Benefits of Meditation

• Concentration
• Creativity
• Reduced Stress—Improved Health

Concentration

An informed and skilled meditation practice increases your capacity to focus the mind on a chosen object. Our minds can focus on only one thing at a time, and when we are unfocused, the mind jumps from one thing to other rather than holding multiple objects simultaneously, as we sometimes think it does.

If you try to focus on the object of your breath for just a few minutes, you will probably notice that your mind jumps to other thoughts: lunch, a meeting, something that happened yesterday or will happen tomorrow. All of this mind-jumping creates unsteadiness and an inability to focus deeply or concentrate on the task at hand.

Creativity

Meditation practice increases creativity, insightfulness, and new ways of thinking. We imagine that thinking produces new ideas, but in truth our minds are like hamsters running around the same wheels over and over; it is only when the mind is able to rest in full awareness (not spacing out or sleeping, but focused and aware) that the mind is available for new ways of thinking, insights, and genuine creative thought.

Reduced Stress—Improved Health

Meditation practice creates peace of mind and reduces stress and anxiety, which leads to better health, increased productivity, and happiness. The state of our physical body is connected to our state of mind as evidenced by the fact that when we are very upset, our breathing becomes heavy and erratic.

When we are calm and peaceful, however, our breath is even and light. Extensive research has proven that meditation, the practice of stilling and focusing the mind, has great physical benefits like reduced heart rate, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and many others. Additionally, when you are in a state of meditation and you’re not thinking about the things that cause anxiety, worry, and stress, you are much happier.

If you train the mind in meditation, you will be better able to keep from getting angry or upset even in difficult situations and this has beneficial effects on the body, as well as the mind.