How Does Meditation Work?

Mindfulness Meditation

One form of alternative treatment that has become popular is mindfulness meditation. This form of meditation originates from Buddhism, and is practiced by people all over the world as a means to learn how to only live in the moment, and not to dwell on the past or stress about the future. Mindfulness meditation teaches you to release negative thoughts and feelings and to not judge yourself on how you feel or what you think.

The relaxation experienced through mindfulness meditation has shown to not only help with the mind and mental health, but also that it has a very good effect on pain. Many medical professionals are now pointing their patients with pain issues towards mindfulness meditation so that they can reduce their dependency on pharmaceutical treatments.

Mindfulness meditation has been recommended for managing many medical disorders, and it is especially beneficial with dealing with stress, depression and anxiety.  Many psychiatric clinics now suggest mindfulness meditation to their patients, to help them better cope with their thoughts and feelings and rely less on medications.

Studies On Pain And Depression

A group of women who suffered from fibromyalgia were included in another study completed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It was discovered that after practicing mindfulness meditation for a period of 8 weeks the women had learnt to not focus on words that are associated with pain and their tendency to dwell on the pain issue was reduced significantly. The mindfulness meditation did not take the pain away completely, but it did enable the women to manage their mental response to the pain a lot more effectively.

How Often Should You Practice Mindfulness Meditation?

For the best results you should undertake mindfulness meditation every day. You only need to meditate for around 30 minutes to gain the benefits, but you do need to do it regularly. There is nothing difficult about mindfulness meditation, it is very easy to do and anyone can practice it, regardless of age or physical abilities. Even the simple breathing exercises can have a tremendous impact on your body and your mind.

READ Can Mindfulness Meditation Cause You Emotional Harm?

Meditation Myths

There is a large proportion of the population that thinks there is something wrong, or ‘weak’ about meditation. After all, for many decades it was associated with religious sects or hippies. Men in particular steered clear of meditation for fear of ridicule or being considered a bit girly. These beliefs are all very wrong, and in today’s modern society meditation is more readily accepted than it was before.

You also don’t have to sit and hum, or chant while practicing mindfulness meditation. You may do so if you please, but it is certainly not a hard and fast rule. All mindfulness meditation involves is allowing yourself to have some quiet time, to focus on the moment and to learn to appreciate what is around you.