Starting a meditation practice can feel intimidating, especially when your mind is full of constant chatter and it seems like you’re not making any progress. But even though it may feel like you’re doing nothing except sitting on a cushion with a tornado of thoughts swirling around, meditation is far from a waste of time. Meditation is very much like exercising: It takes time to see results. When you meditate, you are training your brain to think differently, and that is not an easy task to do.
In today’s fast-paced society and in our often-chaotic lives, we are constantly bombarded with stimuli and distractions that can make it nearly impossible to be in the present moment in our minds. On top of that, our minds actually create their own distractions in the form of things like self-talk, rumination, and worry. When you meditate, you are disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of life, and exploring what your mind does when you try to focus it. This can lead to invaluable insight into your healing journey, as well as improved health and wellbeing.
Often times, finding moments of calm and clarity in our lives can feel like a luxury, let alone setting aside significant chunks of time to sit in meditation. But taking the time to meditate offers benefits that far outweigh the effort and time spent. Meditation is a powerful antidote to the stressors we face in life, and it can teach us to be fully present for the experiences we have. In this post, we’ll explore the benefits of meditation on both a physical and mental/emotional level. We’ll talk about why meditation is so hard at first, and offer realistic guidance to encourage you on your journey.
The Challenge of Meditation
Meditation can be difficult at first because, quite frankly, it can be frustrating. Our brains are wired for constant activity; narrating our experiences, anxiously anticipating future events, and ruminating on past regrets. Our attention spans are, at times, only seconds long, and we find ourselves deep in a rabbit hole of random thoughts completely unrelated to the present moment and present experience.
By acknowledging and embracing the inherent busyness of the mind while maintaining a consistent meditation practice, we can gradually quiet our needless mental chatter and achieve a deeper sense of tranquility. Similar to training a muscle, we have the ability to reshape our thought patterns, leading to increased presence in our daily experiences and greater resilience in the face of life’s challenges.
When we make the intentional choice to sit down and meditate, it’s important to recognize that our thoughts don’t disappear. If anything, they may even be more obvious as we remove ourselves from our usual distractions. Paradoxically, this heightened awareness of our thoughts is a central aspect of meditation. Through consistent meditation, the inner narrative gradually quiets down, allowing our thoughts to become more anchored in the present moment. Just like the gradual benefits of exercise, the effects of meditation also unfold over time. It’s common to feel frustrated when it seems like you’re not making progress despite dedicating time to meditate.
The Benefits of Meditation
If you do decide to incorporate meditation into your life, there are some powerful benefits awaiting you. Meditation is a holistic practice, meaning it is beneficial on a physical, mental, and spiritual level. These aspects of ourselves work together to make up our overall well-being, and their interconnectedness is directly addresses when we sit to meditate. By calming the mind, we also calm the body. Through meditation, we can effectively train ourselves to respond to stress in a more neutral way, all the way down to the cellular level. Here are some specific benefits you can expect when you start to incorporate meditation into your life and your routine.
Physical
- Reduced muscle tension
- Lower blood pressure
- Enhanced immune function
- Improved breathing
- Pain management
- Better sleep
- Enhanced energy levels
- Faster healing
- Physical relaxation
- Improved posture and body awareness
Mental
- Stress reduction
- Improved concentration
- Enhanced self-awareness
- Emotional well-being
- Mindfulness
- Reduced anxiety
- Improved mood
- Enhanced cognitive function
- Increased resilience
- Better stress management
Spiritual
- Increased self-awareness
- Enhanced compassion
- Greater sense of purpose
- Deeper sense of connection
- Inner peace
- Increased gratitude
- Heightened intuition
- Expanded consciousness
- Emotional healing
- Connection to the present moment
Starting Your Practice
Incorporating meditation into your life doesn’t require you to buy a fancy cushion and sit for hours a day. Meditation only requires a quiet space, and time to be away from external distractions, even if that time is only a few minutes. You can choose to simply sit and focus on your breath, but it is often helpful when first starting out to use a guided meditation to learn some basic breathing and awareness techniques.
Determine how much time you have to dedicate to your practice, and set a timer or choose a guided meditation that is the appropriate length. If you decide to go with a guided meditation, allow yourself a few minutes to sample a few from YouTube or one of the many apps out there, to find something that resonates with you. You’ll find a wide range of options, including meditations tailored toward specific purposes like anxiety relief or trauma healing.
In meditation, the focus on the breath. Guided meditations will walk you through techniques like body scans and breathing exercises to bring your focus inward; if you’re meditating solo you can mentally note “breathing in” as you inhale and “breathing out” as you exhale. It’s normal for your mind to wander, but the key is to gently redirect your focus back to your breath whenever you notice it drifting. A helpful analogy is to think of meditation as akin to training a puppy to use a puppy mat. Every time the puppy strays from the mat to do her business, a patient owner gently returns the her to the mat, training her over time to use it as default.
Regardless of which method you choose, the important thing is that you’re taking initiative to set aside time to retrain your mind to think in a more neutral way, and to respond to stressors more calmly. With consistent meditation, even just for a few minutes a day, you will begin to notice a positive shift in your state of mind. Over time, you may find yourself feeling more composed, compassionate, and less prone to extreme emotional reactions. Most importantly, you’ll discover yourself being more present in the moment, allowing you to truly savor and appreciate life.
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If you’d like to dip your toe into the pool of meditation, you are invited to give it a try with us at Inspiring Actions! Our Mixed Level Yoga + Meditation and Singing Bowl Meditation classes offer an opportunity to give meditation a try in a relaxed, welcoming, and inclusive environment. Our instructors have been led to teach because of their love for their practice and dedication to sharing the benefits of the 8 Limbs of Yoga with our community. Our schedule is designed to offer yoga classes for all levels, as well as frequent special events to explore other holistic healing modalities.
If you haven’t already, follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on all the latest class and event additions, and join our Inspiring Actions Facebook Community! Try unlimited yoga for a month with our New Student Special, or join an upcoming Yoga 101 series if you’d like an in-depth introduction to the practice. Check out our blog page for more articles on yoga-related topics, and if there is a topic we haven’t covered that you’d like to learn about, please leave us a comment below! Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you at Inspiring Actions soon!
