Who Can Benefit from Meditation?

Maybe a better question would be who CAN’T benefit?  No, really… with life’s ever-moving flow and the list of “to-do’s” growing, how do you have time to catch your breath, or at least appreciate the little things?  It’s hard to live in the moment when there is limited time and a million things to do.

Research shows that meditation techniques can calm your nervous system by connecting your brain with your breath and your body.  It isn’t the absence of thinking– that isn’t possible.  But it is trying to train your brain to let go– let go of doubting thoughts and self-critique and learn to accept just being. When your brain wanders, just come back to the breath.

Many people don’t start meditating because they fear that they will be bad at it. The main focus of meditation is breathing.  If you can breathe, you can meditate.

There are several ways to meditate, and try to match your own goals with a format that suits it. One has to take meditation for what it is:  it is just one aspect to your overall optimal health.  Our go, go, go society often doesn’t allow time to settle, to reflect, to breathe. All of our focus is on the yang, and we do not spend any time in the ying.  We don’t have balance.

Breathing will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing a state where healing can occur more easily– but meditation should not replace other forms of care.  Breathing techniques are great, but they will not likely fix your disc bulge.  Plus, like everything else in life, you have to work at it consistently.

Find what works for you– by yourself or with a group, morning or after work, 10 minutes or an hour- then stay with it.  Try breathing meditation, or mindfulness meditation, or sound meditation.  Just start.