The Key To Effective Meditation

After years of trying—and  unfortunately failing—to meditate, I finally came to understand that meditation isn't about white, flowing clothes, a special pillow, incense, candles, or mantras. The objective of meditation isn't necessarily to achieve nirvana or even inner peace. In fact, in essence, meditation is all about learning how our brains work and using proven techniques to increase calm, focus, optimism, and emotional intelligence. The main way to do this is by learning to control your breathing. Deep breaths send soothing oxygen to your amygdala, which is like the brain’s alarm clock, and also activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and recuperation.

Sitting quietly with your eyes closed and focusing on something that doesn't require a lot of brain power, like counting the length of your breaths, helps your brain slip into relaxing alpha wave, which brings on a cascade of health benefits ranging from reducing inflammation to reducing aging. Often we breathe in an opposite way to this: sucking our bellies in when we inhale and pushing our bellies out when we exhale. By imagining our bellies filling with air with each inhale instead, we can maximize the amount of oxygen we’re taking into our lungs.

As you start to embrace meditation as a daily practice, just think of it as yoga training for your mind. Creative Academy has many transformational programs that can help you effectively learn how to meditate, overcome fear and demotivation, and clearly define your goals and dreams. In the end, we have to train our minds just like we train our bodies, with regular practice and discipline.