These life-altering practices (meditation) have been around for many many years. People who meditate generally lead happier lives than those who don’t. Meditation is known to enhance the flow of constructive thoughts and positive emotions. Even a few minutes spent meditating regularly can make a big difference. Scientific evidence supports this claim: extensive studies were conducted on a group of Buddhist monks as they were meditating. The pre-frontal cortex of the monks’ brains (the part associated with happiness) was found to be extra active.
Studies conducted at the University of Wisconsin proved that meditation has physiological effects on the brain. For example, researchers found that the part of the brain that regulates stress and anxiety shrinks when meditation is practiced consistently.
Having problems concentrating isn’t just a kid thing – it affects millions of grown-ups as well, with an ADD diagnosis or not. Interestingly but not surprisingly, one of the central benefits of meditation is that it improves attention and concentration: One recent study found that just a couple of weeks of meditation training helped people’s focus and memory.
But how can we avoid stress in our day to day lives, when it’s literally everywhere? We can’t, not really. That’s why we should meditate daily. Here are some stress relief techniques you might want to try:
- Mindfulness meditation– cultivates awareness of the present moment.
- Grateful meditation– thanking everyone and everything for what they are, and what impact they’ve had in your life; thanking your food for giving you energy; thanking you blankets for keeping you warm at night; thanking yourself for everything that you are.
- Music mediation– music can have a powerful impact on our emotions, so when we feel stressed, listening to high-frequency instrumental songs can have a positive effect on our well-being.
- Water meditation– whether you are meditating in your bath, in front of a river, or in the middle of the mountains next to a waterfall, water meditation it’s been proved very beneficial for stress relief.
- Releasing tension meditation– focusing on every single part of your body and releasing tension gradually is a good way to release physical stress.
- Breath meditation– solely focusing on your breath and on being present.
- Walking meditation– walk, breathe, and think of nothing. Simply admire the beautiful scenery and be grateful for your eyes, lips, nose, grateful that you can see, feel, smell, love.
- Mantra meditation– choose your favourite mantra (example: “om”) and practice saying it until you feel it connecting to your body and soul.
Stressful situations cause anxieties; anxieties cause worries, and worries usually cause health problems. Avoid all that by meditating! Choose the technique that feels the most proper to you, and get started on your spiritual journey.
