How Meditation Can Improve Your Daily Life

Meditation has become very popular. Nowadays, many people practice meditation regularly and enjoy its benefits. Countless studies show how meditation helps reduce stress and improve sleep cycles, as well as reduce cortisol levels. It can even improve your learning and memory. Meditation has the power to improve your daily life and help you feel realized and happy.

The results of a study at the University of California, Santa Barbara, support these claims. Researchers have found that just a few weeks of meditation improved participants’ working memory capacity and results on the GRE test.

Despite all the scientific benefits and research on meditation, there are many people who still doubt its effectiveness or hesitate to try it. There are widespread myths about meditation that are not necessarily true. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which meditation can improve your daily life.

• Meditating is easy. It may be difficult at first, so we recommend that you follow some form of guided breathing exercise. There are several online resources that can help you get started. Some guided meditations can help you focus on your breathing, while others make you repeat the mantra.
• The goal is not to completely turn off your mind. Instead, the goal is to find peace within your mind. When you meditate, you simply observe your thoughts as they come and go. If you detach yourself from them, from your thoughts, you will feel more satisfied. You will be able to open up to new opportunities and simply enjoy what is around you.

• You will see the benefits in just a few weeks. Scientific studies show that individuals who practice meditation feel less anxious and more peaceful after just eight weeks. Research shows that meditation stimulates areas of the brain related to memory, empathy, self-awareness and stress management. People who practice meditation also sleep better, are able to concentrate and lower blood pressure, stress and anxiety levels.
• It also strengthens the immune system. In 2011,  Dr. Sara Lazar’s research theme at Harvard University that mindfulness can actually change the structure of the brain. After an eight-week MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction) program, the researchers saw that the hippocampus increased in size. The hippocampus is a brain structure that is important for learning and memory. Not only this but also areas that regulate emotions and self-referential processes also grew them.

• Meditation helps you to be present. Meditation means reconnecting with yourself. It is the opposite of escapism.

How can I meditate?

• You just have to invest some time to see results. Meditating gives you time to take a break. On the short respite from life’s wear and tear, you can calm your mind before you act.
• There are many ways to meditate. You can meditate standing, walking, while doing yoga, etc. You can use guided mindfulness exercises or you can listen to a meditation podcast. The most important thing is that you find what is right for you.
• What if I can not stop thinking. People have more than 300 thoughts per 30 minutes. It’s too much for anyone. However, most of us are used to keeping this pace. Therefore, practice and patience may be required to calm the mind.

• Note the benefits. Trust the process. It takes time and practice. Enjoy the process, whether it is slow, enjoy the benefits of meditation.
• Find a way that works for you. It is better to meditate for only ten minutes than to try to do it for an hour just because people say it is better. It will only end up making you angry if you do not make it. Adapt your practice to your needs.

You can start enjoying some of the benefits of meditation in your daily life by following a few simple steps:

• Do not be too hard on yourself.
• Have no expectations. Just enjoy the present moment. 
• If yours does not succeed in achieving that inner silence, take a break.
• Meditate alone in a peaceful place. 

As you can see, meditation can improve your daily life in many ways. There are so many benefits to incorporating this simple exercise into your routine. It helps you stop and become aware of what you are experiencing here and now. Meditation gives you the opportunity to reconnect with yourself and stay in the present.