Have you heard about mindfulness and meditation but not sure what all the fuss is about? Can mindfulness and meditation really help your body and mind?
The answer is yes! Mindfulness (or a state of being aware and present in the moment) and meditation can help your physical and mental health, offering you plenty of powerful benefits.
Read on to find out what mindfulness and meditation can do for you!
1. Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Mindfulness and meditation can reduce stress, lower cortisol levels, and relieve anxiety. Slow, methodical breathing and consciously clearing your mind lowers your heartrate and calms your body.
Science backs this up—a 2010 meta-analysis confirmed what many studies have shown over time; mindfulness-based treatment can greatly reduce anxiety.
In fact, according to a 2018 study, even one session of mindfulness meditation can reduce stress on your body’s organs and provide lasting benefits.
2. Focuses Your Brain
If you find yourself easily distracted or having difficulty focusing, mindfulness and meditation could help.
Mindfulness and meditation can increase a powerful brain wave called the “alpha rhythm.” The alpha rhythm helps us weed out distractions and focus on the tasks we need to complete.
An 8-week Harvard study showed that mindfulness and meditation increased the strength of that alpha rhythm, making it easier for participants to focus and shut out the noise from distractions.
3. Improves Your Cognition
Not only can mindfulness and meditation help you stay focused—it can also potentially strengthen your brain function in general!
A 2010 study showed that even among those who had no experience or long-term training in mindfulness and meditation performed higher on cognitive tests after just four days of training.
These tests included verbal fluency, processing skills, and attention measurement.
4. Helps Your Heart
The benefits of mindfulness and meditation aren’t just mental and emotional. The techniques also provide physical benefits.
In fact, just ten minutes per day of meditation or mindfulness techniques have been linked to a healthier heart rate and lower blood pressure.
Those who meditate regularly are less likely to develop heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
5. Leads to Better Sleep
Those who suffer from insomnia or difficulty sleeping already know that half of the battle of going to sleep is slowing down and shutting off your brain. To-do lists, anxious flashbacks, and daily concerns keep your mind racing and make it hard to relax and get restful sleep.
But mindfulness and meditation throughout the day, and especially in the evening, can help shut everything off and improve the quality of your sleep.
Studies have shown that those who meditate are less likely to suffer from insomnia and fatigue.
6. Reduces Cravings
Many of us want to eat better and live healthier lifestyles, but find strong cravings hold us back. Those cravings can be for sweets, caffeine, or even alcohol.
But research has shown that mindfulness and meditation can reduce cravings and help people overcome bad habits and even addiction. (Mindfulness has been successfully used as an alternate treatment at addiction centers.)
If you’re struggling to kick an old habit, give mindfulness and meditation a shot to help you through it.
Support Your Body and Your Mindfulness Journey
It’s clear that mindfulness and meditation can offer benefits for your body and your brain. So how do you implement them into your daily schedule?
We recommend starting with even a few minutes a day in the mornings. Clear your schedule, eliminate distractions, sit down or lay down, and get ready to focus on your mind. (Some people prefer silence, others use quiet music—set the environment up in a way that works for you.)
Then take a few moments to shut out the world. Don’t think about what you’re going to do next. Don’t worry about your to-do list, work, or responsibilities. Focus on awareness of your body, the breath going in and out of your diaphragm, the weight of your arms against your knees, and the way your body feels against the ground.
The goal of mindfulness and meditation is awareness of your surroundings, of your place in the world, and of the space around you. The more you practice, the better you’ll become!
And of course, we also recommend supporting your mindfulness journey with the proper diet—healthy fats, low sugar, and plenty of water.
Supplement your diet with OPCs (nature’s powerful super antioxidants) to promote your health and wellness journey. Our OPCXtra provides OPCs and other antioxidants to help your body and mind reduce oxidative stress and battle damage.
In addition to eating a balanced meal, starting your day off with the right supplements is important.
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Begin Your Journey
A daily routine of mindfulness and meditation, combined with a balanced diet and a daily dose of OPCXtra can help you on your journey to feeling better and living healthier.
Try OPCXtra today to take advantage of our 365-day money-back guarantee!
Sources & Further Reading
- Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training
- ‘Turn down the volume’
- The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Therapy on Anxiety and Depression: A Meta-Analytic Review
- Even a single mindfulness meditation session can reduce anxiety
- Meditation, mindfulness and music for heart health
- Mindfulness meditation helps fight insomnia, improves sleep
- 5 Science-Backed Reasons Mindfulness Meditation Is Good for Your Health