Actually there I am going to look at 7 different reasons why now is a good time to start meditation.
We have be through a time of vast change, life as we knew for the past 18 months has been a strange affair. Some have dealt well with it whilst for others it has been a time of heightened anxiety. However often the stress of change can manifest further on down the line, once the dust has settled.
Change can affect us physically and mentally through the stresses and anxiety it causes. It can undermine our coping mechanisms in the future, placing our mental and physical wellbeing at risk in the future. Meditation gives us a way to prevent this, bringing calm, focus and balance back to your life. So how does meditation benefit you?
1: Lowers Stress Levels.
Through times of stress a higher level of the stress hormone Cortisol is released into the blood stream. This in turn stimulates fear emotions and negative thinking. If this is experienced over a long period of it can become habituated and we live in a heightened state of stress. The danger of this is it become the norm which then means the more stress we experience the higher the level of cortisol in the body. Like a bottle of pop, building the pressure ready to go pop.
Meditation has been proven to bring calm to body and mind, lowering to cortisol levels, reducing negative thoughts and allowing your brain to manage the body systems more effectively. Which is better for you health.
2. Reduce anxiety
In reducing cortisol, reducing stress meditation also in turn helps reduce anxiety which develops when stress levels are high.
Meditation helps put us back in control of our emotions, avoiding them running wild and generating anxiety and panic.
It also helps you to realise that you do not have to listen to that negative anxious voice inside your head.
3. Mental & Emotional Stability
Meditation helps us to become detached from the negative, self deprecating inner dialogue. This dissociation allows us see beyond those limiting beliefs and ideas we have about ourselves. Instead it turns us to that which is good in life and boosts self belief.
4. Developing Mindfulness
When we are more mindful we develop better interpersonal relationships. We also tend to reduce prejudice and build a greater sense of acceptance of others.
It also reduces the amount that we say yes to things that really are to our detriment. It helps shift your perspective of the world from always seeing what is bad to seeing that which is good.
5. Improves focus
Not surprising that a practice that uses your focus should help increase your focus, and helps you let go of distractions that get in the way of achieving the task you are working upon.
6. Memory
Meditation enables the blood to flow freely through the brain. This in turn has a knock on effect on brain function.
One of the benefits of this is increased memory and recall ability.
7. Makes you kinder.
Regular meditation practice helps foster compassion and understanding. Developing empathy and increasing our desire to assist others.
It generates greater acceptance of others and realises within us the connectivity that we all share.
A lot of people have had a go at meditation, tried it, because they like the idea of meditation. However then go on to discover that they meet obstacles and never stick with it.
If you are interested in meditation, through IMeditate I have developed an approach that gets you past the usual obstacles that people face when starting and also turns meditation from a passive practice towards personal change to a method of meditation and self development that is dynamic and transformative, learning how to use your mind to help yourself.
If NOW is the time, for you to start your journey with meditation then subscribe to the IMeditate community for free live sessions, articles, discounts and a growing community of wonderful supportive people.