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20 Scientific Reasons to Start Meditating Today

635903728850127570-2076758665 16561-alone-at-the-beach-1920x1200-photography-wallpaperI started meditating soon after 9/11. I was living in Manhattan, an already chaotic place, at an extremely chaotic time. I realized I had no control over my external environment. But the one place I did have a say over was my mind, through meditation. When I started meditating, I did not realize it would also make me healthier, happier, and more successful. Having witnessed the benefits, I devoted my PhD research at Stanford to studying the impact of meditation. I saw people from diverse backgrounds from college students to combat veterans benefit. In the last 10 years, hundreds of studies have been released. Here are 20 scientifically-validated reasons you might want to get on the bandwagon today:

Why Do I Meditate – the honest truth

12784593 10207047835968388 1331812183 nIs meditation good for you or can meditation be beneficial in you life?

There are many articles out there, from the religious approach to the scientific one, all agreeing that, yes, meditation can in fact bring up positive changes to a persons life. In other words, its good for you.
Knowing that neurosciences and psychology reinforce ideas such as the “Relaxation Response”, and Mindfulness seemly being the word of the last few decades among those of us seeking for quality of life, the underlying questions is: why doesn’t everybody meditate?
1495042 f520Perhaps to understand why doesn’t everybody meditate we should start by getting why one does, so here is my tale:
In a world where stress, fear and the idea of lack is the norm, meditation seem not only a luxury for those who have time to spare but also too much of a hard work and investment for one to make.
Yes, you have got to work with your patience and discipline in meditation, but above all you must be willing to stay put at your own side through tick and thin. Be present, there for yourself no matter what, be willing to listen. Here is when, some say, meditation becomes too difficult.
Mindfulness is a choice that you make over, and over, and over, and over again every step of the way.
However daunting this premise sounds, fear not.
I did start meditating quite early in life, at 15 years old, this its true. But lets not make any assumptions because of that. There is no such thing as a meditation master point, that once reached – after several years of practise – you’ve got a pass in live that states that from then on, my friend, you’ll go with the breeze.

Meditation is a practise, but what are we practising for? For life itself!
There is no bypass in it, and you are bound to find yourself several times in front of things that you’d rather not be dealing with. And its precisely then, on these not so glorious moments that I see the effects that meditation and mindfulness have on me, and here is why I choose to always come back to it:

The bounce-back-ability!
If you’ve been to one of my classes you know that I love saying that! And I do so not just because it’s fun, but also because I see it as a truth.
The ability to focus, to take a step back off a situation, to breathe, to have a different perspective there and then. I will give you an example. We all have a person who knows exactly how to take us for a ride on a whirlwind of drama. To me this is, as I believe is to many of us, my mother! I truly love her. Perhaps that is the reason why she could just grab me by the hand for many a unsolicited emotional rollercoasters. And I tell you this: the first day I could really feel myself getting sucked into it and took a step aside, was simply remarkable! There is no small win here, people.

 
Owning it!
The capacity of reducing the amount of censure we inflict upon ourselves is truly liberating.
Having a laugh, having a cry, agreeing or not, saying it or getting up and leaving… and not dragging it all for the rest of the day or for the rest of your life!
Being brave enough to be vulnerable is one of the most important lessons I’ve learnt, and if there was one thing I could pass on to the world it would be that is not only “ok” to be you, it’s essential!
Being truly present to what is going own around and within me allows me a great deal of comfort in being who I am. Even if it is scared or sad. Perceive the moment, honour it, move on, repeat.
I guess what I am trying to say is: I meditate because it makes my life less complicated. It grants me contact with the root of who I truly am.
I am Mindful because it allows me to embrace life fully.
I teach it because I wish everybody deeply loved and accepted themselves as a stepping stone for loving others. I teach it because I wish a happier, fuller, more meaningful life to all of us.
I ask you now, if there was something out there with the potential of making you see life like that, and this thing relied solemnly on your will as it is already latent and ever available, would you give it a try?

Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit

Scientists are getting close to proving what yogis have held to be true for centuries – yoga and meditation can ward off stress and disease.egan melissa-stargazing
John Denninger, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, is leading a five-year study on how the ancient practices affect genes and brain activity in the chronically stressed.