Meditation: 7 meditation tips you should know and practise..

Mediation tips that will change your life.

Meditation is a term often associated with relaxation and the reduction of stress, but did you know it is actually an umbrella term to describe several different exercises that improve not just our mental health but also our mental acuity and physical wellbeing? In this post, we’re bringing you a short guide on what meditation is and how you can benefit from making it a part of your life.

reasons for meditation.

There are a number of reasons why meditation has proven beneficial to say many and why it is rapidly growing in popularity around the globe. The following benefits have been broken down so you can see why people are starting to implement meditation into their lives.

1. sleep

It has a reputation for improving sleep but how? After eight weeks of practice of thirty-minute sessions per day, the body has shown to increase production of melatonin – the sleep/wake neurotransmitter – which reduces our time spent awake and increase the depth of our sleep.

By improving our level of Rapid Eye Movement during sleep, we awake feeling more rested and in a better mood. Additionally, REM sleep has been shown to improve our ability to learn and retain information while being able to recall memories quicker and more accurately while awake.

2. mental acuity

It has many amazing effects on the brain and as a result, our mind. In scientific studies, meditation has been shown to increase the neuroplasticity of our prefrontal cortex (the area responsible for our attention and self-awareness).

With meditation’s effect on our brains and as a result of being more aware of ourselves and our environment, it makes the setting and achieving of goals easier since we can think with better clarity.

Another area where it helps us gain mental acuity is with identifying our internal thoughts and emotions, and any patterns that exist within them. This can help us weed out unconstructive self-criticism when it occurs or form healthier thoughts by not giving power to the more negative or unpleasant ones that occur.

With meditation comes a more relaxed state and, as mentioned above, clarity of thought and as such, there is a marked improvement in relationships – whether professional or familial – due to the reduction in negative body and verbal language.

3. anxiety & stress reduction

It has proven to be a great tool to cope and eventually reduce anxiety even in more chronic disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder. Meditation is great for reducing heightened anxiety caused by internal and external triggers by creating a central point of focus, taking concentration away from the triggers.

One benefit of meditation that is underexposed is its impact on pain and physical stress. Pain and physical stress can cause one or the other to intensify yet meditation have been proven to increase blood flow to areas of the brain used to register pain and reduce its intensity.

If you find you’re someone who has a habit of dealing with stress or boredom through comfort eating, meditation also has shown a reputable ability to reduce the craving for feel-good foods and it happens the same way as reducing anxiety: by creating a central point of focus, moving attention away from the trigger and creating a healthier mindset.

4. performing meditation

Depending on the type of meditation you choose to pursue depends on how you would perform it but the practice centred around the type are all fundamentally the same, so we’re now going to show you how to get the most out of performing meditation to reap the full benefits of its practice.

5. location

To start with, think carefully about the location where you can meditate. You don’t want to be disturbed during your meditation (more on this soon) nor do you want to have your attention yanked at by environmental noise such as traffic or people talking. You’ll need to find a quiet location where distractions are kept to a minimum.

6. schedule

When you set out to meditate, to get the full benefits, you’ll need to form a habit and it takes thirty to ninety days to form one. So, try to set a regular time and place where you can be at the same time every day you intend to meditate so you get into the habit of doing it.

Another reason why setting a schedule is important is to let people know when you won’t be available, allowing you to commit fully to meditation without interruption.

7. postures

During the practice, you want to be as comfortable as possible because being uncomfortable will distract you from achieving a greater depth of focus required for the act.

Try different sitting positions to achieve a level of relaxation not easily broken by physical stress or discomfort and then try to maintain that position throughout your meditations so your body becomes attuned to it and registers the position with meditation. Relaxation will be easier to achieve this way and you’ll find it easier to meditate.