Magic of Meditation

 Written by Nanthini Suresh

 

In this pandemic, other than Covid-19, I am pretty sure you’ve heard about the word ‘Meditation’ as it has been listed as one of the most popular activity to be done during quarantine.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a type of mental practice that entails relaxation, concentration, and awareness. Meditation is the equivalent of physical exercise for the mind. Individually, in a still seated position, and with eyes closed, the exercise is frequently done.

The word "mediate" originally meant "to think deeply about anything." For lack of a better phrase, this is the term that was used to designate eastern contemplative activities when they were "imported" to Western culture. Nowadays, meditation is more commonly associated with the practice of focusing one's attention than than deep reflection.

Meditation provides a secure bond between our internal and external worlds. It stimulates the body and benefits all parts of the mind's conscious and subconscious layers.

Meditation is the practice of teaching your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts on a regular basis. Meditation's popularity is growing as more individuals become aware of its numerous health advantages. It can help you become more aware of yourself and your environment. Many individuals regard it as a means of reducing stress and improving concentration. People also utilize it to cultivate other desirable behaviors and sentiments, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns, and even enhanced pain tolerance.

Let’s take a look what magic does meditation can do to a human’s body.

1.    1. The common one, meditation reduces stress.

One of the most common reasons individuals practice meditation is to relieve stress. The stress hormone cortisol is normally elevated in response to mental and physical stress. Many of the negative effects of stress are caused by this, such as the release of inflammatory molecules called cytokines. These side effects can include sleep disturbances, induce melancholy and anxiety, raise blood pressure, and cause exhaustion and foggy thinking. A meditation technique known as "mindfulness meditation" was found to lessen the stress-induced inflammatory response in an 8-week research. Meditation has also been demonstrated to help with the symptoms of stress-related diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia.

2.    2. Do you know meditation could control anxiety? 

Meditation can help you feel less anxious by lowering your stress levels. Meditation may reduce anxiety, according to a meta-analysis including nearly 1,300 adults. This effect was particularly prominent in those with the highest levels of anxiety. In addition, one study found that 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation reduced anxiety symptoms, increased positive self-statements, and improved stress reactivity and coping in persons with generalized anxiety disorder. Another study found that following an 8-week meditation program improved depression, anxiety, and pain over the course of a year in 47 persons with chronic pain.
Furthermore, some studies indicates that a variety of mindfulness and meditation techniques can help to alleviate anxiety. Yoga, for example, has been demonstrated to aid in the reduction of anxiety. Meditation may also aid in the management of work-related anxiety too.

3.    3. Meditation will improve your sleep.  

In this pandemic, some of us is struggling with insomnia as a lot of things going in our heads. But don’t worry, meditation could make you sleep in peace and better. One study evaluated mindfulness-based meditation programs and discovered that persons who meditated stayed slept longer and had less severe insomnia than those who did not meditate.

Learning to meditate can help you manage or divert your racing or racing thoughts, which can cause insomnia. It can also help you relax, reducing stress and putting you in a serene state where you're more likely to fall asleep.

4.    4. Another interesting fact is meditation help reducing blood pressure. 

Meditation can also benefit physical health by lowering heart strain. High blood pressure makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood, which can lead to poor cardiac function over time. High blood pressure also promotes atherosclerosis, or artery constriction, which can result in heart attacks and strokes. Meditation appears to lower blood pressure through calming nerve impulses that affect heart function, blood vessel tightness, and the “fight-or-flight” response, which raises awareness in stressful conditions.

5.    5. Meditation help fighting with addictions 

Meditation can help you break dependencies by boosting your self-control and awareness of addictive behaviour triggers. Meditation has been demonstrated to assist people learn to refocus their attention, manage their emotions and impulses, and gain a better knowledge of the roots of their problems, according to research. After three months of practice, transcendental meditation was associated with lower levels of stress, psychological distress, alcohol cravings, and alcohol use in 60 patients getting treatment for alcohol use disorder. Meditation may also aid in the management of food cravings. Mindfulness meditation helped participants minimize emotional and binge eating, according to an analysis of 14 trials. So if you’re addicted to something, start to meditate to reduce the addiction.

Everyone can benefit from meditation to improve their mental and emotional well being. You can do it without any particular equipment or memberships, and you can do it anywhere. Meditation classes and support groups, on the other hand, are readily available.

Meditation is without a doubt one of the most effective methods for calming our minds and dissolving the barriers of ignorance. It gives us constant access to happiness, mental serenity, and life force, as well as unlocking our mind's true potential.

So what are you waiting for? Start your meditation journey now and have a good day ahead.