8 Qualities Meditation Helps You Develop The Best of You

Meditation aligns our mind and body into one single entity, where you discover the power of calmness. It helps you realise your true self along with a sense of inner peace and mindfulness.

I was 16 when I got my heartbroken for the first time, and it all started. I heard someone say, "If you can calm your mind for a few minutes, can harness the quality you were born to become." All he meant was I should have thought the proposal better. But the statement hit deep. And in this pursuit, I started to find the secrets to calmness, and all I could find was one of the oldest and most simple tools, "meditation".

And since then, I realized many qualities I otherwise would have missed for the whole of my life. And the practice of sitting idle and doing nothing(“as most of us are doing these days”) is so simple that anyone with an intention can start right now, right here.

Although there are many ways you can skip meditation(“and sleep instead”), here I mention 8 reasons why you shouldn’t.

1. Living in the present

On an average, around 60,000 thoughts cross our mind each day, i.e. around 2500 thoughts every hour. If you pay attention to these thoughts, you would be amazed to find that most of them are futile and useless(“almost all for me”), that is consuming all your mind. And when our mind is filled with these many thoughts, we forget to notice the present where we are and ignore things that matter the most.

• Think about how much energy you could have saved if you could reduce the number of your thoughts.

• If you were not exhausted by these many thoughts, it had helped you with a better focus on work on hand( “the real work”).

• Imagine the calmness, peace and happiness you would experience if you could overcome these thoughts. Luckily, there is this way called meditation.

People who meditate will agree that meditation slows down the stream of thoughts. And as you reduce the number of thoughts, your mind becomes calm. It allows you to focus on what you are doing, without being distracted. And this happens not only during meditation but throughout the day. The brain becomes a much more efficient and useful tool(“Yes, your brain is also a useful tool to use after all”).

2. An expedition from reacting to responding

The difference between “Reacting” and “Responding” is a mere 10 seconds. Whether it is with a colleague, friend, spouse, child, or parent, awareness can prevent the trajectory of the relationship as well as the issue at hand. So simple, yet sometimes we chose to react than respond. And that takes every single thing close to us far away. This all can be avoided by one breath to get yourself and your mind right.

Meditation gives you the ability to stop reacting to things in your life. By giving you conscious awareness of your thought process so you can choose your response to situations as they arise.

We can respond to people and deal with situations with awareness and personal integrity. And this is when all the work that is done on the meditation cushion(“i.e. meditating, not sleeping”) starts showing results.

3. Finally ending the "endless" loop of stress

We are always in an endless loop of checking our cell phones and laptops, be it an email or a message from the client. We are available 24 hours a day, like some sort of constant emergency we live in. Our brain associates the ping of a cell phone or an e-mail notification as a threat of a predator. Just like cave dwellers in ancient times when the threat was real and could cost our lives. The only difference is that the stress in cave dwellers made them healthy.

Stress has a degenerative effect over time. A sustained level of emergency affects our neurons(“Believe me, you have those in you”). It inhibits the release of certain hormones in the absence of which, can cause depression.

Meditation affects the body exactly opposite —it triggers the body's relaxation response. It restores the calmness of body and mind. Removes the stress-induced thoughts from the mind that keeps the body's stress response triggered. Meditation develops long term resilience that is a result of regular practice.

Research shows that those who experience positive moods often are more resilient toward stress. Those who are regular practitioners have decreased reactivity toward stress. The ability to refocus our thoughts also helps us to redirect ourselves when negative thoughts come to our mind. And this releases the stress and imparts positivity.

4. More self-awareness

Self-awareness means you are aware of your thoughts. You know and understand that you are a thinker who only observes these thoughts. Observe them as they flow through your mind. Not connecting to them, not becoming a part of it. But sitting and observing the thoughts, like you stand in your balcony and observe the traffic on the road(“And I mean the traffic, not the girl/guy next door”). You simply look at the traffic, not reacting, not thinking about it, just observing as it passes in front of you.

Self-awareness allows a person to see himself/herself in a more honest and natural form. As mentioned above, as we take control of our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. We have better control in a difficult situation and respond on choice through a thoughtful conscious.

Meditation helps us train ourselves to be more attentive to our thoughts. Not judging them, acknowledging and letting them flow through our mind. Hence feel more relaxed and a greater level of inner peace.

5. Healthy heart-healthy body

Regular meditation practices have proven to keep the blood pressure in check. Studies also suggest that meditation may help aid in reducing mortality risk from heart disease. Studies have also linked meditation to healthier arteries and improved blood flow to the heart. It helps you cope up with stress to lowering high blood pressure.

Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects how your heart makes small changes in the time interval between each heartbeat. A high HRV is a sign of a healthier heart. A 2013 study found that low HRV is associated with a 30% to 45% increased risk of heart attack or stroke among people without cardiovascular disease.

With regular meditation, you may be able to raise your HRV, which is highly affected by stress. A 2013 study found that people who did five minutes of meditation daily for 10 days had a better HRV compared with those who didn't meditate.

6. Boosts self-discipline and will power

"Paying attention to what's happening at the moment, what's going on in your body, your mind, and all around you, can make it easier to tune in to choices you make several hundred times a day when it comes to eating," says health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, who teaches a class on the science of willpower at Stanford University. Practising mindfulness meditation for a few minutes each day can boost willpower. Activating certain areas of the brain that regulate emotions and govern decision making.

Our brain is an undisciplined wanderer. They love to think about anything and everything exciting. During meditation, as we pay our attention to breath, we are training our brain to become more focused and disciplined.

7. Enhance your memory

Scientists say, one may start losing the sharpness of memory and power of reasoning from as early as 45. Also, research suggests that the brain can stop developing well in our 20s. The cerebral cortex(“Believe me again, you have those too”) deals with mental functions such as learning, concentration and memory. One way to sustain the sharpness of our brain is meditation.

Regular meditation for 15 minutes every day helps increase blood flow to the brain. This leads to a stronger network of blood vessels in the cerebral cortex and reinforces memory capacity.

8. Control anxiety

When thoughts become obsessive, we tend to become more anxious(“Why Ironman had to die”). And we start relating ourselves with them and hence create more stress that harms us. Meditation helps shift our attention from anxiety-causing thoughts. Thus relaxing our mind, release stress and be calmer. Through meditation, we start observing these thoughts rather than connecting to them. And with practice, the obsession ends and we become more relaxed with the thoughts. Try relating these thoughts to the clouds in the sky and see them float peacefully.

It’s no rocket science to develop the above-mentioned qualities to harness one’s life. These can easily be discovered through this simple tool i.e. meditation. But practising meditation to improve the quality of our life takes persistence, patience, and faith. It starts with sitting for 10 minutes without any virtual socialism where the only connection you have, is with YOU.

It doesn't matter if you are too young or old. Are completely occupied or free, sitting cross-legged or on a chair. (“Some common misconceptions that would be explained in succeeding posts”). So go grab a seat and enjoy doing nothing for some time from now to discover your true self.

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