Joshua Ioane The importance of meditation and mindfulness in 2020.
October 21stIf you are living in Melbourne, which is where I live, the feeling of defeat may be especially true, as Melbourne is still undergoing one of the most strict and toughest lockdown periods for any city in the world.
Restrictions are preventing individuals from seeing family and friends. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs. Financial stress plagues individuals and families as their businesses are at risk of not reopening.
As some parts of Australia begin to re-open up and rebuild, many Melbournian’s are still experiencing frustration, confusion and loneliness as the pandemic continues to impart a sense of fear and uncertainty on both a health and economic front.
All of this is out of our control. COVID is out of our control. However, we have the ability to control our thoughts. One of the most simple and effective methods to develop mental acuity is meditation.
Originating from India as far back as 5000 BC, Meditation has become increasingly popular and is a widely practised therapeutic activity. The word meditation stems from the meditatum, a Latin term ‘to ponder’. Meditation encompasses techniques such as mindfulness, breath awareness and transcendental meditation. These practices encourage development of concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, while cultivating nonjudgmental awareness (Pascoe et al, 2020). Research clearly highlights the positive effects of Meditation, including stress reduction and improvement of cognitive ability.
Meditation to reduce stress and anxiety
The Hypothalamic Pituitary Axis (APA) is a neuroendocrine system that is involved in stress regulation and a key component of mental health and well being. Pascoe et al, 2020, explored the impact of meditation on mental and physiological outcomes. Changes in brain structure and function, (such as the thickening of the cerebral cortex, lower blood cortisol levels and a slower respiratory rate) have been demonstrated following the precise practice of meditation.
A recent study, examined the findings from functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in anxious patients pre and post meditation interventions. Garrison et al, 2013, found that following eight weeks of training in mindful attention meditation, equated to less stimulation of the amygdala.
The amygdala is a vital component of the limbic system, thought to play an important role in emotions and behaviour. Thus the researchers concluded that habitual meditation helps reduce anxiety and anxiety-related mental health issues.
Meditation to improvement cognitive ability
Habitual mindfulness meditation provides the opportunity for careful consideration of one’s thoughts and emotions as they unfold naturally. The practice of identification of certain thoughts and then allowing them to pass without trying to avoid discomfort or to grasp onto pleasant experiences is a journey.
As with starting any new habit, the execution of meditation itself can be difficult. This is largely due to our everlasting involuntary inner dialogue and the projection of random thoughts, which generally become louder when the mind is in a sedentary or relaxed state.
More often than not, these intrusive thoughts compel you to take action or do something ‘productive’ rather than sit alone in solitude. However, when you practice solidarity and just observe, you’ll discover yourself in a whole different light.
Being able to sit back in third person and observe your thoughts does require bravery, patience and resistance to temptation in desire to do something more gratifying.
However, it is in the space of being present that you can subjectively look at what you are thinking. Which poses the next reasonable thought of ‘why’ you would be thinking such thoughts. Through your ability to dissect desirable or counterproductive thoughts, you are able to stay ‘in control’ and direct your energy appropriately.
Additional health benefits associated with habitual meditation:
- Improves sleep
- Makes you express kindness to yourself and others
- Improves metabolism
- Improves attention span and memory
- Improves immunity
A recent study found that 8 weeks of brief, daily meditation decreased negative mood state and enhanced attention, working memory, and recognition memory as well as decreased state anxiety scores (Basso et al, 2018).
My meditation journey:
Buddhist Monks and among others choose to dedicate their whole lives trying to attain full control of their minds. This is not what this blog is about, nor is something I have yet to achieve. Meditation was gifted to me by a friend named John Marsh 3 years ago and it has been the best ‘life hack’ I use to manage stress.
On a deeper level, it has allowed me to be myself. I have become a strong advocate of this practice and want to encourage others to experience it’s incredible benefits. Just think of meditation like going to the gym – the more you practice, the more you develop powerful mental muscles of calm and insight. This can be a starting point for making other positive changes.
There are many different forms of meditation, but the easiest way to get started is by undergoing guided meditation. Guided meditation, where you are led by someone to achieve a state of relaxed concentration, can be as short as 10 minutes or up to several hours long.
Click here to get started with a great 12 minute guided meditation. All you need is a quiet space and some allocated time to look after yourself.
“The more regularly and the more deeply you meditate, the sooner you will find yourself acting always from a centre of peace.”– J. Donald Walters