Everyone has heard of meditation and mindfulness, but many still have no clue about why these are such excellent activities to pursue, or what can be gained from them.
Before looking through the long list of benefits that you can enjoy through meditation and mindfulness, I need to point out that they are different. You might choose to practice one or the other, or do both. I suggest both for the best results.
→ Meditation: On the simplest level, meditation is a focused activity. It could be paying close attention to your breathing, repeating a mantra or otherwise clearing your mind of everything beyond your chosen focus.
→ Mindfulness: Paying attention to what is going on within and outside of yourself without judgment or attachment, in the present moment. For example, simply listening to all the sounds you can hear without describing, categorizing or deciding if the sounds you hear are good or bad. Rather, you simply listen with an open-minded curiosity.
You can practice mindfulness as a part of your meditation practice, but you can’t always practice meditation when you are being mindful, such as mindfully driving or operating machinery.
Ideally, practicing both meditation and mindfulness daily, even for just a few minutes per day can help you attain the following benefits:
Physical Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness:
Lowers oxygen consumption
Decreases respiratory rate
Increases blood flow and slows the heart rate
Increases exercise tolerance
Induces restorative relaxation
Helps regulate blood pressure
Lowers blood lactate levels to decrease anxiety symptoms
Relaxes muscle tension
Helps relieve symptoms of chronic diseases
Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms
Helps promotes post-operative healing
Enhances immune system
Reduces activity of viruses
Reduces symptoms of emotional distress
Enhances energy and stamina
Aids weight loss
Reduces free radicals to promote deep tissue healing
Reduces cholesterol levels
Lowers risk of cardiovascular disease.
Improves flow of air to the lungs
Decreases aging process.
Increases levels of DHEAS
Helps relieve pain
Decreases sweat
Relieves migraines
Promotes overall brain functioning
Reduce need for medical care
Reserves energy
Relieves asthma and other types of breathing problems
Enhances athletic performance
Harmonizes the endocrine system
Relaxes nervous system
Promotes enhanced electrical activity in the brain
Reduces stress to help promote fertility
Improves sex life
Mental Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness
Increases feelings of self-worth
Boosts serotonin levels for mood support
Relaxes fears and phobias
Helps control thoughts
Increases focus and concentration
Increases creativity
Increases brain wave coherence
Improves learning ability
Sustains an improved memory
Rejuvenates positive emotions
Increases emotional stability
Slows brain aging
Makes it easy to remove bad habits
Increases intuition
Increases productivity
Expands your thinking to see additional alternatives
Decreases reactivity
Increase problem solving
Purifies character
Develop will power
Increases self-regulation capacities
Opens up left-brain, right-brain communication
Allows faster response times
Increases perceptual ability
Increases motor performance
Increases intelligence growth rate
Increases feelings of satisfaction
Decreases behavioral health symptoms
Helps in all aspects of recovery, including addictions
Induces more restorative sleep
Decreases insomnia symptoms
Decreases restless and ruminative thinking
Decreases worry thoughts
Improves powers of discernment
Creates a more balanced personality
Increases emotional intelligence
Spiritual Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness:
Provides peace of mind, happiness
Helps gain clarity to better live your purpose
Induces self-actualization
Increases wisdom
Provides a deeper understanding of self and others
Harmonizes the mind, body, spirit connection
Increases feelings of self-acceptance
Helps release resentments
Increases ability to forgive self and others
Improves attitude toward life
Creates a deeper relationship with higher power/God/nature
Allows the attainment of enlightenment
Improves inner strength and fortitude
Increases emotional and mental resiliency
Improves ability to live in the present moment
Leads to discovery of TRUE self, beyond the ego
Allows you to live from an inner sense of knowing
Increases feelings of oneness with the cosmos
Increases experiences of synchronicity
Social Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness
Improves all relationships
Builds tolerance for self and others
Improves patience
Promotes healthy responses versus mindless reactions
Increases capacity for intimacy
Opens abilities to give and receive love
Decreases feelings of social anxiety
Increases self-efficacy skills
Increases sense of personal-responsibility and accountability
Reduces road rage
Increases listening skills
Increases empathy for others
Creates composure to act in constructive ways
Increases compassion
Allows you to be more present for others
Decreases negative feelings such as jealousy and non-productive judgment
Ultimately, practicing meditation and mindfulness helps you feel better, look better, work better, love better and experience life on deeper levels. So, what are you waiting for? Get started today. Taking even just three minutes a day to practice each activity will bring you amazing results.
Here is a three-minute mindfulness meditation that can help: