Five Ways Meditation Can Improve Your Life

These days with our high stress and hectic lifestyles, meditation is often suggested as a method of relaxation and stress reduction. And while it undoubtedly helps in those areas, there are several reasons that are just as important why a daily meditation regimen will bring great rewards to your life.
Philosopher and CEO Brian Johnson outlines five of these reasons in his video ‘How to Meditate without Moving to the Himalayas.
1. Strengthen your mind. Brian refers to it as ‘going to the gym for your attention muscles.’ Having the capacity to focus your mind where you want it is vital to achieving your dreams in life. Our lives are packed with so many diverse factors all calling for our attention– work, family, friends, social media– that our minds are constantly jumping from one thing to the next– monkey mind, it’s called. Meditation will enhance your concentration skills and assist you to learn to fix your mind on one particular topic, which results in greater productivity and also a greater sense of calmness and contentment.
2. Develop willpower. Scientists have discovered that the amount of willpower a person has is a more effective predictor of their well-being in every area of their life than any other factor. But even if you think you fall short in that department, willpower can be cultivated, and like other qualities, the more you do it, the better you get at it. This follows on from number one, as while you’re building up your attention muscles, you’re also building your willpower muscles.
3. Optimize your immune system. With many of us on the move from morning to night, our adrenal system, which regulates our stress hormones, is constantly taxed. This means our immune system is not working effectively, which causes not only a greater susceptibility to illness but also fatigue, low energy and even depression. Just as little as 10 minutes meditation a day can unwind the body enough so that your immune system has a chance to revitalize itself.
4. Change your DNA. Yes, you can actually do that. Contrary to former beliefs our genes are not fixed and scientists have uncovered that in a process called epigenetics, our thoughts, behaviors and environment affect how our genes are expressed. They’ve also discovered that a steady meditation practice can change our genetic expression, with as little as 12-15 minutes of meditation in 8 weeks. In practical terms this means that someone who is genetically predisposed to being extremely anxious can change that– ie become less anxious, by a daily meditation program.
5. Connect to something bigger than you. This doesn’t automatically mean God, it can be the universe, life force – whatever you want it to be. It basically means delving into the spiritual part of you, however you view it. With our lives very much in the here and now and a million different things to sidetrack us, it’s very difficult to get a sense of ourselves as a part of the universe. Having the ability to feel a connection to something outside of ourselves helps to obtain a perspective on our lives and feel more connected to others.
The most important thing to remember is that meditation doesn’t have to involve sitting for an hour each day humming “Omm.” As little as 10 minutes a day of sitting in a peaceful spot and slow, deep breathing can have a significant effect on your life.