Who Can Benefit from Meditation?
Meditation is a practice that has been utilized by many cultures throughout history to create a calm and peaceful state of mind. Now, in the modern age, it’s available to anybody willing to take the time out of their day to benefit from its restorative powers. All types of people can benefit from meditation, including entrepreneurs, athletes, traders and managers.
Entrepreneurs who meditate often find greater levels of focus and creativity while they work. By taking some time out each day to clear their minds and relax their bodies with meditation, they are able to come back afterward with more clarity and inspiration for the tasks at hand. Athletes also use meditation as part of their training regimen. It helps them gain greater control over themselves both mentally and physically so that when it comes time for competition or game day they can be more focused on performing at their peak level.
Is Meditation Worth It?
Just 10 minutes of daily meditation can have remarkable effects on our mental, physical, and emotional balance. Research has found that regular mindfulness practice can reduce stress levels, promote calmness and clarity in thought processes, increase resilience to difficult situations, improve sleep quality, reduce anxiety symptoms, increase productivity and focus in work or study; the list goes on.
I believe that meditation is absolutely worth the effort. The benefits are immense; regular meditators have reported feeling calmer, more focused, and less bogged down by negative thoughts or emotions. Studies have also shown that those who practice meditation regularly may live longer due to increased relaxation and lower levels of stress hormones in their bodies.
These benefits are available to people of all backgrounds who are willing to take the time out each day for just 10 minutes to meditate. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced meditator or a complete beginner – there is something beneficial to be gained from developing this habit.
What Is Meditation About?
Meditation is a form of deep concentration.
It can be utilized for pretty much anything, regardless of the form used. Meditation can include activities that intend to control bodily functions, such as breathing rate or heart rate, improve brain neuroplasticity, invoke certain states of mind (such as state of deep focus), or introduce certain programs into your subconscious mind.
In sports, meditation is often used simply to improve sports performance. In Karate, for instance, kata is a form of active meditation. Repeated strikes and kicks induce a state of gnosis in one’s mind and allow them to work on their skills more efficiently.
Meditation has many forms and can be used in many ways. Even if you are not a professional athlete you can still use meditation to improve your performance in sports or to enhance your memory and concentration while learning.
Let me give you some examples.
When you go to the gym and record your lifts, come back home, watch them and analyze your technique, you’re basically contemplating your technical efficiency. This is meditation.
When you are frustrated and don’t know what to do, you go for a walk into the woods, to think about different actions you could undertake and their consequences in calm settings, you’re contemplating your life. This is meditation.
When you get back home from work and are dying for a hot, soothing bath, you lie down in the bathtub and relax, you are using relation techniques to fight off the stress. This is meditation.
Finally, when you sit down in a specific stance (Asana), light the candles, utilize breathing techniques (Pranayama), hand gestures (Mudras), chanting (Mantras) and consciously direct your focus towards a subject of choice (Dhayana), you are meditating.
Regardless of how you call it, meditation is present in your life pretty much anytime you concentrate on something hard and undertake specified actions that allow you to increase your focus or induce a relaxation state.
The difference lies in details – you can use meditation consciously or unconsciously according to your will. The methods you choose will depend on your preferences, familiarity with the subject, your goals, and your needs.
Meditation is a tool and you are a craftsman. Use it wisely.
