Do you ever wonder why you get your best ideas when you’re in the shower? Or when you’re driving or out for a walk? It’s because you’re in a relaxed state of mind! This is the power of meditation.
People are typically their most creative selves when they have a clear mind and aren’t surrounded by technology. What were you doing when you had your last lightbulb moment?
This can be explained by the science of brain waves.
Understanding Brain Waves
There are 5 main types of brain wave frequencies:
Gamma – Learning and problem solving
Beta – Conscious and active – The most common state
Alpha – Physically and mentally relaxed
Theta – Deep meditation or light sleep
Delta – Sleeping or dreaming state
When meditating or daydreaming, we typically enter an Alpha state. This state of mind is where we have great ideas, gain insights, and have lightbulb moments. Do you ever find yourself saying that you need to “clear your mind”? That phrase comes from a need to create stillness in order to solve a problem in your life or to be creative.
The answer to your problem or that next paragraph of the piece you’re struggling to write has been there in your mind all along, and it can be easily accessed through meditation.
What is Meditation?
There are 2 types of meditation – Passive and Active.
When most people think of meditation, they imagine sitting in silence, feeling bored, and trying really hard to think of nothing. It doesn’t have to be like that! That’s passive meditation – Having a clear mind and focusing on breathing.
Active meditation is guided and focused on thinking about specific things. In other words, you don’t have to have a clear mind at all to practice it and you can let your mind wander. You can daydream about what you’re going to make for dinner later if that’s where your mind takes you! The key is simply to get into a relaxed state of mind and linger there for a while.
With regular practice, it becomes easier and easier to relax and focus, and the power of meditation can be astounding.
Key Benefits of Meditation
There are hundreds of studies showing how meditation can improve your physical and mental health. As time goes on, more and more people are discovering how it can improve their lives.
- Access to insights, creativity, and ideas – Meditation is the best-kept secret behind the success of many top CEOs and athletes all over the world. Some of the successful people who meditate daily include Oprah, Lebron James, and Bill Gates. Also, in his biography, Steve Jobs frequently credited the power of meditation for the success of Apple.
- Improve your memory and focus – Meditation has been proven to improve your memory and cognitive function. One study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease showed that meditation can lead to significant improvements in memory and cognitive performance in sufferers.
- Mental Health Benefits – ****Meditation techniques are known to reduce anxiety and stress and promote emotional health and wellbeing. Research from Harvard Medical School studying the brains of clinically depressed patients demonstrated that meditation can actually change the brain, causing the amygdala to be less activated by emotional events.
The Power of Meditation: Where to Start
If you’re thinking that sounds amazing (it is!), and you’re feeling ready to start, check out some of the resources below:
- 6 Phase Meditation by Vishen Lakhiani – Mindvalley.com ****This is an amazing 15-minute meditation that helps to get your day started on the right track. It covers 6 key areas – compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, visualising your future, planning your perfect day, and ending with a blessing. All that in 15 minutes! It’s designed with busy people in mind and aims to maximise value in a short period of time.
- Calm – calm.com ****A great all-rounder app containing everything from sleep stories to help with relaxation at night to masterclasses on things like sleep and eating. They currently offer a free 7-day trial.
- Buddhify – buddhify.com ****Ideal for using at particular times of day when you wouldn’t think to meditate, such as when travelling, walking, and even meditations you can listen to while you work! The meditations vary in length and some are even as short as 5 minutes.
- Headspace – headspace.com ****One of the best-known meditation apps, this app is perfect for beginners. Their free 10 part basics course is easy to follow, and they also have a new Netflix series called “Headspace Guide to Meditation”.
Unlock the Power of Meditation
Are you interested integrating meditation into your mindfulness practice?
At La Vita Sukha, we understand the power of meditation, yoga, and breath-work in enhancing your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, we’d love to have you at our autumn co-living!