The benefits of meditation for peace and joy

When the word meditation comes to mind, the image that comes to mind is a bunch of Buddhist monks sitting cross legged chanting Auhm. However, meditation is one of the most widely practiced stress management technique worldwide. There are many benefits that you can derive from meditating. So let’s look at some of the benefits that meditation has to offer.

Meditation helps you control your own thoughts. Man has conquered space and Mount Everest. But the most difficult thing to conquer is your own mind. Even the greatest minds on Earth are not able to control their thoughts. Look at Van Gogh. He succumbed to his thoughts and committed suicide. They are not able to reject their negative thoughts and focus on the positive. However, the art of meditation teaches that not only that you can control your own thoughts, you can also reject your negative thoughts. Through meditation, you will be able to create the peace of mind that you always wanted.

Meditation also teaches you detachment. It is easy to get annoyed by all the little things in life. It may be the jam to work in the morning, the rude lady that cut your queue. Every little small thing may annoy you. No matter how you try and avoid these problems, they will also keep appearing and we need to get used to do that. Meditation will help you develop detachment and also keep your mind in perspective. Through meditation, you will be able to detach yourself from all these irritating little nuisances.

Meditation also helps you discover the purpose of life. If you are feeling empty inside, meditation allows you the time that you need to examine yourself inwardly and helps you gain a greater understanding on life. You will start to relax and you will be able to view your life from a whole different perspective.

Lastly meditation leads to happiness and peace of mind. As we have pointed out before, it helps you control your thoughts. So it is out with the negative thoughts and in with the positive energy. It detaches you from little petty problems and also helps you discover the purpose of life. So try meditating today to live a better life tomorrow.

Meditation in 5 easy steps

Meditation involves silencing our mind. It is not an intellectually activity. Think of it as a tool to relax your whole self, and also for better health. It also can be a valuable tool to discover one’s self. The core of meditation is to focus and eventually quiet your mind. As you get better at it, you will find that you can meditate anywhere, anytime. However for beginners, doing it is not as easy as saying it. So how exactly do you meditate?

  1. Make time

When you are starting to learn how to meditate, you need to set aside enough time in your daily routine for meditation. It can be any time of the day. You may set time for meditation at the start of the day or you can put it at the end of the day as a means of relaxing. However, it is recommended that the easiest time to meditate is in the morning because your body is not tired and your mind is still fresh.

2. Find a quiet space.

Once you find the time to meditate, you need to choose a suitable space to meditate. Create an environment that doesn’t have any noise or distractions. Turn off the television set or your handphone. You can put some music on but make sure it’s calm, repetitive and gentle as so not to distract you.3. Relax

Sit on a level ground. Remember to keep your back straight. This will help with your breathing. Remember to relax your arms and legs. They don’t need to be in a special position. The most important part is that you are relaxed. Now start searching for part of your bodies that are not relaxed. It could be face muscles or certain parts of your body. Try relaxing all of them.

4. Concentrate on something

It may be hard to control our thoughts through the power of mind. So to silence your mind, try to focus your mind on something. It may be a simple mantra or it may be concentration on a flower or a candle.

5. Silence your mind.

Once you are focused, now you can clear up your mind.  This requires discipline and it is alright if you are not able to master it immediately.

Most importantly, meditation is something done with intensity and focus, once you achieved that, you have reached the pinnacle of meditation. So try it at home today and you’ll find yourself feeling better than you have ever been before.