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I’m glad you’ve come across this page, because the benefits of meditation are definitely worth taking a minute to understand and appreciate. "Scientists study it. Doctors recommend it.
Millions of Americans - many of whom don't even own crystals - practice it every day. Why? Because meditation works…"
Time magazine. Many of us think of meditation as a spiritual practise that is reserved for enlightened souls living in monasteries, but meditation is really such a simple and accessible practise that anyone can enjoy it and benefit from it. When you consider all the rewards of learning how to meditate or listening to a guided meditation, it’s no wonder that meditation continues to grow in popularity every year. More than just a stress-buster
Meditation really is the ultimate stress-buster...and we all know that stress is one of the biggest killers in the world today, so it’s a fair claim to make, that meditation saves lives. But meditation is so much more than that...most of us aren’t driven to meditation because we are trying to avoid a heart attack, we just want to live better lives...lives with more happiness, more love, more peace, better health and more fun. Meditation is the answer. More than just mental benefits
It would be easy to assume that meditation is just a mental exercise and that the benefits of meditation are limited to the mind only, but stop for a moment and consider the fact that your mind and your thoughts are connected to every other aspect of your life. Your thinking effects your emotions, and your emotions affect your physical body. You are a connected being...your mind, your physical body, your emotions and the spiritual dimension of your life are all intertwined. Psychological Benefits of Meditation
Meditation can assist in many areas that are related to your state of mind, such as:
• Increasing your intelligence
• Improving your memory
• Enhancing your creativity
• Drastically improving your ability to think clearly
• Improved problem solving abilities
• Decreasing depression
• Decreasing anxiety
• Helping to resolve addictions
• Reducing irritability and moodiness
• Enjoying a more positive outlook
• More smiles! Physical Benefits of Meditation
One of the major benefits of meditation is that it affects your entire nervous system in a positive way. Many of the physical benefits that result from this include: • Reduced muscular tension
• Strengthened immune system
• Accelerated ability to recover from strenuous exercise
• Decreased high blood pressure
• Lowered cholesterol levels
• Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
• Reduced strain related pain, such as headaches
• Ability to sleep more deeply and restfully
• Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing
• Reduction of free radicals - organic molecules responsible for aging, tissue damage, and possibly some diseases
• Reduced levels of stress hormones such as cortisol
• Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation Emotional Benefits of Meditation
Often overlooked are the many benefits of meditation that relate to your emotional wellbeing. People who meditate not only experience a reduction in stress, they also report emotional improvements such as: • Improved sense of positivity
• Increased confidence
• Greater ability to give and receive love
• Elimination of panic attacks
• Greater sense of warmth and openness towards others Spiritual Benefits of Meditation
Last but certainly not least are the benefits of meditation that relate to spirituality. People that meditate often experience: • A greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives
• A feeling of connectedness to others
• An openness to love and to higher guidance
• Improved intuition
• A tendency to “let go” and go with the flow of life If you so choose, the spiritual dimension of your life may blossom through meditation, and experienced mediators describe feeling a blissful wholeness and a deep inner connection to all life. Peace that is beyond understanding and description lies within us all, and meditation is the key to awakening this unfathomable dimension of freedom. Your life as a whole
As you can see, meditation benefits every aspect of your being...mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. Now there is a profound insight to be had at this point... How you feel and what you think determine almost every decision you make in life. Who you are in this world, and how you respond to the experiences that come your way are all influenced by the content of your mind. Therefore any activity (such as meditation) that improves the quality of your thinking and feeling will have a positive effect on your entire life path. This might even seem obvious in a way, but let me illustrate just how important it is with one simple example... Do you remember the last time you heard about a “road rage” attack? (Unfortunately, these seem to be becoming more and more common these days). Just think, if that angry motorist had meditated this morning then they might have been just a little bit more calm when they got stuck in traffic. Perhaps they might have chosen to stay in the car and relax, but instead they fell victim to their frustration and they ended up making a terrible decision. Sometimes, the line between a great success and a monumental disaster is a seemingly insignificant little moment in which you give birth to a thought, and make a decision...the moment when you decide to turn left or turn right...the moment where you choose between a peaceful response to a situation, or an angry one...the moment when you notice the attractive smile of the person across the room, or the moment when you miss that smile, that chance meeting, that new love. All of life if filled with these “opportunities to choose”. Some are more significant than others, but all of them add up to the path that you will one day call “my life story”. So this, to me, is the ultimate gift that we stand to receive from meditation. Meditation transforms the very essence of who you are in this world. It transforms your thoughts, your feelings, your choices and also your experiences. Your success, your health, your relationships...every aspect of your life will be enhanced when you start to experience life through a clearer and more positive lens...once you start to meditate. Article by Dr Christopher Lloyd Clarke from www.The-Guided-Meditation-Site.com. | 
