In today’s fast-paced world, a bit of meditation would be useful to all of us. And it’s not just about achieving inner harmony. Research shows that meditation has a beneficial effect not only on our mind, but also on the condition of the entire body. Below you will find the information you need to know if you want to decide if meditation is for you.
Meditation is mainly associated with Eastern religions and philosophies. Indeed, in many eastern currents it is the way to attain nirvana. It is worth paying attention to the fact that even Catholicism and Islam contain certain meditation techniques, and the concept itself has its origins in the Latin word “meditatio”, which means reflection and reflection. In practice, meditation is simply self-improvement mainly through clearing the mind, increasing mindfulness and focus, and also visualizing.
Varieties of meditation
There are many varieties of meditation, because in each culture, philosophical trend or religion, the approach to meditation is slightly different, and individual techniques have evolved separately.
One of the most important types of meditation is concentration, which is focusing your attention on an object, sensation, or activity. This can be, for example, the concentration on the breath used in Zen or the creation and destruction of mandalas.
Another popular type of meditation is mantras, that is, repeating specific sounds, syllables, words or sentences. Interestingly, the Catholic rosary can be considered a classic mantra.
Movement meditation is focus by performing specific physical activities. Usually it is combined with dance (e.g. the dance of Islamic dervishes or voodoo). A certain type of movement meditation is holding certain body positions, such as in yoga.
Sometimes meditation takes the form of a visualization in which you should imagine specific objects or situations. An example is Christian Ignatian meditation.
Maintaining silence, common in some religious orders, for example, is also a form of vigilant meditation.
Another variation worth mentioning is trance or hypnosis.
Meditation and psychology
Meditation is sometimes used as one of the techniques of psychotherapy. In general, it has a very beneficial effect on the psyche, especially in stressed patients or suffering from neurosis. Long-term meditation leads to an increase in self-esteem, greater self-confidence, and an increase in objectivity. As a result, emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships also improve.
However, therapists know that not all patients respond well to meditation. In severely ill people, it can only make their disorder worse. Therefore, it is dangerous for people suffering from depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Conversely, in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, meditation can become an obsession. In such situations, the inability to achieve nirvana can be very frustrating.
The impact of meditation on health
Numerous studies have shown that regular meditation affects not only the psyche of a person, but also the physical condition of his body. People under the influence of long-term stress and struggling with various types of neuroses are of particular benefit. First of all, meditation helps to lower blood pressure and overcome cardiac arrhythmias. In people struggling with insomnia, it improves the quality of sleep and shortens the time to fall asleep, as well as the time needed to rest during the night. Meditation has also been shown to relieve migraines as well as reduce chronic pain. It also has similar soothing properties in women who are strongly affected by PMS. Interestingly, meditation sometimes works as a therapeutic method for couples who, for unknown reasons, cannot conceive. It is probably related to the reduction of stress, which is a common cause of fertility disorders.