The Life-Altering Benefits of Meditation

Maybe I was somewhat ignorant for the first half of my life.  I always considered myself a spiritual person, in general, but I had admittedly become consumed by the daily routine that was my life.  I was ignoring my spiritual side and it was starting to show outwardly.  I believe that my first Out of Body Experience was tailored to wake me up from my slumber.

It took me over 40 years to succumb to the idea that meditation was something more than the mystical practice of Buddhist or Tibetan Monks.  It wasn’t until I started reading Robert Monroe’s books that I began to realize the benefits of meditation as a gateway to mystical experiences.  This was what initially attracted me to meditation.  I wanted to find a way to repeat my Out of Body Experiences reliably.  As I began to descend deeper into the practice, I became aware of the life-altering benefits that can be obtained through regularly practicing meditation.

Benefits of Meditation

Until I started really researching meditation and its benefits, I was completely unaware of the fact that some of the most prominent people of our time are consistently using it to tackle stress and succeed in their lives.  People like Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, the late Steve Jobs, and a whole host of highly successful people in media, business, and otherwise are prominent advocates of the practice.  So, outside of the occasional mystical experience or OBE, what is it that has attracted so many people to consistently use this practice in their lives?

The list is long – so I will try to consolidate it into some of the benefits I have gained through regular practice over the last several months.  This includes some benefits that are fully supported by scientific research:

Meditation has Positive Effects on Memory and Awareness

According to research, people who regularly meditate have unique brains with well-developed areas that are connected to emotional control and awareness.  According to sciencedirect.com, a study of participants’ brains following the completion of a meditation program, showed changes in the areas of the brain that were connected to memory, self-awareness and perspective.

Meditation Can Have Positive Effects on the Heart

Mindfulness meditation has been effectively shown to reduce blood pressure and stress, resulting in the heart functioning in a more coherent way.  The HeartMath Institute has conducted numerous studies related to the benefits of meditation on the heart.  Meditation has show to reduce levels of Cortisol and other stress hormones in the body, resulting in a more coherent heartbeat.  It has been discovered that the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart, and these signals have a profound effect on the overall function of the brain.  These signals influence emotional processing, perception, memory and problem-solving skills. As we meditate, the brain and heart operate in a more synchronized fashion, which allows for more effective communication between the two.  When our heart and brain are in coherence, we are in coherence.

Immune System and Bodily Health Benefits

I’ve shared in past article some case studies of people who have completely healed themselves from uncurable diseases such as lupus, cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, degenerative nerve diseases, etc.  As is becoming more understood in the scientific community, our bodies generate an electromagnetic field.  As we meditate, this field can extend up to 30 feet wide – this has been measured.  In that state, we are more energy than matter.  We’re more wave than particle.  We’re connected to a field of energy that exists beyond space and time.  When we’re in this state, we have the capability to download new information that essentially upgrades our biology.  That upgrade is happening on an energetic level, which is resulting in some seemingly miraculous healing.  Cases of spontaneous remission of uncurable diseases are becoming more commonplace as people begin to recognize the true benefits of meditation.  A recent study conducted on 2 groups of people, one that had completed an 8-week course on mindfulness meditation, showed a significant increase in activity on the left hemisphere of the brains of the meditators.  When both groups were injected with the flu vaccine, the meditators produced a much stronger immune response.  Details of the study can be read at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12883106.

Increased Vitality and Life-Expectancy

Numerous studies have now been conducted by several sources that support the idea that regular meditation lengthens the telomeres in our DNA.  The length of telomeres is directly associated with our biological age.  Studies done on a group of 50-year-olds revealed that their brains were biologically no older than 25.  In addition, studies done on telomere lengths for people who had completed an 8-week meditation program show telomere lengths had actually increased.  They effectively lengthened their lives through meditation!

This is just a small list of the tremendous benefits of meditation.  The benefits in this article alone are life changing.  Meditation, above all, is the process of getting to know yourself.  It’s the process of stripping away everything we think we know about who we are and looking underneath the illusory layers.  When we finally perceive what’s real underneath the identity we’ve been handed in this life, we fall in love with ourselves again.  If there were no other benefits to meditation than that, meditation would still be the most valuable daily practice imaginable.

Below I’ve included a guided meditation hosted by Dr. Joe Dispenza.  Please enjoy.