Understanding the Benefits of Mindful Meditation
Did you know that almost 10 percent of the American population practices some kind of mindful meditation?
While mindful meditation has a long history stretching back to the ancient world, it’s finally found its way into the American mainstream. Once a misunderstood hobby of the hippy counter-culture, the benefits of meditation are now widely acknowledged and supported by scientific research.
This transformation has been described as the “Mindful Revolution” by Time Magazine. As the number of people practicing the techniques of mindful meditation continues to grow, so does the list of mindfulness benefits. Let’s take a look at the benefits of mindful meditation.
1. Improved Brain Capacity
There is increasing scientific evidence that suggests that mindfulness has the potential to improve brain capacity.
A scientific study published in 2003 argued that mindfulness leads to improvements around the part of the brain that promotes resilience against pressurized situations.
Meditation has also been linked with higher levels of gray matter in the brain. Gray matter concentration is connected with decision-making capacity, self-control, and greater awareness.
To find out more about how to practice mindfulness, check out this guide.
2. Combat Depression
Depression is one of the biggest health problems in the U.S. with 5 percent of the population suffering from major depression. Meditation has been demonstrated to be one of a range of techniques to combat depression, stress, and anxiety.
Mindfulness has been linked with combating relapse in sufferers of depression. The impact of regular mindful meditation reduces the number of patients relapsing by half.
3. Improved Immune System
There is also scientific evidence that meditation can improve the immune system of human beings.
This is because mindfulness has been found to increase the production of a type of protein called antibodies in the body. Antibodies are used by the body to fight off viruses and diseases. Higher levels of stress and anxiety can reduce the number of antibodies in the body, which leaves you vulnerable to viruses.
This shows that reducing your stress levels is not just about what happens in your mind. But it also has physiological effects too.
4. Control Excessive Eating Habits
Did you know that 1 in 3 Americans is overweight? A significant reason for this is excessive eating habits.
Mindfulness can help individuals control such eating habits by improving self-awareness and self-discipline. This is especially powerful for people who have eating disorders.
In 1999 scientific study, participants who struggled with binge eating reported a significant drop in how much they binged with food.
5. Halt Cellular Aging
Throw away your aging creams, the answer to halting the aging process is mindful meditation.
Regular practice of meditation has been linked with increased levels of telomerase. This is the enzyme that prevents cellular aging.
According to one study, participants who regularly practiced meditation over a three month period found the increased activity of telomerase. This has been linked with not only halting the aging process but also combating risk to age-related diseases.
Mindful Meditation
Mindful meditation is far from the Silicon Valley fad it was made-out to be. The list of benefits of meditation is backed up with strong scientific evidence and endless anecdotal examples.
What are you waiting for? Start enjoying the benefits of mindfulness today!
For more blog posts on how to live a healthy lifestyle, check out our blog on healthy dinner ideas!