Five Ways Meditation Will Enhance Your Life
These days with our high stress and hectic lifestyles, meditation is frequently advised as a method of relaxation and stress relief. And while it certainly helps in those areas, there are a variety of reasons that are just as important why a daily meditation regimen will bring great benefits to your life.
Philosopher and CEO Brian Johnson summarizes five of these reasons in his video 'How to Meditate without moving to the Himalayas.
1. Strengthen your mind. Brian refers to it as 'going to the gym for your attention muscles.' Having the capacity to focus your mind where you want it is critical to achieving your aspirations in life. Our lives are crammed with so many diverse factors all requiring our attention-- work, family, friends, social media-- that our minds are continuously jumping from one thing to the next-- monkey mind, it's called. Meditation will improve your concentration abilities and help you learn to fix your mind on one particular topic, which leads to greater productivity as well as a greater sense of calmnes and well-being.
2. Develop willpower. Scientists have discovered that the amount of willpower a person has is a more effective predictor of their success in every area of their life than any other factor. Even if you think you fall short in that department, willpower can be cultivated, and like other qualities, the more you do it, the better you get at it. This follows on from number one, as while you're strengthening your attention muscles, you're also building your willpower muscles.
3. Optimize your immune system. With many of us on the move from morning to night, our adrenal system, which manages our stress hormones, is constantly overworked. This means our immune system is not working effectively, which triggers not only a greater susceptibility to illness but also fatigue, low energy and even depression. Just as little as 10 minutes meditation a day can relax the body enough so that your immune system has a chance to revitalize itself.
4. Change your DNA. Yes, you can actually do that. In contrast to previous beliefs our genes are not fixed and scientists have discovered that in a process called epigenetics, our thoughts, behaviors and environment affect how our genes are expressed. They've also discovered that a consistent meditation practice can change our genetic expression, with as little as 12-15 minutes of meditation in 8 weeks. In practical terms this means that someone who is genetically predisposed to being highly anxious can change that-- ie become less anxious, by a daily meditation routine.
5. Connect to something bigger than you. This doesn't automatically mean God, it can be the universe, life force - whatever you want it to be. It essentially means delving into the spiritual part of you, however you perceive it. With our lives very much in the real world and a million different things to sidetrack us, it's very difficult to get a sense of ourselves as a part of the universe. Being able to feel a connection to something outside of ourselves helps to get a perspective on our lives and feel more connected to others.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that meditation doesn't have to involve sitting for an hour each day humming "Omm." As little as 10 minutes a day of sitting in a quiet spot and slow, deep breathing can have a dramatic impact on your life.
Philosopher and CEO Brian Johnson summarizes five of these reasons in his video 'How to Meditate without moving to the Himalayas.
1. Strengthen your mind. Brian refers to it as 'going to the gym for your attention muscles.' Having the capacity to focus your mind where you want it is critical to achieving your aspirations in life. Our lives are crammed with so many diverse factors all requiring our attention-- work, family, friends, social media-- that our minds are continuously jumping from one thing to the next-- monkey mind, it's called. Meditation will improve your concentration abilities and help you learn to fix your mind on one particular topic, which leads to greater productivity as well as a greater sense of calmnes and well-being.
2. Develop willpower. Scientists have discovered that the amount of willpower a person has is a more effective predictor of their success in every area of their life than any other factor. Even if you think you fall short in that department, willpower can be cultivated, and like other qualities, the more you do it, the better you get at it. This follows on from number one, as while you're strengthening your attention muscles, you're also building your willpower muscles.
3. Optimize your immune system. With many of us on the move from morning to night, our adrenal system, which manages our stress hormones, is constantly overworked. This means our immune system is not working effectively, which triggers not only a greater susceptibility to illness but also fatigue, low energy and even depression. Just as little as 10 minutes meditation a day can relax the body enough so that your immune system has a chance to revitalize itself.
4. Change your DNA. Yes, you can actually do that. In contrast to previous beliefs our genes are not fixed and scientists have discovered that in a process called epigenetics, our thoughts, behaviors and environment affect how our genes are expressed. They've also discovered that a consistent meditation practice can change our genetic expression, with as little as 12-15 minutes of meditation in 8 weeks. In practical terms this means that someone who is genetically predisposed to being highly anxious can change that-- ie become less anxious, by a daily meditation routine.
5. Connect to something bigger than you. This doesn't automatically mean God, it can be the universe, life force - whatever you want it to be. It essentially means delving into the spiritual part of you, however you perceive it. With our lives very much in the real world and a million different things to sidetrack us, it's very difficult to get a sense of ourselves as a part of the universe. Being able to feel a connection to something outside of ourselves helps to get a perspective on our lives and feel more connected to others.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that meditation doesn't have to involve sitting for an hour each day humming "Omm." As little as 10 minutes a day of sitting in a quiet spot and slow, deep breathing can have a dramatic impact on your life.
