Understanding Meditation’s Purpose for Mental Clarity and Peace

Many religions and philosophies advocate meditation. Meditation is also used as a tool in many mindfulness activities and for self-help purposes. While all of these things might be rather disparate, the reasons for performing the meditation are quite similar.

Most of us feel we have a reasonable understanding of the practice of meditation, but many of us can’t really describe the actual purpose.

A meditative practice brings you many benefits:

It’s the one time your mind really gets a rest.

Your mind is constantly active. It’s thinking about ten different things every 15 seconds. It’s telling you that you need a drink of water. It’s worrying about your daily life and reminding you that you have accountability.

Sleep is comforting to the body and mind. In your dreams, you’re largely acting and behaving the same way you do while awake. You’re still worrying about the same stuff during your dreams. Sleep is great for resting your body, but it’s not as useful for resting your mind.

In many forms of meditation, you focus on one, thing and concentrate all your thoughts on that single item or idea. In Buddhism, this is called single-pointed meditation. For example, you may focus on your breath or a candle flame. In fact, it is this single-pointed awareness that helps to reconnect with your inner being and disconnect from all the mind chatter. It’s incredibly relaxing.

In meditation, you create a space where your

mind is essentially empty.

You learn how to focus.

When you think of meditation, do you imagine someone sitting alone in a quiet room with subdued lighting? This is the easiest way to meditate, with no distractions. It’s like meditation with training wheels. But you could actually be meditating most of the time as well.

It’s easiest to learn to meditate under ideal conditions. Then, try expanding your meditation skills to other activities. You know you can really meditate when you can stay calm, happy, and focused on a loud, hot, busy, smelly subway. Don’t live near the subway? Try a long day while dealing with challenges. For a deeper dive on daily meditative practices, read my post on how to use Micro-Meditations Techniques.

Most of us don’t focus well. Imagine how much better you would feel and how much more you would accomplish if you could stay focused on the activity at hand. Plus, it’s hard to worry if you’re mindfully controlling the content of your thoughts.

Anyone can use meditation to bring peace and balance into their life.

You can find answers.

When your mind is running a hundred miles an hour, it’s difficult to find elegant solutions to your challenges. Your brain needs a little space to find effective solutions to tough challenges.

Have you ever noticed that many of your best ideas have come while doing something that occupies your mind in a rather mindless way? Activities like mowing the grass, taking a shower, or driving down the highway with little traffic are great for solving problems. Your mind is occupied but free to wander a little. Meditation is similar.

Meditation can provide that needed space.

Meditation is healthy.

Stress is incredibly hard on the body. Meditation can be done quickly. You’d be surprised how much more you can accomplish and how much more enjoyable your day is when you meditate for a few minutes several times a day. Five minutes every hour is a great place to start. It can also improve your performance. Learn to meditate and enjoy a greater quality of life and a better sense of spiritual self care. Learn more by checking out my post on Mastering 3 Minute or Less Mini Meditations.

Meditation reduces stress, lowers your pulse and

blood pressure, and improves sleep.

Meditation provides many benefits. In this post, I covered 4 key benefits of meditation practice. These include; allowing your mind to rest, learning to focus, finding answers, and health benefits. Your practice does not need to be rigid, in fact, it should not be rigid. Instead, try including mindful periods into your day then build up to more routine practice. You will notice results quickly! Not only will you feel better but you will also re-establish a connection to your inner self where inner guidance arises from. In doing so, you will find that your life becomes more peaceful, balanced, and moves with more fluidly. I hope you found this post useful.

For more insights and resources, explore my other blog posts on journaling, mindfulness spiritual self care, Decision Making, and meditation.

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Peace and blessings on your spiritual journey of awareness,

♥️ Skye