Meditation is a journey within that can awaken our being to health, harmony and happiness. Meditation rests the body, calms the mind, and connects us to the spiritual aspect of our existence – and the best part is that anyone can begin on this journey, regardless of personal background.
Drawing from multiple meditation traditions and presented alongside words of wisdom from several noted teachers, here are 10 great reasons to consider meditation as a personal practice.
1. Meditation brings us to the present.
By simply breathing and existing in the here and now, we become aware of everything happening within and around us.
“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh
2. Meditation helps us relax.
It is both a mental and physical exercise, developed over centuries to help individuals release tension of mind and body.
“The whole of meditation practice can be essentialized into these 3 crucial points: Bring your mind home. Release. And relax!”
– Sogyal Rinpoche
3. Meditation enables purity of thought.
The practice clears the mud from our minds, allowing hope and happiness to rise to the surface.
“The great masters of the past taught: ‘Water if you don’t stir it will become clear; the mind left unaltered will find its own natural peace’.”
– Unknown
4. Meditation strengthens self-compassion.
By focusing our thoughts on qualities of acceptance and love, we learn to embrace ourselves fully – ego and all.
“Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better, it’s about befriending who we are.”
– Pema Chodron
5. Meditation encourages kindness.
Specifically, Loving Kindness Meditation helps us develop compassion towards all beings we encounter.
“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”
– Dalai Lama
6. Meditation nurtures success.
The peaceful journey within cultivates the courage and confidence needed to achieve our worthiest goals.
“Put your heart, mind, intellect, and soul even to your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.”
– Swami Sivananda
7. Meditation develops the spirit.
Through peaceful contemplation we discover the presence of the divine in the many ordinary things we encounter and touch.
“Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time.”
– Thomas Merton
8. Meditation enables adaptability.
Learning to observe our minds can help us accommodate to challenges in the world and within our own ways of thinking.
“Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.”
– Jack Kornfi
9. Meditation helps us better understand our relationship to the world we live in.
“Enlightened understanding is not knowledge about the universe, but the living experience of the nature of the universe.”
– Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
10. Meditation encourages freedom through love.
Over time and practice, we may come to realize that everything we seek in the world already exists within each individual person.
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
– Rumi
