The myth that meditation can only be practiced by people of certain religions is extinct. People with different beliefs can reap the benefits of meditation.
The Neurotheologist Andrew Newberg invites us to think of the brain as a muscle; if you go to the gym and lift weights your muscles work out and you are stronger. This same thing happens with the brain; the more you meditate, your brain exercises and works better.
Not surprisingly, meditating is one of the 9 ways to become smarter.
How meditation works.
Newberg’s studies reveal something surprising about this practice. When you are in a calm, concentrated and relaxed place; you would expect your hub to go silent.
But what is really evident is exactly the opposite. The thalamus, in charge of the sensory stimuli that reach the brain, becomes more alert allowing you to be aware of the present; control your emotions; and feel like you can handle everything that gets in your way.
Benefits of meditation.
1. Reduces stress levels.
Have you ever felt stressed? Do you feel pressured by problems at work, a relationship or financial problems? When all these discomforts accumulate, doctors call it “stress”.
Stress prevents you from concentrating, makes it more difficult to solve problems, and keeps you from giving your best. Even if your stress levels are high, it can affect your physical health.
Why do we stress? Well, actually stress is designed to help our body get out of physical danger. When we feel threatened, our brain emits signals that put our body into “alarm mode”. Which triggers “fight or flight” responses in our nervous system in order to be ready to respond to this situation.
One of the benefits of meditation is to reduce stress levels, since it relieves the load that exists in your nervous system.
While stress activates the “fight or flight” part, meditation activates the “rest and digest” part. Our heart rate normalizes, breathing eases, and blood pressure drops. The relaxation response is pleasant, so meditation is improving our general well-being.
2. Stimulates creativity.
You will think that stimulating creativity is only useful if you work in artistic areas; but living a full life is a creative act in itself.
Regardless of your career or activity, stimulating creativity will help you open doors and take advantage of all opportunities.
When you’re facing problems, whether it’s a difficult relationship, a problem at work, or even a family quarrel; a touch of creativity will go a long way when trying to find a solution. Even when it comes to learning how to deal with toxic people, it is very helpful.
Another of the benefits of meditation is that it can improve the way we deal with problems; it is already much easier to recognize a problem and put an end to it.
Studies Scientists show that it is because this practice is based on paying attention to the present moment. It is a non-reactive observation of your thoughts over time, which allows you a type of thinking that gives rise to many ideas. And as a result, your creative thinking will be greater and therefore you will find a relevant solution to your problems.
3. Increase concentration.
Whatever the objective, our performance and ability to achieve them depends on the ability to concentrate.
If you are able to focus and resist any type of distraction, it means that you have great skills in controlling your impulses, emotions and achieving long-term goals. “Having a great brain” is useless if you don’t know how to take advantage of its potential.
The benefits of meditation in this regard are evidenced in a study that compared groups of people who meditated and those who did not. Their results concluded that those trained in meditation were able to perform longer tasks, interrupted their activities less, and had less negative feedback after the execution of their tasks.
If we are able to focus on breathing for 20 minutes, think about how easy it will be to focus on any activity we do on a daily basis.
4. Reduces anxiety.
You worry too much? Many of us worry all the time. So don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Scientists believe that our brains have developed a bias toward negativity. Which means that we are more attracted to threats than to opportunities.
Have you noticed that it is easier to notice negative information faster than positive aspects? This is thanks to the association that the brain makes with possible threats in relation to the environment that surrounds you.
Likewise, numerous scientific studies have found that meditation is one of the effective ways to treat anxiety. Those people who managed to reduce their anxiety levels thanks to meditation, had a wide range of benefits in their general well-being.
When you can pay full attention to the causes of your anxiety, you learn to work through difficulties and stress in general.
5. Improve your sentimental relationships.
When you are in a relationship, the natural thing is that you want to give your best; so that it lasts and succeeds. You and your partner are happy, in tune, and growing together.
However, whether we like it or not, conflicts always appear. Sometimes you will not be in tune with your partner, so everyone’s expectations will be different.
You may realize that you are experiencing problems with your partner. Even that you are having conflicts with yourself, that you are unhappy and that makes your environment unhappy too.
One of the benefits of meditation is that it helps you manage these kinds of conflicts. It helps you feel better about yourself and your partner.
Various studies have shown that meditation positively influences the identification of emotions. Just as anger management is related to a better quality of communication during discussions, a more attentive observation appears, as well as greater empathy towards others.
Couples are better able to identify and describe their feelings; they are more satisfied with their bodies; and there is less social anxiety.
Influence of meditation.
Due to these benefits of meditation, the practice of Mindfulness (full attention) has become more recurrent in the workplace.
This practice allows, among other things, to be aware of your attitudes. Increasing your knowledge about destructive patterns and helping to recognize them before they proliferate. It is a way of training the mind to be in the here and now.a.
Big companies like Apple, Google, Deutsche Bank among others; They have implemented programs like this for their employees.
It’s no wonder then that meditation is growing among the world’s top entrepreneurs. Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs and Jeff Weiner CEO of LinkedIn; they practice or practiced meditation with the idea of improving their performance. Even the happiest man in the world uses it.
Johann Berlin, who specializes in providing Mindfulness training to senior managers, says that the growing interest in meditation among this group of people lies in how this practice helps build leadership skills.
They want to see how this tool can benefit them in strategies to retain, promote talent and encourage innovation.
As a consequence of the above, a multi-million dollar business has been built for those who provide training to reap the benefits of meditation.
Impact of meditation on the world.
According to data from IBISWorld, in charge of detailing the different categories in alternatives in health care; in 2015 the meditation industry raised almost 1 billion dollars
This is without counting the income from the nearly 1,000 Mindfulness applications. According to Sensor Tower, the Headspace app raised $30 million and has been downloaded more than 6 million times.
On the other hand, the growing trend of portable devices designed to help people measure their brain activity while meditating; has reached average prices of $299 dollars.
This year 22% of employers will offer Mindfulness training, with prices between $500 and $10,000 for group sessions; a figure that could double in 2017; according to a forthcoming survey by Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health.
In addition, the non-profit organization Search Inside Yourself Institute, a Mindfulness program from Google, increased its revenue by more than 50% last year; offering two-day workshops of up to $35,000 for 50 people for Fortune 500 companies, including Ford and American Express.
Conclution.
It is a practice that is taking over the world and it is not surprising. The benefits of meditation are incredible and even the richest men in the world use it. As a result, it has already become an industry that moves millions and apparently; it’s just the beginning.
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