Meditation has always been something that a lot of people swear by as something that works for them whenever they need to stop and slow things down. Have you ever wondered what is the point of meditation? What is the purpose of meditation and what happens when you meditate?
The point of meditation is that it is a way for you to exercise your mind, just as running and lifting are exercises for your body. Meditation has a lot of different purposes and by regularly exercising your mind you will be able to reap the benefits of meditation.
Some would say that there isn’t anything special about meditation because you aren’t doing much. Never underestimate how powerful the mind is, and exercising it by meditating can lead to plenty of different benefits that you will be happy about when you realize how great meditation feels.
What is the point of meditation?
You may have read about people saying that meditation has helped improve their lives but you never really considered it because you don’t know what the point of meditation is. You have to experience it for yourself to really understand the benefits of meditation.
So, what is the point of meditation?
For one, meditation has no exact point because this is something that you do for plenty of different reasons that are all valid and very beneficial to anyone who would want to try meditating regularly. In that sense, you can never really box meditation into one single point or purpose as meditating has several different points and purposes that you may want to see for yourself.
Nevertheless, if we were to try to say what the point of meditation is, it is that meditating is a form of exercise for your mind. A lot of people will say that exercising your body by running and lifting can lead to plenty of different tangible benefits to your body. The same is true for meditation as allows you to exercise your mind so that you will be able to improve the way you think about things and see your environment from a different perspective.
In a sense, meditation is somewhat a way for you to make your mind work outside of the usual stuff such as your job and your school. Instead, you are exercising it in an entirely different way as you reap the many different benefits that come with meditation.
What is supposed to happen when you meditate?
For those who haven’t tried meditating yet, you might be wondering what is supposed to happen when you meditate. Subjectively, there are many things that would happen when you try to meditate (as we would later talk more about in the benefits of meditation). Objectively, however, your brain is actually at work in a different way when you are meditating.
Using MRI, scientists were able to get a clear picture of what is happening to your brain during meditation. When you are meditating, the brain actually stops processing different kinds of information the way it usually does. There is a decrease in beta waves, these waves are usually generated when your brain is aroused and is involved in mental activities. Meditating translates to calming down and relaxing your brain.
When there aren’t a lot of activities in your brain and when there are fewer thoughts that cloud it, you are able to focus more on whatever you are doing. You will also find that anxiety decreases as a result of how your brain won’t be thinking a lot about certain things that may lead to anxious thoughts.
What are the benefits of meditation?
There are many benefits of meditating, here are some of them:
- Better focus
- Decrease in anxious thoughts
- Reduced stress levels
- Better emotional health
- Enhanced self-awareness
- Longer attention span
- Reduced chances of memory loss
- Peace of mind
- Improves sleep quality
- Controls addiction
- Makes you more tolerant to pain
- Decrease in blood pressure
- Finding inspiration
- Inner calmness
- Improved creativity
How do I know I’m meditating right?
So, now that you know the benefits of meditation, you might want to try it out yourself. You might be wondering whether you are actually meditating right. How would you know that you are doing it the correct way?
1. First off, being still and doing nothing is the first thing you need to do when you want to meditate right.
2. Just be there. When you are “being present there”, you are not thinking about anything while allowing your body to feel relaxed. You can focus on your breathing so that you won’t be mindful about anything aside from your breathing.
3. Not reacting to thoughts is one way of knowing you are meditating right. Meditating is not about emptying your mind because your mind will always be at work. Instead, meditating is about not being mindful of your thoughts and emotions.
4. Improved awareness of your surroundings is a sign that you are meditating right because you are now less likely to mind your thoughts and more likely to be in tune with your senses.
5. When time flies, you would know that you are doing things right because of how meditation can allow you to not be mindful about what time it is as you are focused on meditating.
Can meditation change your life?
Now, for the million-dollar question, can meditating change your life? Well, if you are doing it right, it can be a great way for you to improve your quality of living as it is essentially a way for you to exercise your mind. If exercising your body can change your life, the same thing can happen when you are exercising your mind.
The reason why meditation is life-changing is that it allows you to be able to see things from a different perspective while being more mindful of your own thoughts and emotions. You will be less likely to think about anxious and stressful thoughts and will be more in tune with the things that bring positivity to your life. That alone can be enough to change your entire life in a subtle yet powerful way.
How long does it take for meditation to work?
There is no exact science as to how long it would take for meditation to work. However, it is often said that meditating regularly for a few minutes a day for two months will be enough to help rewire your brain and allow it to work differently. What we mean by “rewire your brain” is that your brain will be able to work in a different way in the sense that it will lead to greater focus and better emotional control on your part while also helping out in the way you make your decisions.
