| Whenever someone asks me, “What are the | | | | Emotional Stability and Positive Thinking |
| main reasons to meditate?” or “Why | | | | Meditation is a very powerful natural prescription |
| should I bother with meditation?” I love to | | | | for people who suffer from anxiety and/or |
| surprise them with the simple reply, “Because | | | | depression, and it is also taught to people who |
| it makes you feel fantastic!” | | | | have difficulty controlling their anger. However, |
| Meditation has a reputation for being a bit | | | | you do not need to have a serious psychological |
| mysterious, a bit difficult, and perhaps even a bit | | | | condition for meditation to be of benefit to you! |
| boring. Most people never stop to consider that | | | | Every-day people who meditate generally enjoy a |
| it might actually be enjoyable...even pleasurable! In | | | | lot more... |
| fact, I can think of few other activities that are | | | | Happiness! |
| as rewarding, as healthy and as life-enhancing all | | | | People who meditate are less stressed, healthier, |
| at once. | | | | they sleep better, and they have a more positive |
| People who meditate know exactly what I’m | | | | outlook on life. Simply put, meditation makes you |
| talking about. Once you start meditating, it’s | | | | a happier person! |
| hard to imagine ever living without it. It’s hard | | | | Success and Quality of Life |
| to imagine what it would be like to no longer have | | | | Think about this for just a moment... |
| “serenity on tap”. | | | | Everything you achieve in life is the result of your |
| If you do not currently meditate, then you | | | | actions. |
| probably don’t even know what you’re | | | | The actions you choose to take are the result of |
| missing out on. Well here are just a few of the | | | | your decisions. |
| benefits that you’ll begin to enjoy just as | | | | The decisions you make are the result of your |
| soon as you start... | | | | thinking processes. |
| Goodbye Stress | | | | Your thinking processes are completely dependent |
| Meditation reduces stress better than anything | | | | on the quality of your mind. |
| else I know of. Not only does it give you much | | | | If you really dwell on this you will begin to see |
| needed “down time” to rest physically and | | | | how the entire course of your life is affected by |
| mentally, it also has a very direct effect on your | | | | the quality of the thoughts that circulate in your |
| entire nervous system by reducing your | | | | mind. |
| body’s production of stress related chemicals | | | | Sometimes the difference between a great |
| like cortisol. On the flipside, it increases your | | | | success and a monumental disaster in life is a |
| production of natural mood enhancing chemicals | | | | seemingly insignificant little moment in which you |
| like serotonin. That’s why some people refer | | | | give birth to a thought, and make a decision. It |
| to meditation as a “natural high”. | | | | happens in that moment when you decide to turn |
| Improved Health | | | | left instead of right...in that moment where you |
| Meditation will improve your health by | | | | choose between a peaceful response to a |
| strengthening your immune system, reducing your | | | | situation, or an angry one...in that moment when |
| blood pressure and lowering cholesterol levels. | | | | you notice the attractive smile of the person |
| People with debilitating or life threatening medical | | | | across the room, or the moment when you miss |
| conditions like cancer will sometimes turn to | | | | that smile, that chance meeting, that new love. All |
| meditation as a means to enhance the process of | | | | of life if filled with these “opportunities to |
| healing and recovery. While meditation should | | | | choose”. Some are more significant than |
| never be used as a substitute for proper medical | | | | others, but all of them add up to the path that |
| care, in some cases it can lead to healing | | | | you will one day call “my life story”. |
| breakthroughs, even when traditional medical | | | | Meditation will help you to make wiser, more |
| treatments have been unsuccessful. | | | | peaceful choices on a consistent basis. This |
| Of course, you do not have to be terminally ill to | | | | inevitably leads to a life that contains more |
| benefit from the healing effects of meditation! | | | | positive opportunities and fewer problems. Of all |
| Even if you have just come down with a case of | | | | the reasons to meditate, this one is perhaps the |
| the flu, meditation will enhance the function of | | | | least obvious, but it is also one of the most |
| your immune system and help to you to rest | | | | significant. |
| more deeply, leading to a speedier recovery. | | | | Have Your Cake and Eat it Too! |
| Meditation also happens to be a wonderful way to | | | | Unfortunately, even though meditation has so |
| alleviate headaches and to prevent them from | | | | many wonderful benefits to offer, many people |
| recurring. | | | | still view it as a mundane task, or as |
| Improved Sleep | | | | “something I should do, but don’t have |
| Sleep is a totally natural human function, and | | | | the patience, time or energy to get around |
| it’s something we need every day. But if you | | | | to.” |
| have a busy mind or if you are stressed then | | | | To many people, it’s kind of like dieting. Heck, |
| you may find that your sleep is not as restorative | | | | we could probably all benefit from eating a little |
| as it should be. Meditation dramatically improves | | | | better and from doing a little more exercise, but |
| the quality of your sleep, and it is one of the | | | | who has the time these days? Who wants to put |
| most powerful natural treatments for insomnia. A | | | | in all that effort? Besides, I LOVE chocolate cake |
| great reason to meditate. | | | | WAY too much! |
| Slowed Aging | | | | But the fact is, meditation requires almost no |
| Studies into the effects of meditation have | | | | effort, it doesn’t take a lot of time, it |
| shown that the regular practice of meditation can | | | | doesn’t involve restriction or self-denial, and it |
| slow the aging process. In fact, the biological age | | | | certainly doesn’t involve sweat! |
| of long term meditators is generally less than | | | | Meditation is relaxing, effortless, pleasurable, |
| those of people who have never meditated. It is | | | | healthy, life-enhancing, and it makes you feel |
| believed that the physiological cause of this is due | | | | great! |
| to the fact that meditation helps to reduce the | | | | So what’s your excuse? |
| body’s production of free radicals - organic | | | | Give meditation a try and soon enough you’ll |
| molecules that are responsible for aging, tissue | | | | be wondering, “How on Earth did I ever live |
| damage, and possibly some diseases. | | | | without this? |