A Week of Meditation
Breathe in through the nose, gently, slowly.
One, two, three … Pause. Exhale. One, two, three …
Meditation might look simple, but it takes practice. And it’s a worthwhile investment of your time. Finding calm in your busy mind can pay incredible dividends.
Whether practicing on your own, in a group, or as part of mindfulness-based therapy, meditation trains your attention, helping you to be more present, find peace, and savor positive emotions.
While meditation has been around for thousands of years, more recently, it has come under the scrutiny of science.
Here we assess the research-backed benefits of meditation and examine the reasons to include it as a daily practice.
What do I mean by meditation?
Meditation connects the mind and the body, bringing mental and physical peace. It typically requires more of a pause than mindfulness and requires concentration, not just attention.
Some types of meditation involve maintaining a mental focus on a particular sensation, such as breathing, a sound, a visual image, or a mantra — a repeated word or phrase. Others include mindfulness, nonjudgmental attention, or awareness of the present moment (Meditation and mindfulness).
At times, we may use meditation to find a place of calm, while at others, we may seek to connect with how the body and mind feel.
Studies show reductions in:
Anxiety
Depression
Stress levels
Job burnout
We also see psychological benefits, such as:
Heightened empathy
Improved interoceptive awareness (stimuli and sensations within the body)
Better psychological wellbeing
Increased self-directedness (awareness that our actions and behaviors reflect our choices)
Improved cooperativeness (degree of agreeableness in relationships with others)
More self-transcendence (rising above the self and relating to something bigger)
Benefits of meditation on the brain
Benefits of meditation includes physical changes to the brain and improved cognitive functioning, such as:
Slowing of brain aging (particularly thinning of the prefrontal cortex)
Improved attention
Increased innovation
Better problem-solving
Mental health conditions following trauma
Other physical benefits
Other physical benefits offered by meditative and mindfulness practices — also backed up by research — include:
Strengthened immune function
Reduced stress
Improved sleep
Reduced panic attacks
Increased work satisfaction
Reduction in chronic pain
Reduced hypertension
Lowered risk of cardiovascular disease
Building a consistent Meditation Practice
With all of these incredible benefits we know we should be meditating daily, but how do we commit to consistency with our meditation practice?
Day One
Here is a short, simple grounding meditation that lasts 6 and a half minutes and leaves you feeling calm, grounded and nourished.
Day Two
Day 3
Recommended Reading
Benefits of Meditation (2019) PositivePsychology.com Retrieved 27/2/2023 from https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-meditation/
Shapiro, S. L. (2020). Rewire your mind: Discover the science + practice of mindfulness. Aster.
Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know. (n.d.). National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved 10/2/2023, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know
Balaji, P. A., Varne, S. R., & Ali, S. S. (2012). Physiological effects of yogic practices and transcendental meditation in health and disease. North American Journal of Medical Sciences, 4(10), 442–448.
