Can meditation make you happier?
Yes. 🙂
People who practice meditation regularly report feeling less stressed and more emotionally balanced. Researchers have even seen changes in the physical structure of the brain after regular meditation.
Numerous scientific studies have shown meditation reduces anxiety as well as stress – people who meditate tend to worry less about the problems they are facing in life, and are therefore happier as a result.
Here are some of the benefits that you may get from meditation:
Physiological benefits:
– Leads to deeper levels of physical relaxation
– Decreases muscle tension, aches and pains
– Enhances the immune system and lowers blood pressure
– Helps with pain control in chronic diseases
– Reduces headaches & migraines
– Produces lasting beneficial changes in brain biochemistry
Psychological benefits:
– Increases serotonin level, positively influencing mood and behaviour
– Helps us take control of our thoughts
– Helps with focus & concentration, learning ability and memory
– Increases emotional stability
– Reduces feelings of aggression and anger
– Reduces anxiety and tendency to worry
– Gives composure to act in considered & constructive ways
‘Spiritual’ benefits:
– Provides peace of mind, happiness
– Helps you discover your purpose
– Increases your compassion and wisdom
– Leads to deeper understanding of yourself and others
– Increases one’s acceptance of oneself
– Helps learn forgiveness
– and you might even reach spiritual enlightenment! 🙂
People report a whole range of benefits from meditation, and many of them are backed up by scientific research.
If you would like to try meditation, in the comfort of your own home, for free, then I would highly recommend the website below:
http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/
All you do is register, for free, then you get ten days of guided meditation (just ten minutes a day) for free. Andy does of course offer paid-for meditation packages on his site, but they don’t pressure you to sign up for them or anything.
I should say that I don’t know Andy Puddicome, but I have tried the 10-day freebie and found it really good.
There are of course plenty of other internet sites and books where you can read about meditation, but I think Get Some Headspace is a good place to start.
Good luck!
And, tell me what you think – share your thoughts on meditation and happiness, and how you have got on with meditating – what difference has it made? – it’s great to hear your experiences, and I feature some of them in my newsletters.
Leave a comment here, or email me: Mary@Coach-me-Happy.co.uk
