Putting loftier notions of Buddha, gurus and enlightenment to one side for a moment, there are many benefits to meditating regularly for the common man or woman. While enlightenment might be your ultimate dream, even atheists and agnostics can enjoy the benefits of meditation as will be explored throughout this article.
Benefits of Meditating Regularly in your Daily Life
If you meditate on a regular basis, the simple act of taking time out of your day to allow your mind to settle and be still helps to make relaxation and peace of mind part of your dominate lifestyle. Regular meditation also helps you to concentrate more fully when you return to your daily tasks and your mind ability increases. When your mind is fully at peace, you will immediately notice that you make mistakes less often, your decisions and judgements are better, and you become a more patient and tolerant individual, which will ultimately improve your relationships with everyone you know.
Contentment, Security and Confidence
When meditating regularly, you will begin to notice that you are generally more content and happy with your life; worries, fears and anxiety will decrease as the you dedicated time each day to “reset” your mind, which helps to put things into perspective. It is not that meditation is a miracle cure that makes your problems disappear, but rather, meditation helps you to view your problems in a different way.
Don’t let your thoughts dominate your life
Most people can see the logic with the phrase, “you are what you eat”, but no so many of us are conscious of the fact that we are what we think too! The constant babble of thoughts in our head is generally where most of us create the most stress and tension in our lives – it is in the silence that inspired creation can take place. Also, when you are dealing with a lot of stress and tension, you can become sick. So, taking time to dedicate at least 10 or 15 minutes a day to inner silence, watching the thoughts drift in and out of your head, can help you avoid stress-related illnesses as well as psychological problems.
A Quiet Mind is a Disciplined Mind
When you allow your mind to be undisciplined and fearful, you open your mind up to distracting and burdening thoughts, which is a waste of excellent energy. The mind starts working overtime and takes your burdens and explodes them so that you cannot concentrate on the tasks at hand or give quality attention to those that surround you. With discipline, you can train your mind to let your worries and burdens become only passing visitors, thanking each negative thought as it fades away.
Physical Benefits of Meditating Regularly
Not only does meditation benefit the mind, it also benefits the physical body and emotional state. You may see instant results, but some results may take some time, depending on the amount of time you plan on setting aside for meditation. You can’t expect to see major results when you only meditate one or two days a week. To see major results you should try to meditate daily.
Benefits the Physical Body when Meditating Regularly
- Deep relaxation is achieved.
- The metabolic rate is decreased along with a lower resting heart rate.
- High blood pressure is lowered.
- The lungs receive more air.
- Energy levels are raised.
- Muscle tension is lowered.
- Easier to fall asleep and stay asleep at night.
- The immune system is boosted.
Benefits for Mental and Emotional Well-Being when Meditating Regularly
- Stay calm no matter what comes your way.
- Creativity flows with ease.
- Anxiety is decreased.
- Worrying is decreased.
- Depression is less.
- Moody and irritability is lessened.
- Self-confidence is boosted.
- Concentration is on point.
- Self-discipline, learning, and memory is achieved.
- Vitality, happiness, and intuition is developed.
Benefits for Spiritual Practice when Meditating Regularly
- Mind is peaceful.
- Detachment of mental and emotional state.
- Inner-self-awareness is raised.
- Able to look past the physical being and look inward.
- The ego is left behind, so seeing through to the consciousness is discovered.
- Discovering your true self is achieved.
- Eventually a spiritual awakening will occur.
