5 benefits of meditation – are you calm enough to read this?
Look, let’s get one thing clear. I’m not talking about being dressed in a white robe while chanting at the top of your voice, with Tibetan gongs blaring out of speakers and so much juniper incense burning that you trigger your fire alarm. Let’s dial it down a notch or two.
This is all about being calm and relaxed. That’s your bottom line. Not to work yourself into a hypnotic coma in the quest for nirvana.
OK, full exposure, right here. You would think being a California girl I would have been fully into meditation since forever. Well, not exactly. I grew up thinking meditation was a little “woo-woo.” I took the plunge and tried it briefly in my 40s, but honestly I just didn’t “get it,” and if I sat still for a few minutes I fell asleep (the first hint that I was on the way to exhaustion and burn out).
Fast forward to today and I now meditate daily, even if it’s just for 10 minutes, to center myself, approach the day with a clear calm mind and be more focused on what I need to be doing.
Meditation has long gone from dark temple halls in Asia to mainstream healthy Western lifestyle.
This year I tried group meditation @unplug right here in LA.
It has been such an amazing positive experience and is an invaluable gift to yourself. I mean, really, why wouldn’t you want to meditate!?
I know, I know, you probably have a hundred excuses for not meditating just like I did in the past. Let’s see, its too “new-age, touchy feely, woo-woo,” you can’t twist your body into a pretzel for hours, need to take care of the grandkids, polish the hubcaps of your Ferrari, binge watch your favorite soapie, research destinations for your next getaway…yeah right, the list is endless.
But here’s the thing. For every excuse not to meditate, there are just as many reasons why you should. Just so we’re clear, I’m not going to teach you how to meditate, and that’s not the purpose of this blog — there are a bunch of credible websites and courses for that — all I’m saying is from personal experience, it WORKS!
Try these on for benefits out for size:
It makes you more calm. This alone is worth the price of admission. Have you ever heard anyone say they are calm enough and don’t need to be any more relaxed? In the 21st century? I don’t think so. Look, the biggest part of being calm is reducing stress — and that’s probably the core benefit of meditation. Just because you’re in your 50s (or beyond) it doesn’t automatically follow that your life will slow down and you’ll be more relaxed. We live in a crazy fast-paced world that isn’t folding its arms and giving us a free pass. This time of life has just as much stress as any other period in your past. Why not try meditating for 10 or so minutes each morning, when your mind and body are fresh from sleep. You can even persuade your other half to join you. Being calm never felt this good.
Helps you focus. Being sharp mentally is more important than ever as we get older. And as we reinvent ourselves and embrace our Next Act, the need to focus on everything from the simplest tasks to those that need your undivided attention, is critical. Stilling the mind through meditation and being centered clearly brings about heightened concentration and self-awareness. Being mindful is a state of mind (quite literally) and vital for a stress free life.
Being in the moment. One of the most useful of the many benefits of meditation is learning to be in the moment (or the ‘now’ as it’s often called). Some of you are probably already aware of this expression and what it means. For the rest of you who may be skeptical, it’s important to understand that this is not some far-fetched magical skill that is restricted to gurus. What living or being in the moment simply means is to be aware (or conscious) of your senses at any given time. Put another way, it means to not be worrying about what happened in the past of what the future may bring. Our focus and attention is on whatever it is we are doing. Simple as this may sound, this ‘mindfulness’ requires practice. It teaches you to practice on being present and not being distracted by things that have already happened or are yet to happen. Especially as we get into our 50s, with more time to be dwelling on what might have been, the benefits of mindfulness on your physical and mental wellbeing are well documented. In addition, it allows us to observe, rather than judge, which is a big plus in my book.
Improves your sleep. Most of us have had a power nap, or a snooze at lunch time and then felt recharged for the rest of the day. Well, just like your power nap, meditation has been proven to refresh not only your mind but helps to rest your body too. Sleep and meditation have several physiological similarities. So through meditation you teach your body to enter a more relaxed state more easily, while also helping to reduce the stress that stops you from sleeping in the first place.
It’s free. If you try to think of things that benefit you in modern life and that are free — and by that I mean you can do it anywhere where its quiet, at no cost, with no special equipment — you might be hard pressed to count them on one hand. Well, add meditation to that very short list. Here’s the thing — it’s not only free, it literally has no negative side effects. Think about it, reducing things like stress, pain, anxiety and depression, to name a few, with no known side-effects, makes meditation a very attractive health option.
And if you’re concerned that meditation may interfere with your religious practice, don’t be. It has no religious or cultural associations and can be practiced by literally anyone in any state of health.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research shows the number of Americans who say they meditate for better health or wellness increased threefold from 2012 to 2017, from 4.1 percent of adults to 14.2 percent. And people aged 45 to 64 are the most likely to say they practice regularly.
So there you go. No more excuses—right?! And while you’re being mindful, why not drop me a comment below and let me know if you have tried meditation, how it works for you, or if you’re going to give it a go, let me know how you get on! Here’s to the new relaxed version of yourself.
You’ve got this – and I’ve got you
Dena
DENA BURTON
I’ve been a model, a real estate agent, and I am a native Angeleno. (Surviving LA traffic not only shows my ability to stay level headed, it also shows my commitment and follow through.)
