Recently I’ve noticed the benefits to how I feel from doing a regular 20 minute guided meditation. I’m certainly not an experienced meditator and I was surprised at how simple it was to get started with meditation, and how quickly I noticed the effects. I thought it would be good to share some information on the health benefits of meditation, and provide some articles and free guided meditations to help you get started too.
The Health Benefits of Meditation:
The following are some of the well know health benefits of meditation. The link to the article goes into more detail about why meditation is so good for us.
- Decreased blood pressure and hypertension
- Lowered cholesterol levels
- Reduced production of “stress hormones,” including cortisol & adrenaline
- More efficient oxygen use by the body
- Increased production of the anti-aging hormone DHEA
- Improved immune function
- Decreased anxiety, depression, and insomnia
http://www.chopra.com/ccl/why-meditate
The Basics:
Meditation: what’s it all about? – This article provides basic information about what meditation is, and some of the health conditions it can help with.
http://www.abc.net.au/health/library/stories/2012/10/25/3617494.htm
Meditation: how to do it – So you’ve decided to give meditation a try? This article has some great information about exactly how it’s done.
http://www.abc.net.au/health/library/stories/2012/10/25/3617513.htm
Free Guided Meditations:
Below are some guided meditations that are freely available on the web. They’re a good place to start. I’m sure there are plenty more available, as well as some smartphone apps that would be worth investigating. Enjoy!
http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2012/10/25/3618470.htm