The Amazing Benefits Of Meditation
Did you know that we all possess the ability to change our minds and that meditation is one of the best ways to do this?
This statement is supported by an article written by Matthieu Ricard, Antoine Lutz and Richard J. Davidson and published in the journal Scientific American . Ricard is a Buddhist monk, Lutz is a cell biologist and principal supervisor of a neurobiology study focused on meditation, and Davidson is a pioneer in researching the science of meditation.
The University of Wisconsin and 19 other universities together conducted 15 years of research in more than 100 Buddhist monasteries. The researchers analyzed the brain scans of monks who had endured thousands of hours of intense meditation. This research yielded very revealing conclusions.
- Little anxiety and depression.
- Highly activated cerebral zones linked to feelings such as empathy, affection and altruistic love.
- The volume of the amygdala was decreased. The amygdala is the part of the brain associated with feelings of fear.
- Meditation clearly had a positive effect on the telomerase molecule, a molecule whose job is to extend DNA segments at the ends of chromosomes. It is the enzyme that facilitates the immortality of cells in most carcinogenic processes.
Great, isn’t it? If we want to improve our quality of life, we should all consider incorporating meditation into our daily routine. Just like healthy eating habits, regular exercise and avoiding bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol, it would be great to make meditation part of our daily routine.
Anxiety, stress, depression and cancer are some of the major illnesses we face in this age. In this competitive society that is gradually swallowing us all, we clearly all have an increasing need to be a little more altruistic with each other and show a little more empathy. In view of the benefits we have just mentioned, we can say that meditation can be very beneficial in this regard.
How do you start?
read a book
There are many books on meditation. We recommend The Buddhist Meditation written by Ramiro Calle.
Calle is a yoga writer and teacher and was one of the first to introduce this custom to Spain. He is actually quite respected in Spain in the field of subjects such as yoga and meditation. He has written more than a hundred texts on these subjects, texts that mainly stem from his many trips to India, where he went to study and understand the lifestyle of the inhabitants.
He is a writer who has a lot to tell us. His book 100 Trips to the Heart of India paid tribute to a lifetime devoted to getting to know the people, customs and philosophy of this fascinating country.
Take a course
There are a lot of cheap and maybe even free courses to be found, sometimes where you also get accommodation and meals. And if you feel afterwards that the course was more than worth it, you can leave a small donation based on how much you can afford before you leave.
Learn to meditate yourself
Choose a quiet place where you will not be disturbed by anyone.
- Sit in a comfortable position with your back completely straight.
- Breathe in deeply and then slowly exhale. To focus better, you can focus your attention on your breathing or on your lower abdomen. If you are a curious person, you can also try several forms of meditation and then choose the one that best suits your personality: Zen meditation, Vipassana meditation etc… We recommend exploring several forms of meditation.
As always when you start something new, it can take a while before you actually start to feel the benefits. However, try to meditate for a few minutes every day. For example, start with fifteen or twenty minutes a day. Little by little you will notice that meditation is becoming more and more part of your daily routine and you will also start to feel a difference.
By meditating we will be more relaxed, accept ourselves better and completely and avoid negative and repetitive thoughts.
