The Benefits of Meditation

Meditation offers a wide range of benefits for both the mind and body. Studies have shown that regular meditation can:

1. Reduce stress and anxiety: By calming the mind, meditation helps manage stress levels and reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. Being able to reduce your stress and anxiety has shown the ability to strengthen your immune system and make you healthier.
2. Improve Focus and Attention: Meditation trains your brain to focus better, improving productivity and mental sharpness. In this busy world we live in, taking a few minutes to just recenter yourself will do wonders for whatever task you are trying to complete.
3. Enhance Emotional Health: Mindfulness practices such as simple breath work in between meetings and or classes can increase self-awareness and help regulate emotions, leading to greater emotional resilience not only for that day, if regularly practiced via a lifetime.
4. Promote Better Sleep: A calm, relaxed mind often leads to better sleep quality is not a new concept. Taking time before bed to relax your mind with a meditation exercise has shown to decrease stress receptors, increase melatonin and slow your heart rate.
5. Boost Physical Health: Research links meditation to improved heart health, reduced cognitive decline and even strengthened immunity. With regular practice studies have shown meditation can lower blood pressure which over time can reduce the strain on your heart and blood vessels.

Different Types of Meditation

There are many forms of meditation, each with its unique focus and method. Let’s look at a few key types and how to begin practicing them:

1. Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation encourages you to focus on the present moment without judgment. It’s about becoming aware of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations, observing them without reacting. This involves accepting what you are thinking about at the moment and being aware without judgment. Be present and aware of what you are experiencing through all your senses. This is great practice to begin on your commute if you are taking mass transit or in between meetings.

How to get started:

• Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.
• Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
• Focus on your breath, noticing the inhale and exhale. When your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breath. Don’t fight your mind wandering, in the beginning this will happen regularly and let it, practice observing them without judgment. As you keep practicing you will see you are more focused on your breath for longer periods of time.
• Start with just 5-10 minutes a day and gradually increase your time, i find getting small breaks throughout the day helps me center my focus and gives me a much needed mental break.

2. Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)

This Buddhist practice focuses on cultivating feelings of compassion, love, and kindness, both for yourself and others. It’s a wonderful way to promote positive emotions and reduce negative ones like anger or resentment. Sometimes I like to think of this meditation as a grateful practice. By taking the time to highlight all that you are grateful for, it allows you to embrace that happiness in your life that you wish to share with others.

How to get started:

• Sit comfortably, this could be on a chair or criss crossed on the floor and close your eyes.
• Repeat phrases like, “May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be safe.” I find taking a moment to think about a time in your life that you were so happy, the moment that you had with a loved one, in college with your friends or when your child was born. Take that moment and soak it in, feel how happy you were and it’s ok to just sit there and breathe while you think of that moment.
• This practice should be first focused on oneself, but can be expanded to others as you improve your practice. We cannot spread love for others if we don’t first learn to unconditionally love ourselves.
• Then extend those wishes to others, starting with loved ones and expanding to others. At times it may seem artificial, with questions like who is really getting these wishes, but think of loved ones or current events and how love could ne used to solve their problems.   
• Start with 10 minutes, increasing the time as you feel comfortable.

3. Body Scan Meditation

Body scan meditation helps you connect with your body by focusing on physical sensations. It’s particularly helpful for stress relief and deep relaxation. It is one of the best types of meditation people can try when trying to go to sleep.

How to get started:

• Lie down in a comfortable position.
• Close your eyes and begin by focusing on your toes, slowly moving your attention up through your body, part by part. If you lose your concentration, it’s quite alright, be kind to yourself and try again. This is very normal and you will get better with practice.
• Notice any tension or sensations, and allow your body to relax with each exhale.
• Practice this for 10-20 minutes to release stress or try it before sleeping to try to improve your sleep hygiene.

3. Transcendental Meditation (TM)

TM is a popular form of meditation where you silently repeat a mantra (a specific word or sound) to help the mind settle into a deep state of relaxation. Originally founded by an Indian Yogi, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, he wanted practitioners to achieve a fourth major state of consciousness. This practice can be tried just about anywhere, from your bedroom to a doctor’s waiting room. It is the most versatile and for some the easiest to stick to given you typically try to stay focused on your mantra.

How to get started:

• Choose a mantra that has personal meaning or consult a certified TM teacher. The most common one you will hear is the Om-Aum, “Aum Namah Shivaya”, “I am that I am”, find one that works best for you. 
• Sit in a comfortable position that works for you, close your eyes, and start by just breathing in and out a few times until you move on to your mantra, repeat the mantra silently in your mind.
• Practice twice a day for 20 minutes, as with other mediations give yourself some time. It is ok if your mind wanders and starts thinking about something else, just bring it back to the mantra and train your mind to focus over time.