The word “meditation” usually conjures up swirling images of monks sitting atop floating clouds with legs crossed, hands on knees, making the “om” sound. Well, that’s pretty dead on, but there’s a bit more to know about this simple process of looking inward, as well as the perks of meditating. It doesn’t matter if you’re
a high priest or a 9-to-5 narcissist, meditation is for everybody, and its benefits are nothing to shake a shaman stick at.
Calmness
When the world gets noisy, overwhelming and to be a bit too much, people turn to meditating as an exit from the noise and a step towards inner peace. Many people assume meditation is strictly a religious routine, but it’s actually something not-so-religious people use – you might say “religiously” – as well, usually in order to relieve stress, depression and anger, among other things. The breathing exercises focus on your inhaling and exhaling, inhaling the positive and exhaling the negative, keeping you anchored in the present, closing doors to past pains and future anxieties.
Meditation brings a sense of connectedness and gratitude for the things and people around you, and hopefully less need for relentless Internet browsing. If you meditate 20 minutes twice a day, when you wake up and go to bed, you’ll find yourself practically floating and giving hugs to strangers.
It’s also been connected with reductions in both crime and school violence. In 1993, a group of scientists conducted an experiment in which several thousand people in Washington, D.C., would meditate together twice a day for almost two months. This was correlated with a highly significant reduction in crime in D.C.
Energy and Productivity
Not everybody wants to be in touch with themselves, which is OK. Not recommended, but OK. It should be noted, however, that meditation can also be very beneficial to everyday tasks, especially the monotonous ones, both in the workplace and home life.
If you feel yourself dragging despite sleeping well and eating right, it might be something as simple as unplugging from the world and reconnecting with yourself that’s missing. The simple act of quieting the mind gives it a chance to recharge and quiet the ego, giving you not only energy but positive zest to do your work better, to think more clearly and to work well with your coworkers and classmates in a productive work space. Instead of judging others’ work negatively, you relate to it with ease and use positive feedback to make the work of both you and your company outstanding.
Clarity
There’s usually a question we’re seeking an answer to – anything from simple to big life decisions – and the answer seems to evade us, or at best, appears hazily. It’s when we’re not searching for answers that the answers actually arrive. Meditation, just the same, is a lot like a nice bike ride or run, stepping away from a situation we’re too close to in order to be more observant and objective once our mind has settled.
Clarity comes to us when we clear out the noise, which opens up space inside, and it’s through those open spaces that the good stuff comes through, when you have that “ah-ha!” moment you’ve desperately been seeking.
Sleep Wellness
Sleeping, eating well and exercising are a few of the most important things you can do, and meditation is readily connected to each one in a very unique way. In that way, it’s almost as if meditation connects the parts of your life together, which explains why you feel rested, healthy and happy when it’s a part of your routine.
Meditation works as a good routine to start and end the day, and as you do so, you notice the rest falls in line. By turning off tech devices and quieting the mind well before bed, you slow down the brain, which allows it to go into sleep mode easier than drinking a case of beer and playing video games until you pass out. You’ll dream better, wake up refreshed, and with time you’ll notice your body is positively charged
, ready to beat the alarm clock and start the morning right.
Spirituality
Spirituality and religion are connected, but they’re not the same, a common misconception amongst folks, but it brings to the surface similar feelings of self-betterment and universal themes much like religion does, only without the prejudice of most organized churches. For people who don’t believe in organized religion or have a hard time going to religiously affiliated obligations due to consistent Sunday hangovers, there’s a sense of spirituality with meditation that fills a hole normally crammed with negativity and pot brownie residue.
Much like the way people search for answers, they also search for their place in the world and their sense of purpose. With meditation, you find the clarity to understand that you’re exactly where you need to be at the moment, which is observing yourself from the outside and not being infatuated with your ego and its need to have a purpose. From there, answers to what, where and who makes you happy become obvious, and it’s your choice whether or not to have those things in your life.
Universality
It’s there, free of charge for anybody and everybody, and it’s one of the simplest things a person can do, as it involves very little yet gives back much more, a rare quality in an activity. In fact, it’s so free of thought and action, it could hardly be called an “activity ” by our standard definitions of the word.
Since there is no age too young or old, no job too busy or lazy, and zero investment other than your time needed for meditation, it’s clearly one of the few things in this world that is free, accessible and connecting for every single person. Famous film directors, comedians, musicians, teachers and many of the people we respect admit to using it routinely in their daily life.
Thus, it’s with great encouragement we kindly implore people to try it. Get comfy, close your eyes and quiet your mind, whether in silence or with soft music, and dive deep into yourself and see what you come across along the way. There’s plenty of helpful reading and video resources available at a moment’s notice, if you feel it necessary. If you genuinely attempt it a few times and find it’s not for you, at least you won’t feel like anything was wasted, but chances are you’ll wish you’d started sooner.
