Benefits of meditation
(According to the Mayo Clinic)
Meditation can provide a sense of calm, peace, and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. These benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may improve certain medical conditions. When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.
Emotional benefits of meditation can include:
Meditation and illness
Meditation might also be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress.
A growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation.
Some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:
Meditation isn't a replacement for traditional medical treatment, but it may be a useful addition to your other treatment.
Types of meditation
Ways to meditate can include:
(According to the Mayo Clinic)
Meditation can provide a sense of calm, peace, and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. These benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may improve certain medical conditions. When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.
Emotional benefits of meditation can include:
- Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
- Building skills to manage your stress
- Increasing self-awareness
- Focusing on the present
- Reducing negative emotions
Meditation and illness
Meditation might also be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress.
A growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation.
Some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:
- Anxiety disorders
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Depression
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Pain
- Sleep problems
Meditation isn't a replacement for traditional medical treatment, but it may be a useful addition to your other treatment.
Types of meditation
Ways to meditate can include:
- Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing.
You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures. You may be led through this process by a guide or teacher. - Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.
- Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation is based on being mindful, or having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment.
In mindfulness meditation, you broaden your conscious awareness. You focus on what you experience during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. You can observe your thoughts and emotions, but let them pass without judgment. - Qi gong. This practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qi gong (CHEE-gung) is part of traditional Chinese medicine.
- Tai chi. This is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts. In tai chi (TIE-CHEE), you perform a self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing.
- Transcendental meditation. Transcendental meditation is a simple, natural technique. In transcendental meditation, you silently repeat a personally assigned mantra, such as a word, sound or phrase, in a specific way. This form of meditation allows your body to settle into a state of profound rest and relaxation and your mind to achieve a state of inner peace, without needing to use concentration or effort.
