Is adding meditation to your daily routine beneficial to your health?

People think meditation is just for monks and hippies, but many people that you encounter throughout the day might make it part of their daily routine.

Meditation is a great way to help athletes focus. An athlete’s focus could make or break a game. However, if the game doesn’t go right, meditation will help you to avoid ruminating, thinking deeply. We’ve all missed the game winning shot, the stunt that would have won the competition, the one throw that would have stopped the other team from scoring or failed that math test. It can be hard to bounce back from these things, but if you meditate, you won’t have to think about the past and instead think about the present/future.

Meditation not only relieves stress but, it can help with your brain. Studies from Harvard University  found that people who meditate have more gray matter in the frontal cortex, which is associated with your working memory and executive decision making. They also found that 50-year-old meditators had the same amount of gray matter as 25-year-olds.  Studies also show that after meditating for 30 minutes a day for four weeks, you will see improvement in your thinking and decision making.

Nowadays we all have very busy lives and might not think we have time to meditate, but we all do. Just take a moment out of your day to sit in a chair, close your eyes and breathe. Whenever you start to become stressed, just go to a quiet place and breathe.

Other good times to meditate include:

You do have time. Just 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes can benefit you.

Students of all ages are meditating to help with studying, taking tests and quizzes and overall, just going to school. Major exams like finals are stressful times for all students. We have to do countless hours of studying and preparation for them.  Within their studying time, students should stop, take a break and meditate. By doing that, it will bring back their focus and help them to remember the material.

Meditating is simple and easy. Find a quiet place to sit or lie down. Make sure it’s comfortable because depending on the time, you might have to be there for a bit. Close your eyes, then focus on your breathing. Throw out your other thoughts and just breathe.