Meditation is a practice that can help people quit smoking and alleviate anxiety. It’s also been shown by researchers that it may have spiritual benefits such as lowering the likelihood of depression and stress, increasing happiness, and improving immune system functions.
In this post Jobsrose.com , we’ll go over how meditation works, how to experience some of its most profound benefits, as well as some helpful tips on what to watch out for while meditating.
How Meditation Works
Many people think of meditation as a form of relaxation but that isn’t quite accurate. The benefits of meditation are often characterized by a sense of profound clarity. Studies have shown that after meditating, the parts of the brain responsible for reasoning, evaluation and decision making undergo significant changes. This explains why people who meditate often see their lives differently after having been introduced to this practice.
Meditation involves clearing your mind of all the clutter in it such as thoughts or feelings that arise or distract you. This practice is known as mindfulness. The goal is to focus on one thing such as your breath and try not to think about anything else. It’s a good idea to start slow and gradually build up the length of time you can stay focused on your breath.
Another way to meditate is by repeating a mantra. You may choose one that’s significant to you or simply repeat a word over and over again without thinking about anything else. Mantras help direct your attention and make it easier for you to stay focused on one thing.
Benefits of Meditation :
1. Quit Smoking.
Meditation can help people stop smoking as it’s been shown to reduce the desire for cigarettes and also make it easier to get rid of former smokers who have quit.
2. Reduce Anxiety and Stress.
Meditation has been shown to decrease anxiety and stress by promoting coping skills such as acceptance, self-awareness and relaxation – all of which are key traits in overcoming stressful circumstances.
3. Help in the Recovery Process after an Emotional Event.
A study conducted at New York Medical School showed that meditation can help recovery from emotional events such as a divorce or a death of a loved one by promoting feelings of well-being, reducing anxiety and facilitating greater self-understanding and understanding.
4. Improves Mind-Body Connection.
The practice of meditation fosters emotional awareness and stress management skills that make it easier to connect with your body and its natural state of inner peace.
5. Reduces Inflammation.
Meditation helps reduce the level of inflammation in your body by raising endorphins, (natural painkillers known as “feel good” hormones) that help you relax and lower your blood pressure, which helps you feel more relaxed because it lowers your blood pressure which means less stress on the nervous system.
6. Increases Happiness and Well-Being.
Meditation is known to promote happiness, significantly decrease anxiety and lower stress levels. It’s also been shown to increase self-awareness, inner peace, love and compassion.
7. Increases IQ by up to 8 points!
One of the most profound benefits of meditation is that it increases your IQ by 8 points! Research has shown this over a 5 year period of practicing meditation regularly. What you may not know is that meditation doesn’t require a lot of active thought which will increase your brain activity but also your creativity, problem solving ability and attention span -all traits that are important for achieving higher intelligence levels.
8. Takes Less Time and is More Effective than Going to the Gym!
You don’t need to spend a lot of time meditating in order to experience its benefits. You can start with as little as 5 minutes a day and gradually work your way up. This is much more convenient than going to the gym which takes a significant chunk of an hour out of your busy schedule. What’s even better is that doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise daily in order to stay healthy but meditation has been shown to help with stress, anxiety and psychological distress – all at the same time!
9. Improves Learning Abilities and Memory Recall.
Many studies have shown that meditation improves learning abilities and memory recall. Research has also pointed out that it can help you focus better, retain more and make information easier to recall.
10. Helps You Sleep Better at Night
Studies conducted by Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that meditation helps reduce insomnia, improves quality and duration of sleep, promotes relaxation and lowers stress levels.
And if you think that taking a sleeping pill is better than meditation for getting a good night’s rest you should know that the NIH study showed that when practiced regularly, meditation has been proven to be as effective as sleeping pills in promoting sleep but without any negative side effects!