The need to meditate is present in every human being because it is a natural tendency of human life to look for a joy that doesn’t diminish and a love that doesn’t turn into negative emotions. Meditation is a tool to reach such a state.

We are made of both matter and spirit. Our body is made up of carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, etc., but our consciousness or spirit is made of joy, energy, enthusiasm, peace, happiness, and all these beautiful qualities. Anything that uplifts the spirit, anything that brings more happiness, love, joy, creativity, compassion, and enthusiasm in life is spirituality. Spirituality gives you strength; that inner strength to manage difficult situations and to keep you ever-smiling.

What is meditation?

Meditation is the journey from movement to stillness, from sound to silence. Beyond all the chatter and noise in our mind, there is a silent, peaceful, blissful, beautiful space that exists in all of us, a place that is intact and unbroken. Turning our attention to this silent chamber is meditation. This silence cleanses the mind, giving it a much-needed rest, and makes room for better perceptions and new ways of looking at life and its challenges.

Meditation is food for the soul. When you are hungry, spontaneously you go to eat something. If you are thirsty, you want to drink some water. In the same way, the soul yearns for meditation and this tendency is in everyone.

The peak, the most supreme type of prayer is meditation. All powers are hidden within the Self and everything will manifest when you connect to your consciousness. Being silent and knowing that the divine is taking care of everything – that is the best form of prayer; the best prayer is meditation.

Why meditate: what are the benefits of meditation

Yoga and meditation are simple but very effective tools to keep yourself stress-free. A little practice on a regular basis keeps you in touch with your inner depth. Apart from giving a very palpable sense of health and well-being, it helps you deal with situations and challenges much better. Your people handling skills improve. As you listen more and more to your inner voice for guidance, you are able to make decisions with a clearer mind and your intuition improves.

The benefits of meditation are multiple. It keeps you physically fit and healthy, mentally focused and sane. Intellectually, it brings such sharpness, keenness of attention, awareness, and observation. Emotionally, you feel lighter, softer, and purer. You can let go of all the past garbage. It creates positive vibrations around you, influencing your behavior with others, and others’ behavior with you. Meditation is food for the soul, it nurtures the core of your existence. Clarity of mind and purity of heart are the byproducts of meditation. Meditation gives the deepest rest in the shortest time. There is a significant body of research on how meditation helps improve conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, sleep disorders, and nervous system disorders, among others.

Let us look into some spiritual benefits of meditation

1. A more even, balanced, and grounded sense of being

Regular meditation brings a balance between your heart and mind and makes you both sensitive and sensible. The confluence of knowledge, understanding, and practice makes life complete. When you grow into higher states of consciousness (through meditation), you find that you are no longer thrown off balance by different situations and disturbances. A regular meditation practice can transform the quality of your life by culturing the nervous system to maintain peace, energy, and expanded awareness throughout the day. You become beautiful yet strong, capable of accommodating different challenges in life without any conditions.

2. A deep experience of inner stillness, peace, and contentment

Our minds can affect our surroundings. Only a peaceful and happy person can spread happiness.

Meditation creates ripples of happiness and peace within you, which then spread out in multiple waves all around the world. A better you make the vibrations, energy, and people around you better.

3. A personality radiating an unshakable smile, love, calmness, and serenity

Meditation brings you to a state of being where nothing can rob you of the smile in your heart.

By resting and releasing all the toxins and negative emotions stored within, each cell becomes so alive that our smiles are unshakable in the face of any event that happens to involve us.

4. A heightened sense of spiritual awakening and freedom

A snake sheds its skin and moves on with brand new skin. If cats or dogs have water on themselves, they shake it off. The caterpillar, a worm-like creature, forms a cocoon around itself and emerges as a whole new animal, a glorious, colorful butterfly!

However, we tend to carry our emotional baggage for years. Meditation can awaken you spiritually and helps us to shed our old attachments, feel renewed and rejuvenated, and move forward. With regular practice, it will begin to feel normal to only carry around what’s necessary. Use meditation to free yourself from within.

The profound inner peace and bliss that you experience with daily meditation are unparalleled. Meditation can lead you to a deep state of samadhi and inner freedom or enlightenment.

5. Increased awareness and mindfulness

Mindfulness is meditative awareness. When you are mindful, there is a sudden shift within you. With meditation practice, we develop mindfulness that all that happens around us is ever-changing and that we are a witness to this play of events. 

6. Ability to live in the present moment

Have you observed what is happening in your mind every moment? It vacillates between the past and the future. It is either in the past occupied with what has happened or in the future thinking about what will happen.

There is another tendency of the mind – it clings onto the negative. If 10 positive events are followed by one negative event, the mind will cling to the negative. It will simply forget the 10 positive events.

With meditation, however, you can become aware of these two tendencies of the mind and bring the mind to the present. Happiness, joy, enthusiasm, efficiency, and effectiveness are all in the present.

When you culture your mind with meditation, its tendency of holding on to negative emotions simply disappears. You gain the ability to start living in the present moment and are able to let go of the past.

7. A sense of inner bliss that is independent of outer circumstances

The quality of our life depends on the quality of our minds. We can’t control what happens on the outside but we do have a say over the quality of our mind. No matter what’s going on, if your mind is ok, everything is ok. Right now.

8. A strong and genuine sense of who you are

Meditation can bring about a true personal transformation. As you learn more about yourself, you’ll naturally start discovering more about yourself and start to love yourself.

As you grow deeper into your meditation practice, you start experiencing an effortless transition from being something to merging with the infinite and recognizing yourself as an inseparable part of the whole cosmos.

9. At ease and natural wherever you go, whomever you are with

When one attains a deep state of meditation, it gives access to energy and long-lasting bliss. When one can relate to the self, relating to everybody becomes instinctive and negative emotions like sadness, depression, and loneliness disappear. You start radiating love. If you are loving, then you are welcome everywhere in the world. If you feel and are at one with people anywhere you go, then people are ready to do anything for you.

10. A strong sense of belonging and connection to all

In a meditative state, you are in a space of vastness, calmness, and joy and this is what you emit into the environment, bringing harmony to the Creation and planet.

11. Well-bonded, nurturing, fulfilling relationships

The key to a happy relationship is based on how we handle our minds. This is why we all must regularly practice our meditation. We must learn how to calm our minds and relax, even if for a few moments every day. If each one of us can manage to broaden our vision just a little bit, I tell you, we can all bring such a great transformation in our lives. We will become happy and also bring happiness to the lives of others around us.

Think about who you like to be with and why you choose them as companions. Are the ones you love happy and joyful, or sad and depressed? Contented, cheerful, and upbeat?

Similarly, when we are happy, our personality reflects that, and others look to us for good company. These interactions are another area of life where meditation helps. Practice with the intention of becoming the best version of yourself, which will attract other positive-thinking friends to you like a magnet.

Meditation can bring about a balance between the different states of the mind. You can learn to switch from the tough aspect to the gentler aspect within you. You can be firm when appropriate and at the same time let go when needed. This ability is present within everyone, and meditation enables you to switch between these states effortlessly.

12. Greater feelings of abundance and security, generosity and gratitude

When there is gratitude, there will never be a lack of anything. Meditation is a natural way to foster gratitude consciously. When gratitude is nurtured, the feeling of abundance follows. 

13. More compassion and kindness, and forgiveness  

Forgiving others with a sense of compassion is the best form of forgiveness. Cultivating this sense of forgiveness in oneself is a mark of being noble.

14. An increase in creativity and out of box thinking

Creativity surfaces when you meditate. Creativity is the core of our personality as individuals, but sometimes it’s suppressed or hidden.

As your mind calms down, creativity can calmly and confidently surface. When we clear the turbulent or cloudy water from our minds, we can see down to the bottom. Inside all of us is a well of creative resources and possibilities.

15. More resilient and greater ability to handle stress and uncertainty

Most hard-working adults wait for months to go on a vacation, but meditation allows you to go on a vacation within yourself every day.

The practice rejuvenates you until you feel fresh and relaxed. Because you know the results, you take the time to close the doors of your daily chatter and spend a few minutes with yourself.

After a peaceful meditation session, you’ll feel energized and ready to calmly take on whatever challenges come your way.

16. Increased acceptance

Meditation calms our minds. When the mind is calm, you have better acceptance. And you can act, rather than react. If you don't accept, you are so jittery and agitated. Whatever action you take, you will regret it. That is why acceptance is essential. And meditation helps us to accept people and situations as they are. 

17. Gives you a glimpse of infinity

Every cell in our body has the ability to hold infinity. However, limiting concepts in our minds impede us from perceiving our infinite potential.

When we culture and purify our consciousness through the process of meditation, we take a dip in the ocean of spiritual bliss and experience deep rest. In other words, we can easily tap into the timeless energy that surrounds us, resulting in a strong feeling of calm and assurance.

Meditate now and connect to your spirit

Find a quiet place, sit easily and comfortably and get ready for a guided spiritual meditation - Journey Within!

SKY Breath Meditation: get a glimpse of infinity

SKY Breath Meditation or Sudarshan Kriya makes us realize that our life is vast and infinite like the sky. In Sanskrit, ‘Su’ means proper or clear, ‘darshan’ means vision, ‘kriya’ means a purifying act of breathing. With the practice of Sudarshan Kriya, as you release toxins and destress, you get a clear vision of who you really are and the vastness and infinite nature of your being. 

SKY is a unique breathing practice that involves several types of cyclical breathing patterns. It offers all the spiritual benefits that are mentioned above.

If you would like to know more about SKY, you could also attend a free online introductory session - Beyond Breath where an instructor can provide all necessary information along with an experience of a basic breathing technique and guided meditation, in addition to answering any questions that you may have.

To conclude: Buddha was once questioned as to how he had profited from meditation. He replied, “I have gained nothing!” However, Buddha went on to say, “Let me tell you what I lost: anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, fear of old age and death.”