7 Reasons to Learn Meditation

7 Reasons to Learn Meditation
By Ray Baskerville

If you are thinking about learning meditation, have done it and let it slide, here are 7 really significant reasons to learn to meditate.

1: Meditation Improves Physical Health

The amount of supportive information for how meditation improves our physical health is vast. In the simplest and most basic terms I believe the benefits derive from one thing. When we meditate we consciously choose to relax the body while keeping the mind alert. This was termed the 'relaxation response' by Dr. Herbert Benson after his groundbreaking research into the physical effects of meditation. In essence all bodily function improve towards optimum function in the absence of stress in the body.

The relaxation response of meditation allows the body to de-stress and allows the Autonomic Parasympathetic nervous system which governs all major bodily functions, immune, cardiovascular, digestive, reproductive etc, to move towards the optimal state of homeostasis - a stable constant condition.

2: Meditation Improves Mental Health

That the body and mind are continually effecting each other is now pretty much undisputed. It follows then that as the body benefits from meditation so the does the mind. Clinical research has proven that meditation reduces anxiety and even depression. But more than this regular meditation practice has also been shown to significant improvements in self esteem, memory, concentration, and productivity. This goes so far as to indicate that meditators are likely to be just more positive and happier. Brain scans have shown that the 'happiness' or 'joy' centers of the brain are more developed and active in people who meditate regularly.

3: Meditation Increases Spiritual Health

What exactly do I mean by spiritual health? Essentially i see this as our sense of connectedness. Initially and most importantly this is with ourselves. Living in identification with the chattering commentary of the mind is generally a pretty disconnected experience because the mind is largely occupied with the past, interpreting and projecting from it. The regular practice of meditation brings us into a closer experience of what we are actually experiencing in the moment. From this we become more 'present' both to ourselves and the world. (see# 4 & 7)

As we deepen in our experience of meditation it is very possible to experience more of the mystery of reality beyond our physical sense perceptions. In or through meditation we can also experience the true nature, the ever present awareness, eternal, immutable.

4: Meditation Improves Relationships

Meditation is a relationship with ourselves, a relationship that strengthens and deepens through acceptance and understanding. From greater acceptance, understanding and presence in and with ourselves we are able to be more present with others. We are also likely to be more empathetic, patient and understanding. Obviously this makes us a more pleasant person to be with. Additionally we are more likely to aware of our actual needs and limitations and as such less prone to the drama cycles of relationship. (see #7)

5: Meditation Increases Intuition

Intuition it is an ever present dimension of our consciousness. Unfortunately most of the time we are so occupied and identified with the mental chatter that we do not perceive its subtle messages. Through the consistent practice of meditation we become more present to our direct experience an din it can begin to attune to our intuition. We also come to recognize that we are not our thoughts and their capacity to rule us diminishes.

Meditation also opens us to greater awareness and sensitivity to our senses both physical and subtle. Our body is always in the present moment, so awareness of its experience through the senses reduces our mental activity. In this quieter mental space we become aware of intuition, our consciousness that is connected to higher consciousness. In higher consciousness we do not exist as this separate personality identity but have connection to the wholeness of Consciousness itself.

6: Meditation Deepens Your Relationship with Life

Through a deeper relationship with ourselves. Through our increasing awareness of the falsehood of separation consciousness, and opening to the realization that we are in fact connected to, influencing and influenced by all that is, we cannot but deepen our relationship with life itself. We begin to understand each of our actions have consequences, and that we are responsible for the way that we experience life and the way that we live it.

And when we begin to understand not just intellectually but experientially that we are not separate, we cannot but help change the way we live, the way we see others, and our relationship with nature. We also become more caring and compassionate, understanding the precious divinity that is life is.

7: Meditation Increases Self-awareness

The message over the entrance to the Temple of Delphi was "know thyself". This same message is to be found in different forms in nearly all spiritual traditions. Self-awareness is a natural byproduct of meditation.

In meditation we choose to no longer distract and anesthetize ourselves from our experience of ourselves. We choose to learn to just be with ourselves no matter what. In this choice we learn to accept ourselves exactly as we are. And in that choice insight arises as to why, and more importantly meditation can put us in the place where we can then let it all go and change.

From self awareness we become more authentic, we are less prone to pretend we are something that we are not and we can be more straight forward and clear in how we live, think and act.