“Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.” – Ajahn Brahm
In the recent years, there have been substantial scientific research looking into the health benefits of meditation. In current times of the pandemic and the many stressors of life, it is important to find ways to maintain centred, and meditation paves the way for a calm and clear mind. Just in case you need a reminder, here I will share with you some of the proven benefits of meditation:
- Calming your nervous system
- Optimise your circulatory system
- Boost your immune system
- Enhance self-awareness
- Improve focus and energy
- Improves sleep
- Control pain
Why is meditation and mindfulness so powerful?
As science research has shown us, it literally shrinks the stress region in our brain, which directly means less stress. Everytime we get stressed and anxious, a little part of our brain called the amygdala takes control, playing a key role in helping us cope with anxious situations. It’s a well-known fact that high amygdala activity is associated with depression and anxiety disorders (Siegle et al., 2002).
What meditation and mindfulness practice can do is to actually shrink the size of the amygdala and increase our tolerance of stress levels. Beyond the scientific research of what meditation does, it is a truly powerful tool that we can use to access our subconscious thoughts, and to get in tune with our true selves.
One common form of meditation involves observing our thoughts, like clouds as they come and go. By doing this, we realise that we are not the patterns and thoughts that we hold, learning to let them go and detach from our busy minds. Through meditation, we can gradually bring back hamony, love and peace in our soul and find the guiding light than can be drowned with external noises and everyday life.
And it doesn’t have to be complicated. Just start by sitting in silence for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 15 minutes. There is an abundance of guided meditation resources available out there and find one that resonates with you. Or even apps like Headspace have been gaining traction for helping people ease into meditation.
Just simply hold space for yourself to explore, stay open and curious. Everyone’s path to wellness and meditation is different and you need to find one that works for you!
Livin' Sunshines 