Meditation and Health

[at_anchor]

I have some questions about meditation. What are some health benefits of meditation and is doing it for the sake of those benefits instead of enlightenment a valid enough reason to keep practicing? Also, what should you be thinking about while meditating and what shouldn't you be thinking about? What should your surroundings be for a perfect meditation session? 

[Inliytened1]

@at_anchor  meditation can bring waves of bliss as you can connect with Being.  And this will improve your overall well being.   So yes it has health benefits.   If you are going for awakening then self inquiry meditation is good.   If you just want to meditate for well being then what you might do is do nothing meditation or concentration meditation by focusing your gaze on something and keeping it there.   In do nothing you try to get in a state or not knowing.   Thoughts may come but notice them and let them pass.  Just watch them and try to get into a state if not knowing.   This will align you more with Being and either method will raise your level of consciousness.   Not saying you cant have a mystical experience here either - its certainly feasible...I'm sure there are guys here that can offer much more in depth answers on meditation but this is what seems to work for me.  I also enjoy sitting in meditation in saunas.  This seems especially good for reaping health benefits.

Edited September 4, 2022 by Inliytened1

[Carl-Richard]

3 hours ago, at_anchor said:

What are some health benefits of meditation and is doing it for the sake of those benefits instead of enlightenment a valid enough reason to keep practicing?

Meditation has been to shown to correlate with health behaviors.

I personally think most of this effect is mediated through the immediate internal feelings that healthy behaviors produce, more so than believing in the future promises of said behaviors (e.g. decrease in morality, increased longevity, illness prevention). One benefit of the immediate nature of those feelings is that it bypasses much of the problem of delayed gratification usually associated with investing in health behaviors.

Examples of internal feelings (I'm choosing things you would want to avoid to be more illustrative) could be eating too much cake and feeling nauseous, or eating too much junk food and feeling fatigued and mentally dull, or drinking caffeine and then experiencing the crash, or cheating on your workout routine and feeling dull because you're not getting those feelgood chemicals. I'm probably going to write a thesis on this subject which you can read in year 

Edited September 4, 2022 by Carl-Richard

[Carl-Richard]

3 hours ago, at_anchor said:

Also, what should you be thinking about while meditating and what shouldn't you be thinking about?

You should be thinking about whatever your mind wants to think about. You can't stop thinking. Your only job in the meditation session is to practice the technique you've chosen.

 

3 hours ago, at_anchor said:

What should your surroundings be for a perfect meditation session? 

Preferably quiet, secluded and hidden from view. You should be sitting upright on a decently firm surface, but you should also be comfortable and relaxed.

[Michael569]

Stress management and sleep improvement would be the most noticeable immediate benefits.

Whem I get stuck in YouTube shorts loop for too long, a session of meditation helps me rebalance my overstimulated brain.

I think it is also good for sexuality and libido although don't have a any clinical research for that.

Neuroplasticity is a big one too if you care about things like creativity, memory, undistracted attention and mental health.

That's some of the more biological benefits that you asked about 

Edited September 4, 2022 by Michael569

[Epikur]

Maybe it got posted already. Check the Medito app 

[at_anchor]

That's it, great. Thank's to everyone. So it correlates to health behaviors by producing an effect of immediate internal feelings that healthy behaviors produce and the feeling bypasses much of the problem of delayed gratification usually associated with investing in health behaviors. It improves mental health and performance. It does it by connecting you with Being which animates and is the source of life in you as you, and everyone else. 

So a pair of noise cancelling earmuffs, and preferably a quiet, secluded, hidden from view space with no one around distracting you on purpose and very little stimuli so that the mind can just feel at ease and comfortable, that's how to work on a do-nothing meditation for well-being. Could self-inquiry meditation be even better for well-being or is it just for those who can seek awakening? You should meditate at least 2 hours after your last meal which shouldn't be filled with gluten, refined sugar, hydrogenated/refined (other than cold pressed) oil or even soy, corn, pork, etc.

So meditation is basically working on strengthening the prefrontal cortex muscle and increasing gamma waves which improve memory, undistracted attention and mental health. 

Although, I have another question related to this: Can you be angry and irritated from someone distracting you on purpose behind your back, let's say, while working on the do-nothing meditation technique, preferably on a hard surface? Can annoyance be good for meditation and still produce the benefits or is it going to ruin them?

Edited September 10, 2022 by at_anchor

[Carl-Richard]

29 minutes ago, ParkerGroove said:

I've tried to meditate a few times, but nothing worked. I did it myself, at home, but I couldn't relax and get rid of thoughts.

If you're doing something like mindfulness meditation (following your breath), then don't try to get rid of thoughts. Just follow the technique.

[Jordan]

On 9/4/2022 at 3:55 AM, at_anchor said:

I have some questions about meditation. What are some health benefits of meditation and is doing it for the sake of those benefits instead of enlightenment a valid enough reason to keep practicing? Also, what should you be thinking about while meditating and what shouldn't you be thinking about? What should your surroundings be for a perfect meditation session? 

The major benefits are relaxation. It might not be that relaxing during the meditation but after doing it for a while it seems to have a relaxing effect overall. Stress is known to cause many health issues. Doing it for the sake of health issues is a good enough reason. You will also enjoy life more. Being intimate with my girlfriend was more enjoyable too for me which is a very nice benefit. 

It doesn't matter what you think about. Find some meditation instructions and try your best to follow those. Usually they don't ask you not to think. You might be asked to put your attention on something and if thoughts come up take note that you are thinking something and go back to the instructions. Thinking during meditation is expected. Just do your best and don't feel discouraged thinking that you should not be thinking when that is not even part of the instructions.  

You want your surroundings to leave you feeling safe and free of distractions. I have heard that you should go to a special spot just for meditation and not use your bed or something like that because you associate that spot with other things. I still meditate sitting on 2 pillows on my bed because I like it there. Good luck

 

 

On 9/14/2022 at 6:50 AM, ParkerGroove said:

I've tried to meditate a few times, but nothing worked. I did it myself, at home, but I couldn't relax and get rid of thoughts.

I have friends who practice meditation, and for them, it's the best for stress management. They recommended me some things, but still, nothing.

Maybe, I'm not ready yet

You will not typically be relaxed during meditation until you have a lot of experience with it. The relaxation usually comes after you have meditated and not necessarily during the meditation. 

You should expect it to be torture for the first year or so but gradually improve your life. If that is not something you want, then it might not be for you at this point in your life.