I first started meditation when I was around 22. In 2020, my Kinesiology course in Melbourne had begun and our teacher advised us that meditation was great for clearing your mind and focusing your energy. I have been practicing mediation on and off for the last few years and can honestly say that the times when I am consistent with it, are when I feel my best. Before starting meditation as a daily practice, consider the benefits it could have for you, too. Here are 5 benefits of the transformative art of meditation:

Changes in your mood

One thing that I can say without a doubt, is that removing stress (through means such as therapy, holistic treatments such as Kinesiology, and meditation, for example) has a huge impact on your mood. Specifically, it makes you feel happier! We’re not just talking about superficial stress here either, I’m talking subconscious stressors that have built up over your life. It may seem like a no brainer, but the less anxiety you have, the more content you will be.

Emotional regulation

As well as changes in your happiness levels, mediation can also help you to regulate your emotions. This is because you are able to have more of a focused control over your mind and choose how to respond. Responses to emotion become less reactive. Mindfulness and controlled breathing that accompanies meditation can ease this impulsiveness. It creates clarity. With a more calmed and controlled mindset, you can regulate your emotions much more easily.

Reduction in cortisol

Cortisol is our stress hormone. Chronic stress, and prolonged elevated levels of cortisol (the counterpart of chronic stress), can result in pain, inflammation, and disease later in life. It can also lead to an increase in blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, and heart rate. When your body is in this stressed state, your sympathetic nervous system is activated. But when you mediate, your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) takes over. When your body slides into PNS, your cortisol stays at a normal level. Not only does meditation lower cortisol, it can also help people to manage stress more effectively.

Improvement in sleep

Most of us who struggle to fall asleep at night have minds that run completely wild with thoughts of work emails, project deadlines, or familial obligations. Shutting off our thoughts before sleep is a tricky business. This is where meditation comes in. Meditating consistently can help to reduce these looming bedtime thoughts (or excess thoughts in general). The actual process of meditation can also put you to sleep – I never meditate right before bed for this reason. I am asleep by the second minute.

Become part of a community

When I meditate, I use an app called Insight Timer. My friend introduced me to this app when I first started, and I’ve used it ever since. It has a timer setting that allows you to meditate for a set period while providing ambient sounds like birds chirping, harp melodies, or a babbling river. There’s a community feature on the app where you can see how many people are meditating alongside you, from all over the world. Knowing that others are also carrying out this practice can bring you a sense of belonging. Sometimes it helps to know you’re not alone.

While the practice of meditation can be a hard one to stick with (I say this speaking from experience), the benefits make it very worthwhile. Choose to start slow, with even 5 minutes a day, and progress from there. Stay tuned for 4 meditation techniques that I will share from one of my favourite books.

Yours,

Kait x

Cover photo by Shu Lei