Top 10 Benefits of Meditation Practise
Improved self-awareness and anxiety control are only two of the many meditation benefits. Many people around the world take part in meditation sessions in gyms, spas or wellness retreats. A popular Buddhist and Asian-based ritual has now spread world-wide with millions reaping the benefits of this incredible exercise.
At Boutique Lux, we are very lucky for our properties, The Buddha House and The Retreat, to be surrounded by a variety of meditation classes. Some of these classes can be found at the end of this article, so if you are staying with us, definitely check them out to take advantage of the many benefits meditation has to offer!
But what are these various benefits? You might be surprised to know that in addition to meditation being a calming practise, there is a wide range of other advantages to meditation, from improvements to sleep to pain relief!
1. Improves Sleep
Insomnia affects and will affect many people over the course of their lives. Racing thoughts, sudden worries, and tossing and turning can keep us awake nights on-end. Meditation can help to control and manage these thoughts and worries, and in addition, pracising meditation can help to relax your body by releasing tension and prepare you better for a good nights’ sleep.
2. Increases Attention Span
We would be lying if we said that we had perfect focus and attention ALL the time! Sometimes we zone out when someone is talking, sometimes our mind wanders when we are trying to recall a story and sometimes we start watching television instead of doing work!
Practising meditation frequently can encourage an increase in our attention spans by actively maintaining consistent focus during sessions. Meditation can reorient our attention when we feel it wandering and as a result, increase the strength and endurance of our focus.
3. Promotes Emotional Health
Meditation can also have a positive effect on our self-image and general outlook on life. Studies of meditation show a long-term reduction in depression and low mood as well as a long-term increase in optimism and positive thinking.
Cytokines are chemicals that are released as a stress-response and can have a negative effect on mood leading to depression. Studies have found that meditation can reduce these chemicals, therefore reducing depression and its negative effects over time.
4. Helps to Manage Anxiety
As mentioned previously, practicing meditation can help to reduce stress over time. Therefore, less stress means a reduction in anxiety. As well as stress, studies show that frequent meditation practice can have a reduction in the symptoms of other anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, paranoia, panic attacks, and social anxiety.
5. May Help Fight Memory loss With Age
We mentioned earlier that meditation can help improve attention span and focus. Overall improvements in these areas can help keep minds young as bodies age. Studies have found that meditations that focused on chanting helped to improve participants’ memory recall and other meditation styles helped to improve attention and mental quickness.
It has also been found that meditation doesn’t only help normal memory loss with age but can also help slightly improve memory loss in dementia patients.
6. Can Help to Battle Addictions
The improvements you gain in frequent meditation practise such as attention, focus, and general mental discipline, can help to break personal dependencies on certain vices. By increasing self-awareness and self-control, it becomes easier to identify triggers for addictive behaviours. Meditation can also help to reduce food cravings by the use of mindfulness to help reduce emotional and binge eating.
7. Improves Self-Awareness
Meditation and certain styles, in particular, can help you to develop a stronger and deeper understanding of yourself and to establish to best version of yourself. Meditation can help to pinpoint thoughts that could have a negative effect on self-esteem and image.
Meditating on such thoughts can help to control and minimise their effect on our overall wellbeing. It encourages you to think more intensely about your thought patterns and habits, allowing you to create constructive solutions to problems that might be holding you back.
8. Decreases Blood Pressure
Practising meditation frequently can help to improve our overall physical health through encouraging a reduction in stress, worry, and strain on the heart. Studies show that practising meditation can have a positive improvement in blood pressure and can reduce the strain on arteries.
Meditation can help to mediate blood pressure by relaxing nerve signals, improving coordination between heart function and responses to stress.
9. Helps to Manage Pain
Our reactions and perceptions of pain are centred in our brains and when we are stressed, these perceptions can be elevated and therefore increase the pain we believe we are feeling. Studies have shown that practising meditation can result in a decreased sensitivity to pain with reduced complaints about chronic or long-term pain stimuli.
10. Meditation is Travel-Friendly
One of the main pros of meditation is that it can be practised absolutely ANYWHERE. On holiday? Meditate on the beach and listen to the waves. On a commute to work? Meditate on the train and focus on the whirring of the wheels on the tracks. Stuck at home due to bad weather? Meditate and listen to the calming sounds of the raindrops hitting the windows and bricks outside.
Meditation doesn’t really require any specific equipment or location, however, if you find that your meditation practise is improved through quiet and calm environments, perhaps look into participating in a local class?
Our Favourite Local Meditation Classes
Zen Mindfulness
Cambridge
- Website: https://zenmindfulnesscambridge.com
- Contact:
- Tel: 07967 142324
- Email: rbonaiti72@yahoo.it
Cambridgeshire Sports Physio & Back Care
Huntingdon
- Website: https://www.physio.uk.net
- Contact:
- Tel: 01487 773 088
- Email: info@physio.uk.net
Drolma Kadampa Buddhist Centre
Peterborough
- Website: https://drolmacentre.org.uk
- Contact:
- Tel: 01733 755444
- Email: info@drolmacentre.org.uk
We hope this list has been informative and has provided you with the knowledge about meditation you were looking for!
Remember to check out our property The Retreat to experience exclusive, private spaces to make the most out of your meditation practise!
We are always on hand to offer any advice, to provide information or to answer any queries you might have. Just get in touch below, and we will respond to your request as soon as possible!
Your happiness is our priority
Team Boutique Lux
