Meditation, an integral part of the yoga discipline, is a millenary practice that has its origins in Eastern culture and has spread more and more in the Western world in recent decades. It is a very effective technique for reducing stress and improving the individual’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

“Yogas chitta vritti nirodha” writes the sage Patanjali, father of yoga: “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind”.
“Dhianam nirvishayam manas”: the state of mind in which thoughts from the senses no longer exist is meditation.

Meditation is a mental practice that aims to focus attention on the present moment, freeing yourself from distractions of the mind and allowing you to experience a state of complete mental stillness, silence.

Meditation leads to a state of calm, mental presence and serenity, leading to the development of greater self-awareness. It is an integral part of yoga practice and can be considered as a form of mental training, aimed at teaching the practitioner how to portray the mind, which often wanders from one place to another, getting lost among the infinite external stimuli, to leap instead into one space of silence and inner listening, where a higher level of awareness and understanding can be developed.

What are the main benefits of meditation

Meditation has been associated with a wide range of benefits for a person’s physical, mental and emotional health. Here are some of the main ones:

1. Meditation works by stimulating the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, i.e. the one that helps us relax and reduce our body’s response to stress. It helps us develop a state of inner calm and serenity, reducing levels of anxiety and worry. Furthermore, it promotes the production of substances such as serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood regulation, thus contributing to greater mental and psychological well-being.

2. Improve the quality of sleep: meditation can help improve the quality of sleep, thus regenerating our entire body and strengthening our immune system and consequently our general health.

3. Reduces blood pressure: meditation can help reduce blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

4. Increase attention, concentration and memory levels. Research has shown how meditation can help improve attention and concentration, helping to develop the ability to stay focused on an object or task for a long time. In addition, meditative practice can also help improve creativity and the ability to solve problems, helping to free the mind from distractions and daily worries, and providing a calmer and more serene mental environment.

5. Improve the management of emotions: meditation can increase our ability for emotional self-regulation, i.e. the ability to manage one’s emotions effectively. Meditative practice helps to develop greater awareness of one’s emotional state, allowing one to better recognize and understand one’s sensations, and all that we feel within us. This allows you to manage emotions in a more constructive way, rather than repressing or avoiding them, thus learning to respond more appropriately to stressful situations.

6. Improved self-awareness: some forms of meditation can help develop a deeper understanding of yourself. An example are the meditations that lead to self-observation, which lead us to better observe ourselves and our relationships, our negative and dysfunctional thoughts. The idea is that by developing a deep understanding of ourselves and our patterns of thought and behavior, it will be easier to channel them towards healthier and more constructive habits, making the best of ourselves.

IIn conclusion, meditation is an ancient practice that offers numerous benefits for physical, mental and emotional health. Thanks to its ability to calm the mind, meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression, improve concentration and memory, increase self-awareness and the ability to manage one’s emotional states, as well as improve physical health in general.

Starting to practice meditation can sometimes be scary.
Remember, though, that meditation is a practice for everyone. You just have to start!
Stop by and give it a try, even if it’s just for a few minutes! Don’t be in a hurry and allow yourself this moment of peace, let meditation slowly become, day after day, a pleasant and healthy habit… you will see that you will no longer be able to do without it!
Let yourself be guided in this practice and you will see that a few minutes a day will soon feel these benefits on yourself.

Follow my course at this link meditation course.

Meditation Course Siamo Yoga

I am waiting for you!
It doesn’t matter whether you’re taking your first steps or an already established meditator, you’ll find practices suitable for every level. Namaste Adele
Namaste
Adele