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8 Reasons to Start Meditating

 

      Meditation was a secret to much of the Western world for thousands of years.  For a long time, it was something only monks and other devout religious practitioners did.  Today, it's everywhere.  Meditation has many more benefits than I've listed here, but these are some core reasons why it is beneficial and why it's recommended for everyone.  That's the thing about meditation; it's never a bad idea.  Meditating once a day has no negative consequences, assuming you don't do it while driving or at a work conference.  After a while, you'll feel sharper, refreshed, and more mindful of your thoughts and actions.  Simply put, meditation allows you to know yourself better. 

 

Stillness

     Things move quicker and more intensely at this point in history than ever before.  There are tons of distractions like TV and the internet to make sure we have constant stimulation.  It's rare that our minds ever get a rest.  If you feel overwhelmed, as many of us so often do, meditation will help.  It will probably be difficult at first; sitting in silence sounds less enticing than eating a tasty snack or watching a sitcom.  But once you start meditating, you'll come to appreciate stillness and tranquility.  If you practice meditation for a long time, you'll find you can retain your stillness even when the world around you is harsh and chaotic.  There's a reason why meditation coaches have been so popular among companies with  generally high-stress employees, like investment banks and law firms-- meditation helps keep people grounded.  Your surroundings may be crazy, but over time meditation allows you to feel secure and at peace internally, in basically any situation.

 

 

Focus

     Recent studies show that meditating just 5 minutes a day improves focus.  That's pretty impressive.  5 minutes is less than .5 percent of your day.  You'll find that the time you spend meditating is anything but wasted, since the benefits affect you 24/7.  Improved focus makes us better at our jobs, our studies and more engaged as conversationalists.  Meditation promotes productivity over distractions, and the focus is results in is not stressed-out focused, but diligent, calm focus.  That's a pretty huge benefit.   

 

Decision-making

     This ties into the previous two, but I recall one time I was a little kid and couldn't make a decision, and my teacher told me to stop and count to ten, and then try again.  Meditation in the morning is like stopping and counting to ten, but sometimes it lasts for the whole day.  The clarity of mind that develops over time will undoubtedly improve your decision-making skills.

 

Non-attachment

     When you first learn meditation, the breath is the most important part of your practice.  Breathing is your anchor, meaning it serves as a support you can count on when distracting thoughts pop into your head while you're sitting.  When a thought comes up, just go back to the breath.  Distraction?  Back to the breath.  Focusing on the breath is subconscious training for non-attachment, which is a hugely important part of Buddhism, and also of happiness.  When we attach ourselves to thoughts, people, things, etc, we stake our happiness on the possession of them.  Meditation teaches us to let go of thoughts; this translates into action in our daily lives, and once you meditate for a while, you'll find yourself less attached to outcomes and possessions. 

Posture

     Sitting in Zen meditation promotes upright posture, which not only improves the way you feel physically but also helps with self-confidence and body image.  Zen aims not to concern itself with appearances, especially physical appearances, but chances are, if you're feeling better, you're looking better too.

Brain power

    Not only have studies revealed meditation's benefits on focus; brain power might improve, too.  People who meditate frequently tend to have a thicker cortex in certain parts of their brain.  Granted, according to that article, these are people who meditate 20 minutes twice a day, but you can always start small and work your way up to a regimented long-term meditation schedule.  Like anything, it just takes practice.

 

 

Creativity

     The most interesting example here that I'm aware of is legendary film director David Lynch's wonderful book, Catching the Big Fish:  Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity.  In it, Lynch discusses how his meditation has influenced his filmmaking style and artistic philosophy.  In clearing the mind and reaching into the subconscious, we can come up with new ideas that could have been left undiscovered without the aid of meditation.  Doesn't matter if you're a painter, writer, or businessperson-- new ideas and a new perspective can aid you in anything you do.  I'm currently reading Steve Jobs' biography, and it's cool to see how many of the ideas he had for designs and business models came from his Zen meditation and Eastern-inspired personal philosophy of minimalism. 

Discipline

     Lastly-- and maybe most importantly-- is a benefit of meditation that ties into every other benefit.  When you consciously commit to do something for a specific amount of time every day (like meditate twice a day for 10 minutes) you're training yourself to have self-discipline.  This attitude will ideally carry over into other aspects in your life, like work, study and personal problem-solving.  Since I've started meditating, I find I have more patience and get less frustrated with issues, both personally and professionally.  I have a newfound self-discipline that allows me to set deadlines for myself and work things out.  I truly think that if you give meditation a try, you'll find you achieve similar benefits.  

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