The Benefits of Meditation

the benefits of meditation

At Purlife, we believe that practicing mindfulness and meditation can go a long way in bettering your health and well-being. There are so many benefits of meditation that can improve your well-being both physically and mentally. Meditation can help clear your mind of noise that would otherwise cloud your mind, which can cause stress and anxiety, and even improve your attention span.

Meditation Reduces Stress

High-stress levels can put your health at risk. Stress has been directly correlated with increased cortisol levels in your body. Cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone, negatively impacts your health by producing high levels of glucose, which in turn raises your blood pressure. Increased cortisol levels for a prolonged period can disrupt many processes in your body and increase the chances of developing anxiety, depression, and heart disease.

Luckily, meditation has been linked to lowering cortisol levels in the body by reducing stress. A study published in the Journal of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity found that compared to well-matched controlled conditions, mindfulness meditation is a better buffer for the effects of psychological stress.

Meditation Can Reduce Anxiety

It’s no surprise that other benefits of meditation include decreasing stress, which can help improve their well-being, especially in cases where individuals deal with stress-related issues like anxiety.

In an eight-week-long study of the effects of mindfulness meditation on mental issues like anxiety, researchers found that participants who completed meditation exercises at home showed fewer anxiety symptoms.

This study found that practicing body scans, yoga, and sitting meditation was significantly related to the extent of improvement in participants. Yoga is particularly useful in improving psychological well-being because of the combined practice of mental and physical exercise.

Meditation Can Improve Self Awareness

Practicing mindfulness meditation can help improve self-awareness. Self-awareness involves just that — being aware of yourself, your inner thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. Awareness of your actions, thoughts, and triggers plays a vital role in personal development. Self-awareness requires an individual to make an honest, nonjudgmental self-analysis about themselves, what they think, and how they feel.

Meditation is a great way to achieve this. When you meditate, you are consciously directing your thoughts inward and becoming more aware by quieting the mind.

Lengthens Attention Span

Attention span can be exercised just like any muscle in your body. Mindfulness meditation is training that can alter and enhance mental focus. There have been studies that have examined attention-related behaviors in participants who practice mindfulness in relation to individuals who don’t. This study was published in the Journal of Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience. Found that participants who practice mindfulness training demonstrated improved attention spans compared to the control groups.