Meditation is a mind-body healing exercise recommended by many scholars and experts, and it is suitable for everyone. By looking inward and accepting oneself, meditation allows the body and mind to release burdens, fatigue, responsibilities, and emotions, helping to rediscover the true self. Some people find meditation difficult, while others don’t fully understand its principles, preventing them from grasping its healing benefits.
1. Deep Impact of Meditation on the Body
- Change Brain States for Better Focus and Discipline
When a person practices meditation consistently, brain wave changes can be visibly detected. Scientifically speaking, meditation enhances activity in the brain’s lateral prefrontal cortex. In other words, meditation can improve your awareness, increase your focus, help you become more disciplined, and more easily enter a state of flow.
- Increase Emotional Control and Calmness
Meditation can also improve emotional control, making emotions more stable and peaceful, and reducing fear. Even when facing negative emotions, meditation helps in accepting and managing them. Research has found that people under heavy stress showed a reduced amygdala, the brain region responsible for fear, after two months of meditation.
- Better Sleep Quality
Another benefit of consistent meditation over time (around six months) is improved sleep quality. Falling asleep becomes easier, and overall sleep time may slightly shorten while maintaining high-quality rest.
2. Meditation Techniques and Methods
- Sincerely Accept Meditation and Make a Plan
The first step to meditation is a genuine willingness to try. Find a quiet place at a regular time and practice. Start with five minutes during the first week, and adjust based on how you feel. It’s not about how long you meditate; the key is to do it every day.
- Stick to Sitting Meditation and Learn to Calm the Mind
For beginners, the first task is learning how to calm the mind. Initially, you might have scattered thoughts and distractions, but don’t doubt yourself—this is normal. Accept all your imperfections. Just sit quietly each day, and over time, your mind will become less chaotic and more peaceful.
- Focus on Your Breathing
Gradually focus on your breath. In a quiet place, with a calm mind, you’ll start to clearly feel your breathing. Pay attention to it and follow the rhythm, letting yourself become focused and absorbed.
- Accept All Your Emotions
Meditation gives your body and mind a chance to unwind. During meditation, emotions may arise—accept them. Happiness, sadness, anxiety, anger—these emotions coexist with the body. Learn to accept them without letting them control you. Though challenging, it is highly effective.
- Scan and Observe Yourself to Discover Your True Self
After learning to sit quietly, follow your breath, and accept your emotions, you are doing great. Now begin to internally scan yourself, excluding external distractions. Start from your forehead, nose, lips, chest, all the way down to your toes, feeling the subtle changes in your body. This allows your mind and body to completely relax, helping you find your true self, free from emotional clutter.
- Review Your Meditation and Keep Improving
Does meditation need a review? Surprisingly, yes! Reviewing your meditation is about recognizing your progress each time, identifying where your thoughts tend to linger, and learning how to calm and stabilize your mind. As you practice more, you’ll naturally become aware of these things, and the review process will help you grow and improve continuously.
- Don’t Forget to Praise Yourself After Each Meditation
When you finish meditating each day, don’t forget to give yourself some praise! Persistence isn’t easy, especially in the beginning when you haven’t yet felt the full benefits of meditation. Praising yourself for your effort is a form of emotional healing, giving you more motivation.
Scientific studies have shown that long-term meditators experience significant improvements in brain structure, hormone levels, and mental health. They become healthier, more youthful, and more balanced and energetic. If you also wish to find peace for your mind and body, start meditating with the methods described above!