Introduction
Meditation is highly associated with producing a state of body relaxation and a tranquil mind. The form of self-care is used for treatment purposes, as it relieves stress and symptoms in some diseases. According to Clarke et al., approximately 200 to 500 million people from all over the world have meditated at least once in their lives (1). Meditation improves the level of anxiety by 60%, and at least 14% of Americans are enjoying the benefit (Clarke et al. 1). The history of meditation links the performance to religious practices. The roots of Hinduism and Buddhism are partly associated with this form of self-care. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance and benefits of meditations as well as their liabilities.
Meditation is an ancient practice believed to originate in India as early as 1500 BCE. During the discovery, the exercise involved Vedantism, an Indian Hindu tradition. In further relation to religion, meditation is a central component of Buddhism. According to Repetti, the founder of Buddhism attained enlightenment via the use of meditation (18). Through the technique of concentration, the Buddha achieved a spiritual connection that linked body and mind. A fun fact about meditation is that during the exercise, monks can raise their fingers and toes’ temperatures to up to 17 degrees (Repetti 20). Other experts however argue that meditation barely provides positive effects because it is associated with psychopathic behaviors. Today, meditation is widely practiced as a reflective method that helps relievestress, among other benefits. Meditation has physical and psychological health benefits that outweigh its limitations.
Types of Meditations
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulnessmeditation is one of the types of meditation that involves an increased level of awareness, acceptance, and being mindful. During the exercise, individuals open their minds to realize what they experience in the care process. Meditators can focus on their flow of breath, emotions, and thoughts without judging them (Rose et al. 512). The meditation process requires total concentration by avoiding all sorts of distractions, such as thinking about the past or future. This form of practice has proven difficult, especially for beginners, but meditators improve with time. However, it is an open practice that can be performed while walking, washing, brushing teeth, and doing other things.
Guided and Mantra Meditation
Guided and mantra meditations are other types of concentration practice. In guided meditation, individuals choose a place or situation in which to focus. Also known as imagery meditation, this form of meditation requires the use of different senses including smell, sound, or textures (Repetti 12). The meditating people are guided by professional meditators or therapists. Mantra meditation entails silently repeating the same words for some time. The act of repetition is to ensure reduced sources of distractions.
Qi Gong and Tai Chi Meditation
Qi gong combines meditation with breathing exercises, relaxation, and body movement to gain and maintain balance. The Chinese community uses this method of meditation, named CHEE-gung as a form of traditional medicine (Repetti 14). Tai chi meditation, being a gentle form of Chinese martial art, involves the performance of self-paced series of postures and movements in a slow and graceful manner accompanied with deep breaths. These two types of meditation are different from all other forms and improve the meditators’ level of concentration, among other things.
Transcendental Meditation
The transcendental form of meditation requires meditators to focus on one mantra and repeat it during the session. Mantras in transcendental meditation perform the same function as breathing in mindfulness does. The therapist or mediator decides which mantra to use in various situations. In this practice, the meditator is expected to repeat the word or phrase in a specific manner (Repetti 13). The performance helps the body relax and achieve an inner state of calmness and tranquility. This type of meditation, however, is not very suitable for people meditating for the first time.
Yoga
Yoga is another type of meditation which involves practicing a series of controlled postures and breaths that help increase body’s flexibility and tranquil the mind. As people move from pose to pose, they are encouraged to concentrate and balance by focusing on one-stop (Repetti 16). Yoga is one of the most practiced forms of meditation in the United States. Other than body balance and flexibility, yoga is also a form of exercise that helps people to stay fit and healthy.
Loving Kindness Meditation
The loving-kindness form of meditation is intended to develop compassion for self and others. During this practice, people are encouraged to direct phrases of positive ideas and goodwill towards themselves, their loved ones, strangers, and people posing stress in their lives (Repetti 18). That way, meditators learn how to extend compassion not only to their loved ones but to their oppositions. Referring to a study about meditation, experts found that exercising loving-kindness meditation for seven minutes every day helped to reduce racial bias (Repetti 18). Thus, this type of meditation is beneficial not only for people’s personal well-being, but also for society’s development in terms of tolerance and acceptance.
Meditations and Money
Many people think that meditation will help them improve their financial state. However, the majority of those who think this way are not aware of the fact that it is impossible to make money without working. At the same time, meditating, especially mindfulness practices, help reduce stress and anxiety, which decreases the probability of impulsive spending. Apart from that, mindfulness meditations help in improving work ethics, productivity, sleep, and attention skills, which contribute to better work performance and growth of personal finance (Chatzky). That is why it is logical to suppose that mindfulness practices help people concentrate, which positively affects their work, life, and money situation.
It is worth mentioning at this point that meditations do not give people the understanding of secret knowledge on how to earn more money. Those who get involved in meditating with the purpose of getting their financial state improved usually get disappointed when they do not get what they want. It is necessary to understand that financial situation improvement becomes possible when people feel less stressed and anxious and become more productive and attentive at work, which contributes to better performance and higher salaries.
Practicing Meditation, Its Importance, and Benefits
Meditating
Most forms of meditation require similar practices such as focusing on one place or thing and taking deep breaths. However, other types such as yoga and Tai chi that require movement may adopt different actions. Some of the most common features in all meditations are as follows. Meditation requires focused attention as the most important factor of the practice. It is through concentrating that the mind becomes free of various distractions that cause worry and stress.
Relaxed breathing and a quiet setting are other factors of the meditation process. The relaxed breathing technique entails deep and even breaths in which meditators use their diaphragm muscles to expand the lungs. These breaths aim to slow heart rate, increase the flow of oxygen in the body, and reduce the stiffness of upper muscles, neck, and shoulders thus relieving body tension (Pascoe et al. 471). A quiet setting helps meditators, especially beginners to concentrate. Once people get used to the practice, they can meditate at any place.
Comfortable Position and Open Attitude
Some types of meditation such as mantra and transcendental require taking a comfortable position as all forms demand an open attitude. Whether standing, walking, or even sitting, meditators are required to assume a comfortable position to gain most of the benefits. A good posture is also counted as a way of achieving comfort in the process(Pascoe et al. 472). An open attitude helps meditators to let thoughts pass through the mind without judgment. Such attitudes also help the performers to acquire new skills, learn more about themselves, and enjoy the moment.
Importance and Benefits of Meditation
Meditation is important in achieving a sense of peace, calmness, and body balance. The practice is critical based on the benefits gained by the performers. According to Rose et al.,meditation improves human emotional well-being and general health (508). The advantages of meditation do not end immediately after the session. They help people to spend a calmer day and manage certain health conditions. Meditation practice has many benefits related to psychological well-being. Physically, meditation improves flexibility, body balance, and calmness which also contribute to a high level of confidence in humans.
Emotional Advantages
Meditating aids in clearingbulk information built inmind, thus thinking clearly. Through a relaxed mind, people can easily gain a new perspective on stressful situations. Psychological therapists often recommend meditation to build stress-managing skills and reduce negative emotions. Through the body scanningprocess of meditation, people can increase a sense of self-awareness. A study by Repetti shows that young people who, during the identity searching age, practiced yoga realized themselves faster (23). The process helps performers to focus on the past, present, and future, thus defining their purpose in life. Clear minds attained during the meditation exercise are quite imaginative and creative (Repetti 18). Meditators, especially those doing the loving-kindness type of meditation, increase their tolerance and patience. By gaining reduced tension and learning how to extend compassion to self and others, individuals grow more patient and can tolerate more unstable conditions.
Health and Illness Benefits
Meditation may stabilize health conditions that might be worsened by stress. While researching the use of meditation, researchers found the practice to improve several illnesses. Some conditions include anxiety, cancer, asthma, sleep problems, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, depression, and tension headaches (Repetti 42). The controlled breaths slow down the rate of the heartbeat thus relaxing the whole body and its health conditions. Pascoe et al. sought to investigate the role of endocrine in mental health conditions improvement (470). The findings of the study indicate that the endocrine experienced significant changes in terms of its level of performance. These changes that occurred particularly after meditation corresponded with improved mental health outcomes.
Conclusion
Various forms of meditation help people relieve the levels of stress and anxiety they experience.Although meditation is widely known to give a calming effect to meditators, it also balances human emotions and improves health conditions. Religious practices such as Buddhism takes advantage of the benefits gained from the practice by applying it to their functions. Different types of meditations give varied benefits, including calmness, self-awareness, and general body relaxation. The changes experienced in endocrine after meditations are crucial to improving mental health outcomes. Apart from that, meditations help increase productivity, attention, and work performance, which positively affects people’s general and personal well-being both emotionally and financially. Many people and healthcare professionals consider meditation a practice that is worth trying because it is capable of guiding stressed, anxious, and tired people towards a healthier, calmer, and safer future.
Works Cited
Chatzky, Jean. “How to Use Mindfulness to Manage your Money Better” NBC News, Web.
Clarke, Tainya C., et al. “Use of Yoga, Meditation, and Chiropractors among US Adults Aged 18 and Over.”National Center for Health Statistics, no. 25, 2018, pp. 1-8. Web.
Pascoe, Michaela C., et al. “Meditation and Endocrine Health and Wellbeing.” Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism vol. 31, no. 7, 2020, pp. 469-477. Web.
Repetti, Rick. Buddhism, Meditation, and Free Will: A Theory of Mental Freedom. Routledge, 2018.
Rose, Sabrina, et al. “The Effect of Meditation on Health: A Metasynthesis of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Mindfulness vol. 11, no. 2, 2020, pp. 507-516. Web.