Ok, so let’s talk about Meditation. I know you all probably have preconceived ideas about what it is and the people who do it.
People who meditate are not weird old hippies or airy-fairy New Age folks. More people than you think are meditating. The popularity of meditation is increasing as more people discover its benefits. Meditation is a habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts.
Most meditative techniques started in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions, but today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings.
An extensive study conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health conducted in 2012, estimated that 8% of the United States population or roughly 18 million people have at least tried meditation. Of course, the number has grown since then.
In recent years, surveys have been conducted to estimate how many people meditate in the world but there are no reliable results. A rough estimation of people who meditate globally ranges between 200 and 500 million people. I bet that number shocked you!
Different groups of people meditate in different ways.
According to author, David Masci, of the Fact Tank for the Pew Research Center substantial shares of Americans of nearly all religious groups – as well as those who have no religious affiliation at all – say they meditate at least once a week.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many Buddhists and substantial numbers of Hindus say they meditate regularly, according to Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study. Indeed, two-thirds of Buddhists and one-third of Hindus in the survey say they meditate at least once a week.
At the same time, many Christians, including 49% of evangelical Protestants, 40% of Catholics and 55% of members of the historically black Protestant tradition also say they meditate once a week or more, according to the Religious Landscape Study. Among some smaller Christian groups, the share of self-described meditators is somewhat higher. Six-in-ten Mormons and 77% of Jehovah’s Witnesses say they meditate at least once per week. Both Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are encouraged by their churches to meditate.
Within Christianity, the practice of meditation or silent contemplation dates back to the Desert Fathers (early Christian monks and nuns who sought God in the quiet and solitude of the Egyptian wilderness) during the first centuries after the death of Jesus. Today Christians of various traditions still encourage meditation as a means to try to get closer to God. Eastern-style meditation, by contrast, generally involves clearing the mind.
Some Christians and others may think of meditation as a form of prayer, given that there can be some overlap between the two practices. In addition to the question about meditation, the survey asked separately about prayer, finding that the more often someone prays, the more likely they are to say they meditate. Among those who say they pray at least weekly, for instance, 50% say they meditate regularly. By contrast, among those who rarely pray (less than a few times a month or never) only 17% say they meditate.
So, if this many people are meditating, you might want to try it also. AND…. You should know that I personally get up every morning at 3:30, so I can meditate while most of the world is sleeping. It’s peaceful and quiet, with no distractions. My mind can be quiet and I love being in this peaceful, calm place before I start my day.
A regular practice of meditation gives me dedicated time to assess my life, my goals and dreams and to listen for guidance from God and my higher self. It is my favorite part of the day. There’s a quote I like- even though I don’t know where it came from. The quote is, “Praying is talking to God. Meditating is when you listen to God.”
You can use meditation to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Many people think of it as a way to reduce stress and develop concentration.
People also use the practice to develop other beneficial habits and feelings, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns and even increased pain tolerance.
You Can Meditate Anywhere
People practice many different forms of meditation, most of which don't require specialized equipment or space. You can begin with just a few minutes daily.
If you want to start meditating, try choosing a form of meditation based on what you want to get out of it.
There are two major styles of meditation:
- Focused-attention meditation:Concentrates attention on a single object, thought, sound or visualization. It emphasizes ridding your mind of attention and distraction. Meditation may focus on breathing, a mantra or a calming sound.
- Open-monitoring meditation:Encourages broadened awareness of all aspects of your environment, train of thought and sense of self. It may include becoming aware of thoughts, feelings or impulses that you might normally try to suppress.
There are numerous, proven benefits to meditating.
Here are excerpts taken from an article by Dr. Mathew Thorpe, MD, Ph.D. The complete article can be found at:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation
- Reduces Stress
Stress reduction is one of the most common reasons people try meditation.
One study including over 3,500 adults showed that it lives up to its reputation for stress reduction.
Normally, mental and physical stress causes increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This produces many of the harmful effects of stress, such as the release of inflammation-promoting chemicals called cytokines.
These effects can disrupt sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure and contribute to fatigue and cloudy thinking.
In an eight-week study, a meditation style called "mindfulness meditation" reduced the inflammation response caused by stress.
Research has shown that meditation may also improve symptoms of stress-related conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder and fibromyalgia.
- Controls Anxiety
Less stress translates to less anxiety. An eight-week study of mindfulness meditation helped participants reduce their anxiety. It also reduced symptoms of anxiety disorders, such as phobias, social anxiety, paranoid thoughts, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and panic attacks.
A larger study in 2,466 participants also showed that a variety of different meditation strategies may reduce anxiety levels.
- Promotes Emotional Health
Some forms of meditation can also lead to an improved self-image and more positive outlook on life.
Two studies of mindfulness meditation found decreased depression in over 4,600 adults. One study followed 18 volunteers as they practiced meditation over three years. The study found that participants experienced long-term decreases in depression.
Inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, which are released in response to stress, can affect mood, leading to depression. A review of several studies suggests meditation may reduce depression by decreasing these inflammatory chemicals.
- Enhances Self-Awareness
Some forms of meditation may help you develop a stronger understanding of yourself, helping you grow into your best self. For example, self-inquiry meditation explicitly aims to help you develop a greater understanding of yourself and how you relate to those around you.
Other forms teach you to recognize thoughts that may be harmful or self-defeating. The idea is that as you gain greater awareness of your thought habits, you can steer them toward more constructive patterns. In another study, 40 senior men and women who took a mindfulness meditation program experienced reduced feelings of loneliness, compared to a control group that had been placed on a wait list for the program.
- Lengthens Attention Span
Focused-attention meditation is like weight lifting for your attention span. It helps increase the strength and endurance of your attention. Workers also remembered details of their tasks better than their peers who did not practice meditation.
- Can Generate Kindness
Some types of meditation may particularly increase positive feelings and actions toward yourself and others.
Metta, a type of meditation also known as loving-kindness meditation, begins with developing kind thoughts and feelings toward yourself.
Metta increases positivity, empathy and compassionate behavior toward others.
- May Help Fight Addictions
The mental discipline you can develop through meditation may help you break dependencies by increasing your self-control and awareness of triggers for addictive behaviors.
Research has shown that meditation may help people learn to redirect their attention, increase their willpower, control their emotions and impulses and increase their understanding of the causes behind their addictive behaviors.
Meditation may also help you control food cravings. A review of 14 studies found mindfulness meditation helped participants reduce emotional and binge eating.
SUMMARY: Meditation develops mental discipline and willpower and can help you avoid triggers for unwanted impulses. This can help you recover from addiction, lose weight and redirect other unwanted habits.
- Improves Sleep
Nearly half the population will struggle with insomnia at some point.
One study compared two mindfulness-based meditation programs by randomly assigning participants to one of two groups. One group practiced meditation, while the other didn't.
Participants who meditated fell asleep sooner and stayed asleep longer, compared to those who didn't meditate.
Becoming skilled in meditation may help you control or redirect the racing or "runaway" thoughts that often lead to insomnia. Additionally, it can help relax your body, releasing tension and placing you in a peaceful state in which you're more likely to fall asleep.
- Helps Control Pain
Your perception of pain is connected to your state of mind, and it can be elevated in stressful conditions.
For example, one study used functional MRI techniques to observe brain activity as participants experienced a painful stimulus. Some participants had gone through four days of mindfulness meditation training, while others had not. The meditating patients showed increased activity in the brain centers known to control pain. They also reported less sensitivity to pain.
One larger study looked at the effects of habitual meditation in 3,500 participants. It found that meditation was associated with decreased complaints of chronic or intermittent pain.
- Can Decrease Blood Pressure
Meditation can also improve physical health by reducing strain on the heart. Over time, high blood pressure makes the heart work harder to pump blood, which can lead to poor heart function.
High blood pressure also contributes to atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
A study of 996 volunteers found that when they meditated by concentrating on a "silent mantra" — a repeated, non-vocalized word — reduced blood pressure by about five points, on average.
Ok, so I hope all of this scientifically proven data may have convinced you to try meditation. I promise that if you have patience and commit to doing it for even five minutes a day for a month, you will feel the benefits. Then, you’ll be hooked like I am. I look forward to this very important part of my day every morning.
Send me a quick note on our Facebook page to let me know how you’re doing.
Your meditation coach
- James Jones
