The Hidden Power of Meditation

Meditation is mostly known as a kind of spiritual ritual, and for many it still sounds mysterious and out of reach. But the benefits from it are undeniable, and research has proven the positive effects and healing power of meditation, not only for our spirit, but our mind and body, as well. And the best part – it is accessible to everyone!

First thing that often comes to mind when thinking about the benefits of meditation is how it improves our spiritual well-being – decreasing anxiety and increasing emotional balance, happiness, compassion and awareness.

The greatest masters of meditation agree that meditation has the power to change the way we experience every moment of our lives, and act and react to those experiences.

That turns out to be true for people who practice meditation regularly - they report higher levels of subjective happiness and emotional well-being.

Amazingly, using neuro-imaging, it has been found that meditation is associated with changes in the physical structure of our brains, especially in regions involved in learning and memory, emotion regulation, self-referential processing and perspective taking.

There is already evidence of different ways that meditation can influence our body and brain, but scientists are just beginning to scratch the surface. It has been found that meditation activates the so-called relaxation response. That means that during meditation, even a simple one, our body functions change significantly in comparison to our base state. Our heart rate, muscle tension, breathing and sweating, all decrease.

There are many different types of meditation, and different ways to practice it, but even the simplest version of meditation can have positive effects. For the beginners, it is enough to just sit comfortably, relax and focus on your breathing. It is normal for thoughts to come and go, and all you have to do is be aware of them, observe and let them flow, not engage. There are many mobile apps for guided meditation which can be of great help to start exploring the wonders of meditation. Feel free to listen to some of the powerful meditation playlists posted here.