In case you need a little extra motivation to get your meditation practice up and running, here are my top 3 reasons for having a meditation
practice.
But first, what do I mean by “meditation practice”? In order to get the benefits of meditating, you have to do it regularly. No doubt you will get some temporary benefit after meditating, even if it’s just once in a while. But for sustained benefit –changes to your baseline physiological, mental, and emotional wellbeing – you’ve got to meditate regularly.
The studies seem to converge on 10 – 15 minutes per day as aminimum amount of time to meditate per day to receive the basic benefits. Of course, each of us is different and youwill have to experiment to find your sweet spot.
And now, my top 3 reasons for having a meditation practice.
1. Meditation helps me to be a better version of myself.
Because it helps de-stress the nervous system, meditation helps keep me even keeled. When the nervous system is jacked up from stress, the tiniest thing (can’t find my keys, someone cuts me off in traffic, they are out of my favorite flavor…) can be the last straw and I might just lose my cool. I don’t want to take out my stress on my family, friends, or my community. It is my responsibility to manage my stress in a way that is considerate to others and to myself. Meditation does that for me.
2. Meditation keeps my intuition sharp and shiny –ready when I need it.
Since becoming an ancestralhealing practitioner, it’s become even more apparent to me that to do any kind of intuitive work, you need to have a regular spiritual practice like
meditation. The sensitivity to the subtle ways that spirit communicates with us comes from being centered, grounded, and able to see/hear/feel the soft vibrations of your intuition. For me, this is the essence of living a spiritual life.
3. My body works better when I meditate.
Stress wreaks havoc on the body. Grinding your teeth during sleep, holding your breath instead of deeply filling your lungs with fresh oxygen, increasing your blood pressure, and creating inflammation in your blood and tissue... our bodies were not meant to carry so much stress. Meditation helps rid the body of stress. Meditation also develops mindfulness that enhances your awareness to the signals your body sends so you can make healthier choices about your behavior. I care about my health and enhancing my mind-body awareness is fundamental for me to stay in tune with my body.
There you have it, my top threereasons for meditating. Of course, there are SO many more reasons to meditate – everything from better performance to being
able to lucid dream. Here in Sedona, you might want to meditate to take advantage of the vortex energy, envision the next chapter of your life, or enjoy inner peace.
How about you? Why do you meditate? Of, if you don’t yet have a regular practice, why would you like to to get one going?