When practiced regularly, meditation can promote physical, psychological and spiritual well-being. Many Westerners use meditation as a way of improving overall health, and to improve issues ranging from cardiovascular disease, inflammation and immune activity, to pain, anxiety, depression, and mental imbalances. Here’s how meditation can help you:

Healing: When practiced regularly, meditation can allow you to reach a state of consciousness where your mind and body begin to heal. When you can access and hold this meditative state through regular practice, the health benefits that follow can include decreased pain and stress, increased energy, better mental and emotional clarity and stability, better sleep patterns, and improved breathing due to increased lung and heart efficiency.

Prevention: Risk factors for a multitude of diseases including life threatening heart disease and stroke have been improved with the regular use of meditation as a balancing and strengthening self-care modality.

Clarity and Energy: One of the outcomes of practicing meditation is reaching a state of mind that is characterized by mental stability and clarity where you are free from sluggishness, drowsiness, and haziness.

Stress Relief: Positive psychological changes that occur during meditation are associated with higher telomerase, an enzyme vital for the health and longevity of cells at the DNA level. This positive effect on cellular health is believed to be due to an increase in your ability to cope with stress and maintain overall well psychological well being.

The benefits of meditation are most noticeable when it is practiced on a regular basis. The most important thing to remember is to start out at a pace that is reasonable for you so you stick with it and do not give up. Even 10 minutes a day can offer profound benefits to your body, mind and spirit. By gaining control over a hyperactive mind state through the gentle discipline of meditation, you can experience increased awareness, inner peace and an array of health benefits.