Can doing nothing help us do everything better?
Meditation has become increasingly popular in society today. From distant retreats to mindfulness apps, more and more people are eagerly enthusiastic in trying to harness the benefits of this age-old yet powerful practice! However, do you still find yourself to be unconvinced by this practice and just see it as a trend that’ll come and go? Well, here are a few benefits that you can harness yourself by introducing a daily meditation practice into your lives.
Meditation Improves Cognition: studies have shown that mindful meditation practices improves the brain’s problem solving and decision making strategies.
Alleviates Stress: encountering immediate threats raises the cortisol levels (stress hormone) in our body which activates the Autonomic Nervous System, responsible for our fight-or-flight responses. Brain studies of regular meditators show they have less cortisol in the brain.
Improves Physical Health: done by boosting the immune functions, regulating hormonal discharge and decreasing cellular inflammation.
Induces Healthy Eating Habits: when we feel low, we crave for unhealthy food that pleases the mind temporarily. Developing a morning meditation practice makes it easier to cut off extra sugar and fatty foods from your diet as well as helping to speed up our metabolism and cleanse our gut.
As someone who has struggled with stress and anxiety in the past, having a daily meditation practice has helped me to deepen my breath, which has subsequently reduced the intensity of my stress and anxiety levels. Much to the delight of my manager, meditation has helped to improve my productivity at work as I'm better able to remain focused when completing work tasks. In a similar manner to the picture above, meditation has acted like the light in the midst of the constant waves of thoughts and emotions in everyday life!
Who knew that something so simple can be so profound?! When we consider the combined impact it has on our brain, gut and emotional health, one small change can go a long way into completely transforming us and our outlook on life.
Written by Harin Vinumon
