Yogis – that is, practitioners of yoga – already know there are many benefits to meditation. Even people only vaguely interested in yoga know how beneficial it is too, but maybe in a more abstract way. So let’s really tackle the scientifically proven ways how yoga and meditation can lead you to the best version of yourself.
Modulate Pain
By this, we mean having some control over the pain you feel. To many of the “uninitiated”, this may seem like a grand claim – but to those that know, it simply isn’t. The mind is singularly the most powerful tool you will ever have. Everything that you are conscious of in this world, the sum total of your experiences, these are processed, and come to you already filtered, by your mind.
These include sensory events and aren’t just vague claims – meditation training has shown to significantly reduce pain unpleasantness by over 50%, and pain intensity by 40%, when compared to rest.
Mitigate Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety is the most prevalent mental health or neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting almost 300 million people worldwide, with over 60% of those affected female – and it’s estimated that over 16 million adults in the US alone have at least one major depressive episode in a given year.
If you have anxiety, or depression, it isn’t something to be ashamed of. In fact, if you’re looking into yoga and meditation because these are conditions you’re trying to cope with in your day-to-day life, you’re definitely not alone. Many, many people turn to yoga and meditation to deal with their anxiety and depression.
Doing so, is a step in the right direction – and you should be proud of yourself (because we’re definitely proud of you!).
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or MBCT, can be used by anyone with generalized anxiety, depression, and more.
Improved Cognitive Function
Long-term mindfulness meditation practice has long been known to promote executive functioning and the ability to sustain attention. But in the last decade or so, we’ve also discovered that even brief mindfulness meditation training – practicing in as little as 4 days – also improves executive functioning and the ability to sustain attention. Visuospatial processing and working memory are improved.
It’s also shown to improve your mood, as fatigue and anxiety are reduced.
Increases in Regional Brain Gray Matter Density
And by that, we mean an increase in density in the regions of the brain related to learning and memory, emotional regulation, and self-awareness.
Using anatomical magnetic resonance (MR) images, research has shown that individuals who participated in an 8-week Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program (one of the most widely used mindfulness training programs out there) have increases in gray matter concentration within their left hippocampus, and whole brain analyses identified increases in the posterior cingulate cortex, the temporoparietal junction, and the cerebellum – leading to improvements in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective taking.
Things to Consider
Many mindfulness-based programs are used in clinics and hospitals around the world, and it’s time you take advantage of it.
You can come from any background in life, and practicing mindfulness, meditation, and yoga, can lead to a better you – simply by taking a few minutes out of your day to invest in your mind.
About the author:
Elliot Robinson is an international fitness model and a competitive athlete. When he’s not working towards competing at the Arnold Classic in Barcelona, he writes for Gunsmithfitness.com.
