By Chandini Relangi
In today’s society, the benefits of meditation are often overlooked because other options have come into place that has changed people’s views on meditation altogether. Meditation has become more mainstream than it was in the past, but people today are still unaware of what meditation can do for a person. We often resort to other methods of relaxation that are more modern, like yoga or going to the gym. However, meditation has been around for a long time. But, we still look at other options to relax because they are supposedly more engaging or more fun. Now, this may be true, but meditation can still help a person in many ways. In addition to physical relaxation, meditation can provide mental relaxation in a way that is uncommon and doesn’t require much effort or attention.
Origins of Meditation
The first forms of meditation originated in India, around 5000 to 35000 BCE. However, the oldest mention of meditation was from 1500 BCE in the Vedas, a religious text created in India. The Vedas passed down the oral tradition of meditation for centuries after. Meditation was a practice for religious people who through meditation wanted to go beyond the limits of human life and connect with universal forces, otherwise known as deities. Moreover, it was known as a spiritual meditation. Next, the Hindus started practicing meditation after the value of the tradition was passed down from the Vedas. The Hindu tradition of meditation included both Yogis meditating in caves and Sages of Vedic culture. The Yogis and Sages of Vedic were Hindu monks that devoted their lives to God. The first meditation technique to be discovered was either mantra meditation (meditation along with chanting prayers) or gazing (focusing on one object during meditation). Later along the road, meditation techniques were created by Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha, as well as meditation techniques from Jainism still in India, and Taoism and Confucianism in China. Once these techniques came along, they became modernized by people today into practices that are favored by society.
Meditation Today
In the 21st century, meditation has become more mainstream and secularized. Even though spiritual meditation does continue to exist in a secular form, meditation today is used for its benefits to the body, mind, and wellness, rather than to connect with the universe. Today, meditation is generally used for a person to connect with their own mind and body, rather than outside forces. Although meditation has become more mainstream than in the past, it is still not used that profusely since the value of it is still not widely known. To put this into perspective, the LA Times reports that only 16.3% of women and 11.8% of men among adults surveyed in 2017 practiced meditation.
Types of Meditation
Meditation today also comes in many different forms. Although the different forms of meditation are similar in a lot of ways, each form of meditation has a unique way in which they change our minds. These different forms of meditation have been created over the years to give people the option to meditate in a form that is appealing to them, and not a way that is forced.
Metta meditation: people breathe deeply while sitting down in order to open their minds to love and kindness toward everything in their life. Usually helps those affected by anger and frustration. Generally, one relaxes their mind while focusing on the thing that causes feelings of anger, and one reflects on it. This allows a person to clear their mind while reflecting on a part of their life that gives them the most trouble.
Progressive relaxation: people start at one end of their body and work through the entire body. It encourages people to almost scan their bodies for areas of tension and to release that tension. Generally, this tension arises from feelings of stress, and this type of meditation helps with that.
Mindfulness meditation: Urges people to remain aware and present at the moment, and to let the past fall back. A person will be aware of their immediate surroundings, and nothing else. Mindfulness meditation can help a person with stress as well as feelings of sadness.
Breath awareness meditation: people breathe slowly and deeply, counting their breaths. The goal is to focus only on breathing and to ignore other thoughts that enter the mind. Focusing breathing allows a person to understand any pressing conflicts that they are dealing with and allows them to reflect on it.
Zen meditation: people find a comfortable position, focus on breathing, and mindfully think of one’s thoughts, without distraction. Zen meditation is almost like yoga, and it helps a person focus on their own thoughts on certain topics and allows them to release any adverse feelings they have with those topics.
Most forms of meditation require someone to focus on their breathing while reflecting on one’s thoughts or surroundings. Furthermore, meditation allows a person to recover from frustration and focus on peace within.
The Benefits of Meditation
These different forms of meditation help build one major part of the body, the brain. First, meditation can help preserve the aging brain. According to Forbes, people who meditate will lead to more grey matter within the brain which leads to a higher life span of a person. More grey matter helps the brain process things faster and can cause people to essentially prevent their brain from aging more quickly.
Second, meditation can help stimulate certain areas of the brain. One of these areas is the hippocampus. The hippocampus stimulates a person’s ability to learn and to develop memories. With meditation, you could develop a stronger memory and be allowed to learn things easily as meditation allows the mind to relax in a way that is unique to most other ways of relaxation. In addition, meditation can decrease feelings of fear and anxiety. Reducing feelings of fear and anxiety can contribute to stronger mental health.
Third, meditation can help increase concentration. As cited by Forbes, even a few meditation sessions can increase the focus of a person and could, therefore, help someone perform better in a school or work setting. This increased concentration comes from changes in the frontal lobe or the part of the brain that helps with concentration. Next, meditation can help with social anxiety. Since meditation helps someone be more in touch with themselves, it can lead a person to be more likely to interact with the outside world. A person could be more comfortable with their surroundings because of meditation.
Lastly, meditation could help with addiction. According to Alice Walton, a writer at Forbes, the American Lung Association deems that people who have participated in meditation are more likely to quit smoking because of the changes meditation has on the brain. Specifically, meditation can help a person separate a craving from the act of smoking, which could lead a person to overtime, quit the act of smoking. Overall, meditation can change the way a person thinks leading to a stronger mind.
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