Meditation can be practiced in many ways. Whether spiritual, religious, or secular, it aims to expand your awareness beyond the ego. It can also improve your health and prolong your life. Numerous academic papers on meditation provide a definition of meditation. This includes a list describing the characteristics of meditation as well as causal arguments supporting their benefits.
Meditation is a method to expand your awareness beyond the self.
Meditation is a way to be more conscious of your thoughts and inner needs. Without it, you react in ways that are not true to who you really are. Your ego always seeks out something from every moment. Meditation is a way for you to see the world beyond your ego. It allows you to think more objectively and avoid allowing your ego to cloud your judgment. Many of the world's great leaders have tapped into this realm of consciousness in order to make the best decisions for their people.
It can be spiritual, religious or secular
Meditation can have a powerful effect on your personal and spiritual life. Practicing meditation can help you achieve a deeper connection with the divine. When you pray, for example, you might take on the role as an observer. This will help you avoid an emotional response and increase your ability detect God's presence. It can also be helpful in your relationships.
It improves health and prolongs life expectancy
Researchers have discovered a possible link between meditation over long periods and better health and longevity. These findings suggest meditation could reduce stress and increase telomere length. The molecular basis for these effects is not yet known, but meditation could lead to an increase in DNA methylation over time.
It can be secular.
Meditation is often viewed as a religious practice. However, secular meditations can offer many benefits. You can listen to guided meditations as a form or meditation. But it requires you to pay attention to the speaker constantly, which can make it difficult for concentration and other meditative insights.
Scientists have examined it.
Scientists have studied the effects of meditation on well-being and health in recent years. Although some claims may not be proven, there are some real benefits to meditation. Meditation may improve the functioning of the brain in various ways, and scientists are interested in understanding the benefits it can bring.
It has been practiced over thousands of years.
Although the term "meditation", may seem modern, it has been practiced throughout thousands of generations. The 1500 BCE mark is when the first written record of meditation was made. They are found in ancient texts and hieroglyphs, including those from Hindu tradition and Vedantism (a branch of Hinduism). Some hundred BC is the date that Buddhism first recorded meditation.