WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Meditation has a history of thousands of years, so its meaning and purpose have changed over time and can have different definitions from person to person. While some people practice meditation for spiritual reasons, breathing exercises combined with meditation can help provide some physical benefits.

At its core, meditation is a form of relaxation. This relaxation method is used to focus and stabilize your mind by getting rid of the stressful thoughts of our busy daily lives.

OBJECTS, PLACE AND METHODS OF MEDITATION PRACTICE

As long as you are willing to learn, anyone interested can practice meditation. In fact, practice makes perfect. Once you understand meditation, meditation can have physical benefits for people of all ages. From very young children to the elderly and the middle-aged, meditative breathing exercises require little or no additional equipment or equipment other than your own body.

One of the most fascinating things about meditation is that it can be practiced almost anywhere – at home, at work, and even 15,000 meters in the air while you're on an airplane. As long as you have a comfortable place to sit or lie down and take a few minutes to complete the exercise, meditation is a practice that can go anywhere.

Before you begin, it is important to understand the basics of how to practice meditation. A guide to get you started with the basics is shared below:

• Sit comfortably.

• Place your feet flat on the ground.

• Keep your back straight.

• Place your palms gently on your knees, facing up or down.

Another option is to lie on your back with your arms and hands at your sides and your legs extended. These aren't the only poses for meditation, but they are easy poses for beginners.

Once you've found yourself in a relaxed state, close your eyes and start practicing deep breathing patterns. During daily activities, your breathing may be short and fast to keep up with your hectic daily lifestyle. When practicing meditation, try to slow down your breathing to relax your mind and reduce any stressful thoughts. For example, a breathing exercise would be to inhale for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds. When doing this exercise, your goal is to focus all of your attention on your breath – avoiding distracting your mind with other thoughts.

PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF MEDITATION PRACTICE

Meditation has many positive health benefits. It can help people suffering from stress and anxiety, and the practice of meditation can help relieve tension headaches and reduce symptoms of insomnia.

Stress and anxiety

Meditation helps to purify the mind through the practice of eliminating negative, distracting, or aimless thoughts that are often the source of stress and anxiety. By repeating this type of thought redirection over and over, your mind will be more able to focus, relax, and rest when it needs to.

Headache

Tension headaches make you feel like you have pressure on your head or pain in your forehead and scalp. Tension headaches are often caused by everyday occurrences, such as an overloaded work schedule or the arrival of a new family member. And while it hasn't been medically proven that tension headaches can be completely cured with meditation, the practice can help ease symptoms in some people. When you feel a headache, try to find the right meditation posture and start focusing on your breath. However, if your headache is severe, constant, and causes vision impairment or any other physical symptoms, you should consult a healthcare professional.

Improve sleep

Have you ever suffered from insomnia?

There's nothing worse than a lingering thought that keeps you away from your nights of deep sleep. Sometimes we lie down in bed and somehow all the worries come flooding into our heads. It is true that insomnia can have many different causes, including food choices, overall health, arthritis, and more. However, anxiety, stress, and an overworked mind are frequent reasons why some of us toss and turn, losing the sleep we so desperately need for our bodies to recover. Next time you experience insomnia like this, try a deep breathing exercise to help streamline your train of thought and release stress in preparation for a good night's sleep.

While meditation is certainly not the only answer to the health symptoms mentioned above; but so far, the exercise poses no risks.

So what are you waiting for? Inhale, exhale and try to practice proper breathing to keep your body healthy.

Source: https://medexpress.com/