Why would you want to meditate? What is it and what are the benefits

If you have been alive in the last thousand years then you probably have heard about meditation. But what is it and why would you want to meditate?

Well,the buddhist Monks and literally millions of people around the world have known about the benefits of meditation for thousands of years, but you might not. So lets explore a few of them.But first, what is it anyway??

What is meditation?

Meditation probably isn't what you think it is. If you haven't researched it, you might think that it is a weird trance type thing that special monks manage to put themselves into. They leave their body and experience a mad world that's totally inaccessible to the rest of us norms....Well, that far from the truth.

Meditation is actually quite simple. When you meditate, you are trying to clear your mind of all thoughts and calm it to the point where you are just living in that moment.

Its actually harder than you think to do this. Try it now. Try to think of nothing, even for a few minutes. Its extremely hard to clear your mind. Especially if you have a lot of stuff going on that distracting you and making your mind wander.

So whats the benefits of meditating?

The benefits of meditating are only now coming to the forefront of science and news. It used to be seen as a crazy idea that didn't actually do anything. That was until someone thought that this many people couldn't just be wasting their time and science stepped in and started looking at the brains of people who were meditating and analyzing what was actually going on.

They discovered that meditation was in fact doing something. It was actually altering their brainwaves and it was causing changes in the lives of the person meditating.

But before you look at it like a wonder cure for everything from piles to mouth ulcers you should also know that it isn't a wonder cure and it isn't instant. Meditation is a practice, that takes.....Practice!

So what are some of the benefits of meditating?

• A calmer outlook on life. By learning to meditate your mind can piece problems and issues together and will give you a better outlook on things. You will re-frame ideas you have that were troubling you and look at them from a more rational angle.
• Better focus. A calm mind is a more focused mind. If you look at your mind as a rough ocean with thoughts and ideas flying about all over the place like a stormy ocean. Its almost impossible to pick out one wave as more and more wash over you....If you now imagine that the ocean is flat and and an idea suddenly leaps out like a huge wave, its not difficult to focus on that one wave...Its easier to focus if your mind is clear. This is what meditation aims to do.
• Lower blood pressure. Studies have shown that meditation lowers your blood pressure by calming your body and mind.
• Better understanding of yourself. See point 1. By meditation and watching your thoughts come and go, you get a much better understanding of how your mind works.
• Less anxiety. Studies has shown that meditation and mindfulness has been shown to be as effective as anti-depressants when it comes to anxiety and depression.
• Better sleep. A relaxed mind and body will sleep better.

And this is just the start! Give meditation a go, even if its just ten minutes a day, and see if you can gain the benefits of this ancient technique.