When living robotically, it can feel as though you are trapped in a whirlwind of emotions, tossing you from side to side. Meditation won’t stop these emotions from appearing, but it will make you more adept at dealing with them constructively.
Physical benefits Less stress: Many of the health benefits are related to the decrease in stress that occurs during meditation. With lower levels of stress, the risk of heart disease, for example, diminishes significantly. Enhanced immune system: Not only will this increase your recovery from illnesses, a meditation practice will allow you to react positively to any health problems and to be more mindful of potential warning signs
Spiritual benefits
Meditation can play an important role in attuning you to your true calling in life and setting goals for the future. Meditating can put your mind, body and spirit in harmony, increasing the synchronicity in your life.
Finally, meditation is absolutely free. All you need is a desire to start practising and your life could benefit immediately.