Rbenefits of meditationegular meditation practice has been associated with a number of benefits backed by clinical research.

I’ll dive into the primary benefits here and encourage you to conduct further research if you still have doubts.

Stress Reduction

The primary benefit derived from meditation is that it can help reduce stress.  Stress reduction is critical to overall health since stress can exaggerate any underlying health issues.

A 2017 review of 45 studies indicates that meditation helps to reduce the physiological markers of stress, such as high blood pressure and increased cortisol in the blood.

Reduces Anxiety

A common by-product of stress is anxiety.

Meditation has been demonstrated to help reduce anxiety, particularly among people with high levels of anxiety.

Supports Emotional Health

A couple of different studies indicates that meditation helps people improve their self-image, reduce the number of negative thoughts, and helps with depression.

Improved Focus And Attention

One of the primary reasons some ancient martial arts incorporate meditation into their training is that it helps with improving focus, attention and self awareness.

The idea is that the improved focus throughout the rest of their training will help improve their performance in battle.

For regular people, this improved focus is helpful to improving performance at work.

Helps To Deal With Addictions

The mental discipline you can develop through consistent meditation can help to deal with addictions to alcohol or even food.

This is a byproduct of the reduction in stress and anxiety, which can cause people to seek comfort from alcohol, drugs and food.

My Experience with Meditation

I first began meditation over thirty years ago the first time I started training in kung fu.

At that time, I only trained for six months before I had to take a job out of the area I was living at the time.

I returned to that school ten years later, and it was still part of our training.

Every class started with meditation, and admittedly, it was my least favorite part of class.

This was due to our sitting on the floor, legs crossed.  It was terribly uncomfortable for me due to a tight back.

It was even worse when we had to sit in meditation after a belt test since those tests usually lasted a couple of hours and involved constant movement on our feet.

When I stopped training, I stopped meditation… until the last couple of years.

I am still a rank amateur when it comes to meditation, but I understand its benefits, and I am including it more and more into my routine.

At times, when I am consistent, I have noticed that I have been able to reach a deeper state of relaxation than in the past.

This is probably due to the fact that I am meditating in the comfort of my own home, and I sit on a meditation pillow.

This takes away the discomfort and allows me to focus on my breathing and relaxation.

Admittedly, it requires an open mind, but I feel it can be a valuable part of your training, especially if you have significant stress in your life.

As a result, I include meditative practice and deep breathing in my training offerings.