Meditation For Beginners: A Traditional Practice with Long-term Benefits

Meditation For Beginners: A Traditional Practice with Long-term Benefits

Life-Changing Benefits of Meditation For Beginners

Meditation has become one of the most common habits in both the eastern and the western world today. Likewise, its benefits have been backed by science and are endorsed by experts in medicine and psychology. Similarly, for celebrities, world-renowned CEOs, and politicians, it has been nothing short of a life-changing habit. Therefore, some of them have strongly advocated for its benefits among fans and followers. On the other hand, tons of organizations are providing knowledge and help in meditation for beginners. As of today, they span multiple countries across the world.

A Practice Rooted Deep Back in Time

While discussing meditation for beginners, it is important to understand its origin and its evolution over time. The practise of meditation has roots that go deep back in time. Although the actual date is hard to trace, researchers approximate that it has been around for more than five thousand years. Wall paintings in the Indus valley give an estimation of around 5000 to 3000 BCE.

Vedas, the sacred texts of ancient India, written around 1500 BCE, contain written records of this practice. Likewise, several forms of meditation developed in Taoist China and Buddhist India around the 6th to 5th century BCE. The teachings of Buddha highlighted meditation as one of the core practices that resulted in awakening and enlightenment. This spread across multiple countries across Asia, reaching as far as Afghanistan and Indonesia.

In the western world, meditation made its entry during the 18th century. With improvements in transportation and communication, there was an increase in travel and trade, and cultural exchanges became common. In 1893, the World Parliament of Religions was held in Chicago, inviting dialogue and discussion between different faiths worldwide.

During the mid 20th century, after the Second World War, there was a dramatic increase in its popularity. Masters from the east found a great sense of welcoming and interest from the western students. Likewise, millions of people, popularly known as hippies, went on a spiritual journey to Asia. Thousands of yoga schools and wellness centres were set up in the United States and Europe.

During the 1960s and 1970s, meditation became a topic of scientific research and general practice by stripping off the spiritual context and religious links. The Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, founded by Kabat-Zinn, provided training and education in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

Meditation For Beginners: A Traditional Practice with Long-term Benefits

Getting Started As A Beginner

To make the benefits of meditation an easy experience for everyone, we have compiled a list of tips regarding meditation for beginners.

Start Slow

While teaching meditation for beginners, our first suggestion for them is to start very slow. We are living in a fast-paced world where a plethora of information passes through our brains every minute. For people who tend to overthink, silencing the mind can be incredibly difficult. Therefore, while you are just starting, focus on a minimal period, say for 2 minutes. As you get used to it, you may increase your time of focus.

Consistency is Key

As in every other practice, consistency is key in meditation for beginners. If possible, do it the first thing in the morning and the last thing before bed and make it a regular habit. This allows you to clear all the distractions and worries so that you get a peaceful sleep. On the other hand, you have a strong focus in the morning which means your productivity can peak. Furthermore, when you are stressed out at work, make a habit of switching off for five minutes. Scientific studies show that a small period of relaxation after a larger period of intense focus can boost productivity.

Use Available Resources

There are tons of resources on the Internet that help with meditation for beginners. For example, YouTube has millions of videos on guided meditation if starting on your own is difficult. Likewise, if you want to go the extra mile, several organizations offer free mindfulness sessions. Find out if there are such organizations in your localities.

Pay Attention to Breathing

Breathing is a core component in any mindfulness practise, be it meditation for beginners or experts. Some breathing exercises like the Wim Hoff method can remove all the chatter in your head, resulting in a state of deep peace and relaxation. Likewise, counting your breaths is also a great way to prevent random thoughts in your head.

Meditation For Beginners: A Traditional Practice with Long-term Benefits

Major Benefits of Meditation

We have all heard about the life-changing effects of meditation from celebrities and the wealthy worldwide. In the following section, we will discuss some of them in brief.

Reduction in Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are some of the most common difficulties for humans today. The levels of stress hormones called cortisol increased as a result of physical and mental stress. Scientific studies show that meditation can reduce the production of such hormones. On the other hand, people with severe anxiety levels have found improvements after a couple of months of practice.

Increases the Ability to Focus

The ability to increase focus is a key benefit of meditation for beginners.  In this age of information overload due to social media and the Internet, the mind can get severely distracted. Such distractions can severely affect the personal development and career goals of many people. There are times when you feel you are busy, but yet you get nothing done. With regular meditation, you can increase your attention span, which means you get more done in less. The ability to concentrate is a key habit of highly successful people.

Combat Addiction and Memory Loss

One of the reasons we put a major focus on meditation for beginners is its ability to combat addiction and memory loss.  With regular meditation, you can increase your self-control leading to reduced dependency on addictive materials. Furthermore, it also improves memory retention and bolsters clarity and creativity in your mind.

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In this blog, we have learned about the practice of meditation and its history. Likewise, we presented some of the tips for meditation for beginners. Similarly, we closed with why meditation can be a life-changing habit for people with stress, anxiety, addictions, and short attention spans.

Top World Business is a one-stop place for all the lifestyle news from every corner of the globe. We aim to keep you updated on recent and future lifestyle trends so you can make your life more interesting. Contact us if you have any further queries.