BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
Meditation carries so many benefits. Today Meditation is considered a proven alternative therapy under holistic medicine.
Physical benefits
Even though Meditation is usually recognized as a spiritual practice, it has tremendous health benefits. In order to understand how meditation improves physical health, we need to understand the root cause of all diseases.
We have learnt that cosmic energy is important for nourishing our subtle body system; but our negative patterns or habits make this energy leak out from our chakras. Disease happens when we lose vital energy due to our destructive patterns of thought, action and behaviour. These include an inner need to always blame others, or demand an explanation from them or to have expectations from others. Meditation helps us to acknowledge these patterns, get detached from them and get on with our lives. This is exactly what we do while sitting in Meditation; we acknowledge all our experiences without labeling them or getting attached to them, and return to our breath.
Quite often our physical symptoms are mere reflections of our inner turmoil. We don’t heal because we live in our past emotional hurts. Past is more real to most of us than the present. Meditation teaches us to remain in the present moment; and the present moment renews creative possibilities for a vibrant health. Vital energy, which flows into our being during Meditation, begins to clean out the stale and stagnant energies of the past. This process revitalizes, replenishes, and restores the mind-body system.
When Meditation becomes a part of our daily life, the chakras get cleansed and start working at a healthy level. This ensures optimum circulation of prana, which strengthens the immune system and the hormone producing glands. Cosmic energy also ensures better circulation of blood, which delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the body cells. At the same time, our metabolism slows down, and body’s oxygen needs get reduced. This decreases the respiratory and the heart rate, providing much needed rest to these vital organs.
Regular and deep meditation carries the power to transform molecular and genetic structure of cells, thus reversing many illnesses and age. It helps reduce circulation of free radicals in the body, thus preventing tissue damage. In addition, meditation creates deep levels of physical relaxation, reducing any pain caused due to muscular tension. Physical stress is also reduced and we feel more energetic. All these processes ensure a better and vibrant health.
Some of the documented physical health benefits are:
• Improvement in general health
• Reduced need for medical intervention
• Reduced pain
• Increased pain-threshold
• Improved skin tone
• Relief from headaches
• Regulation of body weight
• Better sleep
• Reduced need to sleep
• Relief in premenstrual syndrome
• Faster post-operative recuperation
• Strong immune system
• Attunement of pregnant women with their babies
• Increased exercise tolerance
• Increased levels of energy
• Improved ability to work hard and long
• Faster healing
• Higher resistance to diseases
• Slowing down and reversing of the aging process
• Longevity
• Cure from infertility
• Relief from asthma
• Better breathing
• Great physical vitality and rejuvenation
• Improved chance of combating illness
• Diminished probability of heart disease
• Improved digestion
• Faster recovery from physical and mental stress
• Alleviation of symptoms in ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
• Regulates blood pressure
• Improved physical performance of cardiac patients
• Automatic remission of serious illnesses
• Spontaneous cures
• Strength and vitality
• Reduced atherosclerosis
• Reduced thickening of cardiac arteries
• Reduced need for hospitalization
• Improved cardiovascular system
• Balanced physiology
Psychological benefits
Meditation improves our life by providing both psychological and emotional benefits that change life in a positive manner. This happens because of increased production of hormones such as serotonin, which enhance mood and lift depression.
In meditation, the brain waves slow down, the body relaxes, the mind becomes calm and the stress of daily life gets reduced. We begin to understand that stress is not caused by outer events; it is caused by our reaction to them. Meditation ensures great psychological benefits. Some of which include:
• Relaxation
• Relief from stress and stress related disorders
• Healing of hurt ego
• Understanding the root cause of problems
• Developing a sense of well being
• Better mood
• Positive outlook towards life
• Feeling more energetic
• Reduction of emotional distress
• Decrease in potential mental illnesses
• Reduced need for dependencies such as drugs, nicotine and alcohol
• Reduced road rage
• Decreased tendency to worry
• A stable and balanced personality
• Peace of mind
• Self discovery
• Stripping off all layers of false identity
• Shedding all mind conditioning
• Reduced fears, phobias and neuroses
• Reduced panic attacks
• Increased self confidence
• Less aggressiveness
• Inner poise
• Equanimity in the midst of life’s turbulence
• Unlocking of creative potential
• Increased inspiration
• More initiative
• Feeling of Self-empowerment
• Finding the outside world more beautiful and interesting
• Increased will to enjoy life
• Gratefulness for all experiences
• Natural death of wasteful habits
• Sharpened ability to see ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’
• Increased contentment
• Psychological balance
• Better coping mechanisms
• Overcoming the writer’s block
• Cure of eating disorders
• Cure of schizophrenia
• Reduction in psychosomatic complaints
• Ability to stay calm in the face of negative emotional arousal
• Lifting of depression
• Detachment from minor irritations and problems
• Proactive behavior
• Ethical behavior
• Feeling of safety
• Increased optimism
• Decreased anxiety
• Reduced drug and alcohol abuse
• Developing full creative potential
• Improved academic performance
• Reduced learning disorder
• Reduced frustration
• Developing a lively personality
• Increased self-discipline
• Becoming fearless
• Developing fairness
• Projecting positive energy
• Letting go of the sense of urgency
• Developing a sense of humor and lightness of heart
Mental benefits
Meditation is like taking a bath that keeps us fresh, clean and energized. Meditation energizes our mind. It keeps our mental faculties together. When mind starts observing the breath, it gets identified with it and loses itself. It stops controlling us and we become its rightful masters.
Buddha attributed two important mental qualities to wholesome and regular Meditation. The first of these qualities is serenity or tranquility, which makes the mind steady, composed, unified, and concentrated. The other one is ‘insight’ which makes the mind see, explore and discern. Through insight, one gains wisdom that liberates us.
Meditation helps co-ordinate the functioning of both brain hemispheres, making the whole brain function in tandem. It also activates new neural pathways; improving communication between different areas of the brain. This enhances the mental power tremendously and creates the following benefits:
• Switching off the noise of the mind
• Cultivating a clear, calm state of mind
• Transformed mind
• Improved attention span
• Increased focus on job at hand
• Restful alertness
• Healing of mental disorders
• Improved intelligence
• Improved clarity
• Decrease in restless thoughts
• Improved mental concentration
• Improved mental strength
• Improved will power
• Improved mental performance
• Improved logical skills
• Improved creativity
• Improved problem solving skills
• Improved brain function
• Improved awareness of thought patterns
• Improved learning ability
• Improved memory
• Purposeful thinking
• Farsighted decision making
• Balanced and appropriate emotional response
• Improved flexibility in thoughts
• Improved brain function and responses
• Enhanced decision making capability
• Understanding of the patterns and habits of the mind
• Developing calm focus
• Developing dynamic tranquility
• Energized state of mind
• Reduced negative effects of mental stress
• Voluntary control of mental processes
• General feeling of mental well-being
• Heightened alertness
• Tremendous increase in thought power
• Greater efficiency in performing everyday tasks
• Joyful state of mind
• Sharper intellect
• Improved grasp of concepts
• Deep mental acuity
• Improvement in mental processing skills
Relationship benefits
Meditation creates changes not only in the physical body but other subtle bodies as well. These changes occur because of the increased flow of energy through physical and subtle channels, making us aware and mindful of every thought, emotion, and action.
Meditation makes us conscious of our thought patterns, emotional patterns and reaction patterns. This awareness creates understanding of the self. And when we understand the self, we start understanding others. This understanding helps solve many of our life problems, especially the ones concerning our relationships.
Long time meditators develop an inner poise, and a truthful, open, compassionate and unselfish nature, which is free from pretension, snobbery, prejudice and dogmatism. Such qualities endear us to one and all, and improve all our inter-personal relationships. Meditation brings up positive emotions, which are then expressed through actions. It works as a great cleanser for our emotional body.
Through Meditation, we start observing our self more intently. We become more aware of the way we walk, eat, speak, gossip, love, hate etc. Gradually, we start accepting all parts of our self with equanimity.
Some of the inter-personal benefits of meditation are:
• Improved confidence
• Thoughtful response to everyday events
• Increased perceptual ability
• Increased job satisfaction and performance
• Non-impulsive behaviors
• Increased emotional intelligence, maturity and stability
• Increased intimacy with loved ones
• Improved social behavior
• Decreased aggressiveness
• Decreased need to prove one’s point of view
• Increased sense of responsibility
• Increased empathy
• Reduced judgment
• Reduced resistance
• Greater tolerance
• Increased composure
• Increased acceptance of self and others
• Increased acceptance of others’ point of view
• Ease of forgiveness
• Improved relationships at work and at home
• Reduced need to criticize others
• Reduced intolerance
• Reduced resistance to life
• Transformative and deep understanding of life
• Emotional positivity
• Improved emotional health and well-being
• Reduced frustrations
• Qualitative and fulfilling inter-personal relationships
• Freedom from resentment, hatred, prejudice and negativity
• Saying no to negativity with loving kindness and compassion
• Transformation of miseries and misunderstandings into celebration
• Heightened sensitivity
• Learning to go with the flow
• An improved capacity to deal with life’s ups and downs
• Increased gracefulness
• Increased fearlessness
• Reduced dullness
• Improved sharpness
• Reduced rigidity
• Increased tranquility
• Reduced restlessness
• Reduced vanity
• Increased sanity
• Enhanced personal effectiveness
• Better time management
• Death of wasteful habits
• Qualitative and fulfilling interpersonal relationships
• Enhanced understanding of human behavior
• Increased patience
• Increased trust
• Taking oneself lightly and laughing at self
• Clearing emotional pain
• Learning to be true to ourselves
• Accepting all our experiences as valid
• Developing energy of allowance and tolerance
• Enjoying the moment and appreciating the now
• Gigantic problems seem small
• Disentanglement from all attachments in life
Spiritual benefits
People begin their Meditation practice for a variety of reasons, which are usually related with their immediate life concerns; such as learning to cope with stress and pain, becoming a better person, achieving inner tranquility, spiritual quest etc. But as they progress on the path, the realization of Infinite Self becomes a priority. As the practice deepens the desire for liberation grows stronger, as this is the ultimate fruit of Meditation.
When it is said that the ultimate benefits of meditation are supreme bliss and enlightenment, these words are not likely to be understood by most people; at least in the beginning. Regular practice of meditation helps in liberating the energy of body and mind, which ensures that the quality of consciousness gets expanded. Apparent mundane everyday activities take on the qualities of the Infinite and we embrace life as a sense of submission to our Higher Self.
Meditation aims at realizing the Self. It is the single most important method that makes us acquire experiential knowledge of Spiritual Science. Since Meditation makes us access our spiritual subtle bodies, we gain tremendous spiritual benefits.
Some of these benefits are:
• Putting life events in perspective
• Increased present moment awareness
• Discovery of life purpose
• Discovery of Consciousness beyond the ego
• Increased Self-realization
• Increased compassion
• Greater capacity to love unconditionally
• Growth in wisdom
• Deep understanding of the working of the universe
• Increased body, mind and spirit harmony
• Greater connectedness with All That Is
• Greater relationship with Divine Power
• Experience of inner knowingness
• Experience of Oneness
• Increased awareness of synchronistic events
• Development of intuition
• Ability to see the larger picture
• Expansion of Consciousness
• Feeling inner peace and joy
• Self-generated happiness
• Peeling layers of ignorance
• Being in tune with our real selves
• Becoming more authentic
• Removing the masks we wear
• Living from the heart
• Simplifying our life
• Appreciating the simplicity of life
• Energizing our inner life
• Increased spontaneity
• Being conscious of our own divinity
• Appreciating life as it is
• Valuing our present circumstances
• Awareness and acknowledgement of living spiritual presence within
• Enhanced senses: colors seem brighter, smells are stronger
• Being more present in the world.
• Improved clairvoyance: Ability to see clearly and receive visual messages from other frequencies
• Improved clairaudience: Ability to receive auditory messages from other frequencies and realms
• Improved clairsentience: Ability to sense energy surrounding a person, place or thing
• Improved Clair cognizance: Knowing something without seeing, hearing or sensing
• Improved telepathy: direct transference of thought from one person to another
• Developing keen intuition and direct perception of truth
• Being blissful
• Realizing Cosmic Consciousness
• Better understanding of purpose of life
• Activation of Kundalini energy and opening of Third Eye
• Possibility of knowing previous incarnations
• Manifestation of Astral projection adventures
• Becoming full-fledged New Age Masters
• Cultivating inner peace and certainty
• Connection with own higher power
• Emotional development that emanates from higher levels of consciousness
• Divine inspiration which awakens the heart and the intellect
• Reaching and maintaining a state of pure consciousness beyond attachment or aversion
• Removal of karmic blocks
• Final accomplishment of liberation
• Development of intuitive vision
• Developing purity of heart
• Aligning with the power in the unseen dimension
• Experiencing a vibration of harmonious elation within
• Experiencing timelessness
• Complete surrender to the sheer joy of being
• Assuming own inner authority
• Swooning with ecstasy
• Feeling limitless possibilities
• Feeling compassionate
• Transformation at the deepest level of being
• Preparing for death and gracious departure from Earth
• Physical immortality and Ascension
Social benefits
Meditation not only helps us individually but the spillover effects are also seen on the surrounding population. Meditation makes us understand that individual peace is the basic unit for world peace. Each green tree contributes in creating a forest. Each drop contributes in creating an ocean. Similarly, each peaceful individual contributes in creating a peaceful world.
It is like several people living in a big house, in a joint family. Suppose one of them is rich and willing to contribute to repair the house; he benefits the whole family. Dozens of people staying in that house live without problems because of one man’s generosity.
Similarly, when one person starts meditating, the entire household benefits and when a few people start meditating, the entire community benefits from their spirituality. A single light by the roadside illuminates the path for thousands and thousands of passers-by. The lamp doesn’t shine for them but it loses nothing when more and more people benefit from its light.
Similarly, when we meditate regularly, we not only benefit ourselves but also help those who do not meditate. We don’t need to worry about them; it is sufficient to carry on with our own practice. It is enough to know that when we meditate, we benefit everyone around us and ourselves. Each meditator radiates a distinct fragrance when s/he reaches a lofty stage of absolute peace and tranquility inside and outside.
Just by meditating, by sitting down and being still, we can change the world, in a small but not insignificant way, because when the mind and body are at peace; our thoughts, words and actions radiate harmony. This harmony results in:
• Reduction in crime
• Reduction in violence
• Reduction in conflict
• Reduction in societal stress
• Increased positivity
• Increased world peace
• Increased coherence in collective consciousness
A word of caution
After learning about all the benefits of Meditation, people start meditating in the hope of getting something out of it. Some do it to improve their health; some do it for the sense of bliss, peace, happiness, or an enlightening experience. While there is nothing wrong with setting an overall objective for the Meditation practice, we risk limiting our experience by making Meditation too result oriented. When we set a goal, “I must get this, this and this by the end of today’s session, or by the end of this month”, we predetermine the outcome of our meditation and leave no room for our true nature to reveal itself in a way that is most appropriate for our circumstances.
It is better to know all the benefits, set an overall objective, and then leave all expectations aside to meditate sincerely and diligently, in complete trust that our highest good will be delivered to us when we connect with the Divine One Within!
The truth remains that the real benefits of Meditation cannot be spoken or written about; they can only be experienced, because Meditation takes us beyond the intellectual mind into the spiritual heart.
At the same time, there are no guarantees whatsoever. When you enroll for piano classes, the teacher doesn’t guarantee that you will become a concert pianist one day. That depends upon your level of proficiency and commitment. Similarly, the benefits you derive out of Meditation depend upon the level of your personal commitment and practice.