Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress
Meditation can wipe away the day’s stress, bringing with it inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practice meditation whenever you need it most.
If stress has you anxious, tense, and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace.
Anyone can practice meditation. It’s simple and inexpensive, and it doesn’t require any special equipment. And you can practice meditation wherever you are — whether you’re out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor’s office, or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.
Understanding Meditation
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.
Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process results in enhanced physical and emotional well-being. Our feelings about the stressors in our lives tend to have great power over our state. Thru the practice of Meditation, we can become less attached to situations, thoughts, feelings, and even unpleasant sensations we may be experiencing in our bodies.
Benefits of Meditation
Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and can even improve certain medical conditions.
The emotional benefits of meditation include:
- Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
- Building skills to manage your stress
- Increasing self-awareness
- Focusing on the present
- Reducing negative emotions
- Reduce tension and stress at will
- Feel happier, more relaxed, and at peace with yourself
- Improve your health, mental clarity, and vitality
- Develop a more intuitive, heart-centered way of life
- Discover and explore your inner spiritual nature
Meditation and Illness
Meditation also might be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress. While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, some researchers believe it’s not yet possible to draw conclusions about the possible benefits of meditation.
With that in mind, some research suggests that meditation may help such conditions as:
- Allergies
- Anxiety disorders
- Asthma
- Binge eating
- Cancer
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Pain
- Sleep problems
- Substance abuse
Types of Meditation
Meditation is an umbrella term for the many ways to a relaxed state of being. There are many types of meditation and relaxation techniques that have meditation components. All share the same goal of achieving inner peace.
Ways to meditate:
- Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing. You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds, and textures.
- Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought, or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.
- Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation is based on being mindful or having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment. You broaden your conscious awareness. You focus on what you experience during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. You can observe your thoughts and emotions but let them pass without judgment.
Practiced on a daily basis, meditation produces profound results on all levels of your being-physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It connects you with your own inner powers of vitality, clarity, and love.