Why Meditate? Science Has Proven the Benefits As a Westerner, and a skeptic, there's something about "hard science" that puts me at ease. While I am delighted with the mysteries of the universe, and truly believe that there are some things that have no "rationale" answers, like healing at a distance, I like it when science confirms my perception of the universe.
If you work as a nurse or work in the healthcare field, or even know someone who does, meditation is an important tool to help you be more present in your work...and your life!
Meditation is about being in the present, experiencing the immediacy of the present, taking the "now" and showing up for it. Yet we rarely reflect on the immediacy of death and the potential that death...can come...at any time. We fret about losing our wallet, or our car-keys, or - on a more serious note - losing our job or a relationship. Yet how often do we reflect on our own death as a means for living fully in the moment? How often do we reflect on losing our life?
Seven Common Emotional Obstacles in Meditation and How to Melt Them Away When you set out to learn meditation, your emotional patterns will delightfully come along. In fact, they will probably be your first and fiercest obstacles to overcome. While you may consistently falter due to their incessant influence, you may not even notice given how unconscious and instantaneous these responses have become.
Many people believe that in order to meditate, you have to free your mind from all thoughts, and enter into a blank, trance-like state. If you do this, you'll be in a trance-like state, but you won't be meditating.
When I write that we need to practice compassion in our daily lives, you may wonder how exactly to do this. After all, you're probably a pretty compassionate person, so is there a need to do anymore than to simply be who you are? Read on...
The "effortless" part of learning to meditate comes from getting to know your meditative mind, again and again. And that comes more frequently when you let go of all of the ways that you think you should meditate.
Here are a few articles on the science of meditation and how it can create long-term benefits for you to alleviate stress, provide pain relief, increase your ability to respond compassionately, and maybe even live longer. I'm just offering a "taste" of what's been published and by doing so, I hope that you'll check into the literature on meditation research, it's great!
Even though this post is written with nurses and healthcare professional in mind, its content may be valuable for anyone who reads it. Give it a read and see. Let me know whether it works for you, regardless of what profession you're in. Enjoy!
Meditation is a process of gradually coming to know your own mind, coming to rest in a state of non-distraction where you release all sense of hope and fear, cease to alter your mind with thoughts, sensations and emotions, and learn to simply be, mindful, aware and spacious.