5 Science-Backed Reasons I Meditate Each Morning Before Work
Humans have been meditating for thousands of years, but in recent decades it has gained an extreme amount of popularity as a mainly secular […]
Humans have been meditating for thousands of years, but in recent decades it has gained an extreme amount of popularity as a mainly secular practice for it’s notable and scientifically proven benefits.
While there are a plentiful amount of other medical therapies for high cholesterol, blood pressure and a number of other lifestyle choices to improve heart health, the American Heart Association believes that meditation could soon be proven to increase heart health and decrease the risk of heart disease.
Newer forms of meditation may be associated with deceased levels of stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and decreased risk of heart attack. All of these problems are directly related to problems with the heart.
“The research is suggestive, but not definitive,” said Glenn N. Levine, M.D., chairman of the group of cardiovascular disease. He was a main expert to determine if meditation could help reduce heart disease risks.
Although they found major potential benefits to the heart from meditation, the studies were not completely conclusive.
In the statement released by the American Heart Association, “I don’t think any of the results can be considered definitive, and going into this we didn’t expect to find definitive data given the limited number of studies and the limited resources most investigators have to look at meditation. Overall, though, we were encouraged by what data and findings there were.”
With that said, they excluded yoga and tai chi from the meditation experiment because it was already concluded that those forms of meditation definitively contributed to heart health.
What I, PJ Amirata, have to ask YOU is that if it’s been scientifically proven to help mental health, and could very well be beneficial for your heart, why not give it a shot?
I do it everyday and it has really helped my focus and mood throughout the day. Now, I’m not talking about sitting cross legged and humming to yourself, which is probably a great way to meditate, but I personally rather enjoy just listening to different meditation practices online and sit in a chair.
There are multiple ones for free like the the guided meditation app Head Space or even this blueprint from Meditation Daily is another great option. There are also a plethora of great videos on YouTube to choose form.
Aside from this new research regarding heart health from meditation, there are several other amazing ways it is benefitting our bodies.
1. Reduces Stress
Is there anyone who doesn’t deal with stress? I don’t think so. Life is hard and it’s a reality we all have to face. However, the things we can do to limit our pains, like meditation, will only benefit us. Also, with all of the anti-anxiety mediations being released, it makes you wonder who is really controlling our bodies? With meditation, you control your body. You take control of your nervous system and emotions.
2. It Helps You Concentrate
According to a Huffington Post report, meditation has shown to make it easier to multitask. It also states that increased mental energy from mediation will make paying attention easier. So, for all of us with busy days that require lots of multitasking, this could be potentially huge.
3. Meditation Increases Acceptance Of Mental Feelings And Thoughts
According to meditation expert Tara Brach, when we meditate, we relax our resistance to unpleasant sensations, and meeting them with open, clear awareness. If you feel that pain is “too much”, instead of turning against yourself it, you let your response to be compassionate. When we experience unpleasantness, like excruciating pain of stubbing your toe, you can find a way to ease the pain.
4. Meditation Increases Happiness
Meditation has been proven to elevate baseline happiness. This has been revealed in recent stories that with daily meditation, we can change the neuroplasticity of our brains, thus making us happier.
5. Slows Aging
Studies have proven that meditation changes brain physiology to slow aging. “Cognition seems to be preserved in meditators,” says Sara Lazar, a researcher at Harvard University. Also, it was proven that meditators have more gray matter or more brain cells. There is a major connection between reduces stress levels and living a longer life.
Overall, I think meditation is great. If there were more meditation classes and people were taught it in school, maybe it would help the growing mental health crisis in our nation.
Do you currently meditate? Has it worked for you and are you seeing results? Let me know.