3 Main Benefits of Meditation

The 3 main benefits of meditation are classified as :

• physiological
• psychological
• spiritual

Physiological Benefits of Meditation

According to The Physiological Society, “Physiology is the study of how our cells, organs and muscles interact.  It is an essential discipline which seeks to understand how the human body works.”

Research has shown that when you practice meditation regularly you experience meditation benefits on a physiological level.

Some of the physiological meditation benefits are :

• Decreases chronic pain and improves pain management

• Reduces stress and tension

• Improves heart health – it increases blood flow and slows the heart rate and reduces cholesterol level

• Helps normalize blood pressure

• Improves breathing and respiratory rate -better breathing due to improved lung efficiency

• Helps relieve asthma

• Helps with sleep disorders

• Reduces anxiety attacks

• Helps reduce tension headaches

• Reduces pre-menstrual stress

• Increases physical relaxation

• Relaxes the nervous system

• Helps improve fertility – reduces negative effects of stress on ovulation and conception

• Helps with weight loss – less prone to stress-related overeating, reduces negative effects of stress hormones that cause weight gain 

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Spiritual Benefits of Meditation

There are several meanings of spiritual but for the purpose of this article, spiritual refers to connecting with a presence greater than our own that enables us to live harmoniously with ourselves and others.

Some of the spiritual meditation benefits are:

photo courtesy of gtall1, on Flickr

Attainment of a greater sense of purpose in life Self-improvement through deeper wisdom Self-enlightenment Inner peace and a greater sense of calm Helps in the process of self-awareness and self-discovery Increases self-acceptance Fosters spiritual harmony with mind and body Creates deeper relationship with God Better able to listen to your inner voice Impacts positively on your attitude towards life

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Psychological Benefits of Meditation

Psychology refers to an individual’s mental health and their behavior.

Some of the psychological meditation benefits are:

• Enhances creativity

• Improves learning ability and memory

• Reduces irritability

• Increases happiness and emotional stability

• Lowers rate of depression, anxiety and worry

• Helps you to control your thoughts – especially if you struggle with negative thoughts

• Improves power of concentration and focus

• Builds self confidence

• Increases feeling of vitality and rejuvenation

• Improves relationships with others based on increased tolerance, reduced irritability and increased congeniality

• Develops intuition

• Improves ability to solve difficult problems or resolve complex situations

• Develops emotional maturity - better able to operate under pressure or cope with stressful situations

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There are so many wonderful meditation benefits to be gained and all it costs is 5 to 30 minutes of your time – seems to me the meditation benefits outweigh the cost.

If you haven’t started meditating, then what are you waiting on ?  Here are some quick and easy steps to practicing meditation.

It’s the perfect way to start your morning and to wind down in the evening. You must practice regularly to start experiencing the benefits of meditation on all levels.

Open up yourself to the positive changes to be experienced by meditating.  You may also experience some benefits that I have not shared in this stress-relief guide.

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