Meditation has become increasingly popular over the years. Researchers have found that meditating can reduce stress, the risk of various diseases, improve your well-being, and help re-wire your brain.

To mediate mindfully demands an open and receptive, non judgmental awareness of your present-moment experience.

Here are some reasons as to how meditation can positively impact your life.

1. It increases gray matter in your brain

A study on men and women who meditated for 40 minutes a day showed that they had thicker cortical walls than non-meditators. This means that their brains were aging at a slower rate. It is also related with decision making and attention spans.

2. It could be better than sleeping 

A study asked a group of people what they’d rather be doing with their time: eating, sleeping, meditating, or watching television. They were also tested on their alertness by being asked to hit a button every time a light flashed on the screen. Meditators of the group proved to do better than the non-meditators by 10 percent.

3.  It can provide anti-aging effects

Telomeres — the protective caps on the end of your chromosomes — are the new frontier of anti-aging science. Longer telomeres may also help you live longer. A study found that people who meditate daily have significantly higher telomerase activity than those who do not meditate.

     4. It can help relieve pain

A study found that meditation could reduce pain intensity by 40 percent and pain unpleasantness by 57 percent. Pain relieving drugs such as morphine usually show a pain reduction by only 25 percent. Meditation works by reducing the amount of brain activity in the somatosensory cortex and increasing activity within other parts of the brain.

5.  It can help you become more loving

Research shows that meditation can boost social connection, improve empathy and compassion, make you more helping to others, and can also increase resilience during hard times.

Meditation has many other types of benefits for the human mind, body, and soul. Meditating for as little as 15 minutes a day also proves to show advantages to a human life. Try to practice meditating every day to receive the benefits and advantages that it can provide.

Meditation can be related to the main central themes in our US VA Government class, which are “power” and “authority”. Meditation can be correlated with the theme of power. When you meditate, essentially — you have power over your mental state, your breathing, and your physical state as well. You have power over not attaching to any thought while meditating. You also have power to discipline your mind by meditating for a certain amount of time, which can require much patience for some.

Source: https://emmaseppala.com/10-science-based-reasons-start-meditating-today-infographic/