What are the real, specific benefits of meditation?
While thinking about the best way to answer that question, I had a massive aha moment…
Just ask people, organize their responses, and share it!
That’s way more personal than copying and pasting lists of benefits, or referencing the same old studies, which has been done hundreds of times over.
I wanted to bring something new and unique to the discussion – to not only bring awareness to how beneficial meditation is – but to also help more people directly experience the benefits themselves.
So I asked two questions…
1) Do you believe meditation is beneficial?
2) What specific benefits have you experienced from regular meditation?
Then I had some experts provide their commentary.
I was fascinated by all of the feedback. And I’m honored to present it to you here.
So let’s start with that initial question…
Do you believe meditation is beneficial?
Honestly, with this one, I was just curious to see if anyone actually thought meditation wasn’t beneficial.
So I asked 129 people this question. And the results?
A whopping 127 said YES, and only 2 said no. Just 2 meditation critics out of 129 people.
That means 98.4% of people I asked think meditation is beneficial. Let’s not get lost in the weeds of percentages though. The bigger point is this…
The vast majority of people know that meditation is beneficial. It’s kinda obvious, right?
So why isn’t everyone meditating every day? What’s the disconnect here?
It comes down to a few limiting beliefs:
- “I don’t know how to meditate” – Implying that meditation is complicated
- “I don’t have time to meditate.” – Implying that meditation has to be time-consuming
- “Meditation isn’t for me.” – Implying that meditation is only for certain types of people
Meditation isn’t complicated. Actually, it’s simpler than what you’re doing right now.
Meditation doesn’t have to be time-consuming either. You don’t need to be a monk who meditates all day to see the benefits of it. You can meditate for just a few minutes each day and get benefits.
Meditation is not only for certain types of people. You don’t need to be a Buddhist monk, a hippie, or any other stereotypical meditator. Meditation is for everyone. And anyone can benefit from meditation, whether you’re a monk, a teacher, a plumber, or a CEO.
Do you have a mind? If yes, then meditation will help you 😉
The Benefits of Meditation
The benefits of meditation are seemingly endless.
It literally enhances every aspect of life. Meditation has physical benefits, cognitive benefits, emotional benefits and spiritual benefits.
Note: I explain the benefits of meditation, in list form, in these two articles:
No matter what aspect of life you can think of, meditation improves it. That’s why I call meditation “the foundational practice.”
Meditation provides a solid foundation for everything else in life. It’s the master key that allows you to unlock all doors.
That leads to the second part here.
I took my research a bit further though…
- I surveyed 101 people about the specific benefits they experienced from meditation
- I had some experts provide their commentary on the responses
What emerged is an amazing summary of the benefits of meditation.
Benefits of Meditation (First-Hand Experience)
Here’s the second question that was asked…
What specific benefits have you experienced from regular meditation?
101 people gave their responses. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of common responses.
Because it would take a book to share all 101 individual responses, I decided to share the benefits that were mentioned multiple times. That provides some nice insight into some common real-world benefits of meditation.
This isn’t meant to be the “be-all end-all” of meditation benefits. It’s just meant to give you a good idea of what regular people experience from a meditation practice.
Now let’s look at some of the answers…
I made a little chart to show the benefits that were mentioned multiple times.
Here’s the summary…
- Inner peace and calm = 17 people
- Clarity and clear-mindedness = 8 people
- Less anxiety = 6 people
- Not reacting to external chaos = 5 people
- Improved focus = 3 people
- Better sleep = 3 people
- Being more present = 3 people
- Better memory and cognition = 3 people
- Positive attitude and mindset = 3 people
- More energy and vitality = 2 people
It’s fascinating to hear people’s firsthand experience with the benefits of meditation. And though it’s not a rigorous scientific study, it gives you unique perspectives and experiences that the strictly data-driven studies don’t. That’s why I put this together.
It’s also important to note that many benefits of meditation address the root of wellness, meaning they ripple into other benefits by extension.
For example, inner peace and calm create a balanced emotional state and a sense of well-being. They also help with mental health, reducing anxiety, worry, depression…etc. Peace and calm also extend into physical health by calming the nervous system, upgrading the immune system, and optimizing digestive function. Then there’s the whole world of healing that opens up from stress-reduction, as almost every chronic disease is stress-related.
See how one practice acts as an origin-point for every aspect of health and well-being?
What The Experts Have To Say
There’s more to this too…
I also reached out to some experts in the world of meditation and mindfulness to get their perspective on the results, as well as the benefits of meditation in general.
Here’s what they said…
I work as an Integrative Recovery Coach. At the core of my work is teaching others the practice of mindful meditation to help clients become more present and embodied.
For the last 6 years in my meditation practice I have experienced life changing shifts. From cultivating a deeper sense of calmness – to experiencing better cognitive function and memory. To cultivating wisdom and uprooting various fetters of the mind to see the world with more connectedness rather than just me as an individual separate self.
Other benefits have been better health, sleep and digestion.
The benefits of meditation are boundless.
These findings are an accurate reflection of what I have discovered both in my personal life, and professional career as a meditation teacher and spiritual life coach. One of the most profound results of meditation I have observed lies in its ability to heal patterns of anxiety, depression, and stress. It holds the power to heal these kinds of imbalances both naturally and permanently.
Meditation liberates the human mind to cultivate its highest potential for peace, clarity, and intelligent growth.
The practice of true meditation points one to this inner-standing Inner seeking, or self-inquiry is in essence this ‘giving up”, this surrendering to the fact that the ongoing nature of outward desire and promise – goes perpetually unfulfilled.
Through ongoing practice of whichever meditation style is most suitable for the moment, it leads one to the place of true peace, contentment, balance, equanimity. Where one recognizes the natural state of being in which has always been, will always be, and IS now.
This is the revealing of meditation, and it is why, no matter the level of the meditator, deep down, there is this knowing and true desire to realize this truth. That peace, contentment, equanimity, balance – is what we all desire at the core. A desire that transcends personal opinion or preference, instead, is the natural state and way of being of each individual.
When we look at the results of this study, the numbers speak to this. With the growing number of new meditators each day, we find ourselves closer and closer to a world where all can appreciate and prioritize this inner knowing and desire above all else. Resulting in a world of peace, respect, compassion and balance.
Given that most of us are living in a hectic, chaotic world with too much going through our minds, these results confirm the power of meditation to reverse all that and create an oasis of calm and clarity which naturally leads to less anxiety.
Giving ourselves the gift of a few moments of peace and quiet in the midst of a busy day can pay huge dividends when practiced consistently over time.
The benefits experienced by those outside of the top three are those that occur when meditation becomes a regular practice.
Meditation for me has been (and still is) a game changer.
In particular before sleep, meditation helps me to release the concerns of the day, and to begin to sleep with some clarity.
It helps me to ‘let go’ of the junk that I’ve been carrying around during the day. Even if I awaken at night time, I am often tuning into a meditation to focus on my breathing and release any extra tension in my body and mind.
Meditation has been an integral part of my life. I meditate daily for at least 45 minutes.
Here are the top 5 benefits I experienced in my life since I started meditating:
1. Making decisions clearly
2. Thinking before acting
3. Letting go and releasing negative emotions
4. Heightened sense of clarity and intuition
5. Deep rest and deep sleep
There are common themes weaving together the wisdom of everyone who provided insight. These common themes transcend our ego-persona and connect us on the deepest levels. Meditation opens up this world for you.
To recap so far, here are the key points:
- Everyone knows meditation is beneficial
- Meditation isn’t complicated
- Meditation doesn’t have to be time-consuming
- Meditation is for everyone (not just monks and hippies)
- Meditation comes with a wide-range of benefits
- Inner peace and calm seems to be the most common benefit described by people
- The benefits of meditation act as the foundation for creating other positive changes in life
- The benefits of meditation come from a regular practice
How to Cultivate a Meditation Practice
The key here is a REGULAR meditation practice.
You don’t meditate once and then a genie appears to clear away all of your problems.
These benefits don’t even happen if you meditate once a month. They emerge out of a regular practice. This means daily, or at the very least a few times per week.
But here’s the disconnect…
Most people never create a regular meditation practice. They think it’s too complicated, time-consuming, or just not for them.
Meditation can actually be simple, short and enjoyable for anyone (if you have the right starting point).
Focus on a short, simple, daily meditation practice.
That’s the most important thing, but also where most people get stuck.
Sure, pretty much everyone knows that meditation is beneficial and many have dabbled in it. But few people actually meditate every day and actually experience the benefits.
That’s why I created the Heart Centered Leadership training.
Not only is it a free virtual training, it also comes with a whole series of guided meditations.
The meditations also build on each other, creating a synergistic effect that helps you deepen your meditation practice.
Sending you love on your journey.
Wholeheartedly,
~ Stephen Parato
PS – Here’s the direct link → Master Key Meditations
