A meditation practice is the most important habit you can have. Hands down.

The reason why meditation is so essential is that it’s the foundation from which everything else in your life is built upon.

If you care about your well-being, meditation should be as embedded in your daily routine as brushing your teeth, showering and getting dressed.

This article is an introduction to meditation.

What is Meditation?

Let me first tell you what meditation is NOT…

Meditation is not forceful concentration or any sort of mental effort. Meditation is more of a NON-DOING than a doing; more of a LETTING GO than holding on.

Meditation is simply a state of awareness. It is peace and stillness, blended with profound alertness.

Meditation is the practice of mindfulness. It is observing your thoughts without being engulfed in them. It is objectively witnessing the activity of your body and mind.

This state can be reached in many ways; not just by sitting cross-legged under a tree.

Meditation must be experienced to be truly understood. I can give you all of the poetic language you can read, but you won’t really know what it is until you start practicing it. That’s why I’m all about creating easy meditation routines.

Who Is Meditation For?

The short answer: EVERYONE

If you’re a human being, it’s beneficial for you to meditate regularly.

You don’t have to be some super-spiritual guru to meditate either. Anyone can do it, no matter who you are or what beliefs you have.

In fact, meditation is the most common habit shared among successful people interviewed on Tim Ferriss’ podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. Meditation is as useful and applicable to a corporate CEO in New York City as it is to a yogi in the Himalayas.

The Benefits of Meditation

Meditation comes with a seemingly endless number of benefits. When you’re aware of just how helpful it is for your overall well-being, you’ll find it hard NOT to meditate.

Physical Benefits of Meditation

• Improves energy levels
• Stress relief
• Anti-aging
• Increases immunity
• Improves breathing
• Reduces inflammatory disorders
• Reduces asthma
• Reduces premenstrual and menopausal syndrome
• Helps prevent arthritis, fibromyalgia and even HIV

Mental Benefits of Meditation

• Increases concentration
• Increases memory retention and recall
• Enhances cognitive skills
• Enhances creative thinking
• Enhances decision-making skills
• Enhances problem-solving skills
• Better information processing
• Helps ignore distractions

Emotional Benefits of Meditation

• Increases self-awareness
• Increases happiness
• Reduces depression
• Reduces anxiety
• Reduces worry
• Less impulsive behavior
• Enhances self-esteem and self-acceptance
• Improves resilience against pain and adversity
• Increases optimism
• Helps prevent emotional eating and smoking
• Helps develop positive social connections
• Improves mood
• Improves emotional intelligence

Those are just SOME of the benefits. There’s a lot more where that came from. But that’ll give you a good idea of just HOW POWERFUL MEDITATION IS.

If you saw a commercial for something with all of those benefits, wouldn’t you buy it in a heartbeat? Well, meditation is free and always available to you! So why not do it? What’s your excuse?

Consistency is Key

With meditation, it is VITALLY IMPORTANT to have a regular practice.

Consistency is more important than finding the perfect technique. Shorter, consistent sessions are also more effective than doing long, infrequent sessions (or none at all).

Meditation is a gradual process. Remember, it is non-doing, meaning you can’t force or expect anything. You will have sessions where you’re in tranquil stillness and you’ll have sessions where all you do is obsess over what someone said to you at work 3 months ago. It’s all a part of the process.

Here’s How to Get Started

If you’ve never meditated before, try this:

• Set a timer for 2 minutes.
• Sit down, close your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths.
• Just observe your thoughts until the time is up.

Don’t expect it to be peaceful. Just observe your thoughts and emotions. Observation is the goal.

What do you have to lose by trying meditation? Actually a lot: fears, anxiety, worry, self-delusions, ignorance, resentment, over-thinking, regret, overwhelm…etc. That’s what you have to lose.

Meditation is by far the most important habit to implement.

Inner peace awaits.

– Stephen Parato

PS – If you like this, you’ll love my weekly newsletter: The Sacred Codex