Benefits Of Meditation

By Edwin Mah

Many people have heard of meditation, but most may not be aware of the real benefits of what it can do. Many think of meditation as simply closing your eyes and doing some chanting. Many also think that meditation is closely related to religion. The most commonly known benefit of meditation is stress reduction. While this may be true, there are also many other benefits that most are not aware of. This article summarizes some other benefits that meditation can bring:

Relief Stress and Anxiety

The most known benefit of meditation of course, is that it is used to relieve stress and anxiety, and this is the reason why most people meditate in the first place.

Reduction of Blood Pressure

Studies have shown that regular meditation can lower your blood pressure. The reason for this is because the practice of meditation opens up the blood vessels, thus lowering the blood pressure.

Reduction of Cholesterol Level

Meditation can also reduce blood cholesterol levels, minimizing chances of heart disease. Meditation could be the answer to a healthy heart!

Reduction of Respiratory Problems

Have breathing problems? Try meditating! As part of meditation, you control and focus on your breathing. You may not realize, but your controlled breathing reduces airway resistance and increases air flow into the lungs. This makes for easier breathing and is beneficial for patients with asthmatic problems.

Reduce Heart Rate and Metabolic Rate

Meditation lowers your heart rate, and also lowers the metabolic rate, bringing you into a state of calmness.

Coping with Depression

Meditation can bring you into a more positive state of mind, making you feel happy and rejuvenated. Because of this, meditation is often used as an effective tool to cope with depression.

An Increased Emotional Stability

Meditation brings about emotional stability, enabling us to better control our emotions and feelings.

An Increase in Productivity

Meditation also helps to increase memory and alertness, giving us more clarity of thought to make better judgments and decisions. It makes us more alert and awake at work, thus increasing productivity in what we do.

Enjoy meditating!

Experience the benefits of meditation for yourself. Visit Meditation Heaven to download a free guided meditation session and enjoy instant stress relief.

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Meditating On A Regular Basis

By Ted Hanulak

Meditation. Everyone knows that it is good for you. Lowers blood pressure, fights stress, helps one to be centered and more peaceful. There are 1000's of books out there on meditation. Books on how to meditate, the benefits of meditating, martial arts and meditation, Zen, etc.... Books are how many of us first learned of "sitting" in the first place. You can only read so much. Eventually you have to do it, and you have to do it on a regular basis.

Here are a few ideas that can help you keep that commitment to "sit" everyday. The first and perhaps most important tool is a good "zafu". The zafu is a round meditation cushion, usually filled with kapok or buckwheat hull. Kapok provides a firm zafu and buckwheat hull provides a softer zafu. It is a personal choice. Choose whichever helps you sit longer. A soft zafu may feel good at first but it may cause problems as your mediation period continues.

Another important tool is the actual place you sit. Take a small area in your house and make it your "meditation place". This will remind you to meditate every time you walk by the area. If you sit with a group a couple of times a week, burn the same incense and play the same music that the group uses. This will create the illusion that you are with the group.

Try and sit the same time every day. This way you won't forget to sit. Early morning or late at night is best because it is usually more quite at those times. Less distractions. Sit for shorter periods at first, 10 minutes or so. Quality is more important than quantity. Also, if you know your facing 45 minutes of meditation, you probably won't do it.

You must make meditation as natural as eating and going to the bathroom. You do those things everyday, now it is time to also meditate everyday.

Ted Hanulak is the head instructor / Sensei of the Japanese martial art of Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu. He teaches Aikijutsu and Zen meditation out of the Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis http://www.aiki-jutsu.com

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