Meditation is a powerful practice that can regulate your nervous system, balance your emotions, and boost your mental wellness. Despite its many benefits, many people shy away from meditation because they think they can't do it. However, everyone can meditate; it just takes practice and the right approach. In this post, you'll learn about the benefits of meditation and find simple tips to help you get started.

What Is Meditation?

Although this question may seem straightforward, when we understand more about meditation, it can help make it feel more attainable. As we've discussed, meditation is truly for everyone! 

There isn't a single definition that can fully explain meditation. Through meditation, we can achieve states of consciousness that are truly beyond words. However, there are aspects of meditation that can be explained.

Meditation helps us relax. It's a time to train the brain, quiet the mind, and focus our attention on one thing, such as the breath, a mantra, or on something like our third eye. This practice can help create a sense of peace and is a great way to de-stress in our often busy lives.

While meditation often involves sitting still, it doesn't always have to. Moving meditation, such as in Kundalini yoga, also counts as meditation. This is because even though you’re moving, your attention is focused on one thing, like the breath or the third eye. This highlights the fact that there isn’t one set way to practice meditation. 

While quieting the mind is a crucial aspect of meditation, the purpose of this powerful practice goes even beyond this. It's about connecting with our inner self, soul, or spirit. This makes meditation a perfect way to practice holistic wellness as it benefits your entire being- mind, body, and soul.

There are scientific research articles on meditation that help us to understand this practice further. Matko and Sedlmeier describe in their article that, "Neuroscientific research has repeatedly shown differing brain activation and deactivation patterns during diverse meditative states following different meditative practices."

This shows that meditation can change brain patterns and lead to physiological changes, making it not only a spiritual practice, but one that can create changes in our physical body. Anyone, regardless of background, can practice meditation and receive its benefits.

If you’re looking for holistic wellness solutions and a way to care for your entire being, meditation is worth a try!

What Are The Benefits Of Meditation?

There are many benefits of meditation. Let’s highlight some of the most prevalent ones.

Meditation can play a crucial role in our emotional well-being as it can help us regulate our emotions in a healthy manner. It improves our overall self-awareness and helps us to understand and deal with our emotions effectively. By creating a regular practice of meditation, you can become more attuned to your emotional states and learn to respond to them in a balanced way. 

Meditation has also been shown to have physiological effects, such as decreasing blood pressure, highlighting its impact on the physical body. Additionally, meditation can help to improve memory, demonstrating the positive effects meditation can have on the brain.

Meditation can also have a positive effect on mental health. Jamil et al. describe in their research article that, “Mental health is another aspect influenced by meditation, as positive emotion brought about by meditation helps address various mental problems like social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression.” With all the mental health benefits meditation offers, this practice is a great addition to a mental health self care checklist!

This isn’t an all-inclusive list of the benefits of meditation, but as you can see, there are many benefits! Incorporating meditation into your daily routine can boost your overall well-being in a holistic way. 

How Does Meditation Affect The Nervous System?

Meditation can help regulate the nervous system. To understand this, it's essential to first learn about the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

The Sympathetic Nervous System

Our sympathetic nervous system is designed to activate during fight or flight situations, helping us respond effectively to immediate threats and dangerous situations. 

However, when we experience stress from everyday challenges, such as dealing with a difficult boss or having an influx of emails, this system can become overactive. 

Unlike true fight or flight situations, these modern stressors don’t require physical action, but they still activate our sympathetic nervous system. Oftentimes, this type of stress is long lasting which keeps the sympathetic nervous system active for even longer than it ever should be. 

This prolonged activation can negatively impact both our mental and physical health.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System

On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system promotes a state of rest and relaxation. 

Ideally, we should spend most of our time in this state. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's "rest and digest" functions so it promotes relaxation.

In our often high stress modern lives, reducing stress is crucial for maintaining a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Meditation can help shift us from a state of being dominated by the sympathetic nervous system, to one that is dominated by the parasympathetic nervous system.

Tips for Starting a Meditation Practice

Starting a meditation practice may seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some tips to help you get started!

Start with Short Meditations

You don’t need to start with a 20 minute meditation, begin with just a few minutes. It's easier to commit to and less intimidating. A 3-minute meditation is better than no meditation. As you become more comfortable, you can gradually increase the time.

Use Guided Meditations

Listening to a guided meditation is a great way to start your meditation journey. For most beginners, guided meditations are easier than meditating while sitting in silence or listening to music. There are many apps and online platforms that offer a variety of guided meditations tailored to different needs and preferences.

Find a Dedicated Meditation Space

Create a peaceful corner in your home specifically for meditation. This will help you get into a meditative state more easily. If you don’t have the room for a dedicated meditation space, that’s ok! In this case, just try to meditate in the same spot each time you practice. This can create a sense of routine for your mind and body making it easier to meditate. 

Be Kind to Yourself

Don’t stress about meditating perfectly, just showing up is a success! Meditation is a practice, and like any practice, it takes time and consistency. Be kind to yourself and recognize that every effort counts and that it doesn’t need to be perfect. 

Set a Regular Time For Your Practice

Choose a specific time each day to meditate. This could be the first thing in the morning to start your day with calmness and clarity or in the evening to unwind and prepare for a restful night's sleep. Consistency helps build a habit.

Use Reminders

Set reminders on your phone or create visual cues such as leaving small notes in your environment to remind you to meditate. Sometimes that gentle reminder is all you need to remember to take a few minutes for yourself.

Conclusion

Meditation is a versatile and powerful practice that offers numerous benefits for your mind, body, and soul. By incorporating meditation into your routine, you can improve your emotional well-being, decrease stress, and promote overall wellness. Meditation is a holistic wellness solution that is accessible to everyone. With a little practice, patience, and consistency, meditation can become a rewarding part of your holistic wellness journey.

  1. Admin. “Calming Your Nerves and Your Heart through Meditation.” Science in the News, 9 Jan. 2014, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2009/issue61/.
  2. Jamil, Aneeque, et al. “Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023.” Cureus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 June 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10355843/.
  3. Matko, Karin, and Peter Sedlmeier. “What Is Meditation? Proposing an Empirically Derived Classification System.” Frontiers in Psychology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 Oct. 2019, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6803504/.
  4. Pascoe , Michaela C., et al. “Psychobiological Mechanisms Underlying the Mood Benefits of Meditation: A Narrative Review.” Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, Elsevier, 10 Mar. 2021, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497621000114.
  5. Sharma, Hari. “Meditation: Process and Effects.” Ayu, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4895748/.