No matter our age, there are tremendous health benefits through mediation to slow down the aging process and even reverse it. We all want to have the energy we had when we were younger and live our lives to the fullest, no matter how old we get. Most of us look at aging as slowing down, wrinkles, aches and pains, disease, and going to the doctor all the time. Meditation along with healthy eating and some exercise is the key to an active, healthy life no matter what our age. Meditation will remove many of the main aging issues.
Relieves Stress
Relieving stress is also the number one benefit of meditation. Stress causes us to age faster than almost everything else. There are hundreds of reasons we are stressed—a job or boss, traffic, money issues, or dealing with family issues. Every day we need to relieve this stress somehow.
Stress releases cortisol, a hormone released telling our body we are in danger. This hormone will put our body into fight or flight mode. Body functions tend to shut down like digestive or reproductive systems, your immune system, or even your growth processes. These processes shut down temporarily, so your energy is in the outer limbs of your body for an extra burst of strength and quickness. After the threat is over, the body should go back to normal.
But, in today’s world, the stress doesn’t always stop, and our body is under constant stress, and the fight or flight button stays on?
It can cause several health issues and upset the most important functions, including:
- Headache
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trouble sleeping
- Concentration problems
- Digestion problems
- Weight Gain
Ongoing, chronic stress can cause many of these and other serious health problems, such as personality disorders, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and stroke.
So, all these symptoms of stress can cause us to age faster than we should.
Promote Better Sleep
As we get older, we tend to have a harder time sleeping. As we age, we require less sleep, but we want that sleep to be good. Many people suffer from insomnia as they get older.
By meditating twice a day, the mind quiets down and reduces the chatter. People tend to go to sleep thinking about their day. Our mind goes a mile a minute, causing us to take a long time to go to sleep. When we do get to sleep, we toss and turn.
By meditating, we fall asleep faster by calming the runaway thoughts and get more restorative sleep. Restorative sleep gives our bodies a chance to heal and our cells to restore much better. We want good sleep as we get older since the cells do not replace themselves as fast as when we were young. So it is imperative to get a good night’s sleep. Having a routine for going to bed and getting up is also a big factor in getting a good night’s sleep.
Reduce Age-Related Memory loss
Improvements in clarity of thinking through meditation can keep the mind young.
12 studies found the different meditation styles increased attention and memory in older volunteers. The studies were also found to help improve memory in patients with dementia.
Regular meditation may increase memory and mental clarity. If we meditate regularly, we can prevent these issues from happening in the first place as we grow older. If memory issues start to show up, meditating may decrease or reverse memory and mental clarity issues.
Ways to Meditate
There are many types of meditation practices. Most meditation is done in a seated position. If you are flexible, you can sit with your legs folded, but if not, sitting in bed or on a chair works well. It is personal as to what feels best for you. You want to be in a quiet place that you feel comfortable and will not be interrupted. The TV, phones, and any other electronic device should be off. If you are new at meditation, this may help you!
Seated Meditation
- Close your eyes, breathe in, and hold your breath for about 10 seconds or less. Whatever you can do. If you haven’t done this, it will take some practice. Holding your breath less than 10 seconds is ok since it is all about concentrating on your breath. Exhale for a count of 10 or less.
Repeat for about 5 times. - Keep breathing normally and concentrate on relaxing your body. Start focusing on your feet, let go of the tension, and imagine your feet getting heavy. Go up the legs letting go and relaxing the muscles. Feel your legs getting heavier and heavier. Follow with the hips, buttocks, stomach, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, head, and face muscles. Just let go and feel your body getting heavy and relaxed. Take your time with this. Continue to be aware of your breathing.
- Let your breath flow in and out normally, and spend some time feeling a sense of relaxation. If you feel the tension in any body part, you can relax that area and consciously relax it and let go of the tension.
- Be aware that you are breathing normally. Let go of any thoughts and feelings that come up. In the beginning, that may be hard. When a thought or feeling comes up, don’t engage with it. Be aware of them and imagine they are passing by like a cloud. Keep doing that whenever they come up. Just come back to your breath and concentrate on your breathing.
- Start imagining you are above yourself floating in space. Stay there as long as possible. The longer you linger there, the more you gain from the meditation. At this stage, your mind will be in Alpha and Delta, almost asleep but still awake.
It’s best to start by doing 5-10 minutes of practice and gradually increase the time. Some days will you will meditate easily, and other days you may not. Don’t feel bad or beat yourself up. As time goes by and you develop a habit, it will get easier.
Moving Meditation
After you become good at relaxing and clearing your mind, you will be able to go into the meditative state just about any time or any place you want. You can meditate with your eyes open, or if the place permits, you can close your eyes. Relax by breathing and let go of any tension
in the body. When thoughts and feelings come up, do not engage with them. See them as a passing cloud.
Enjoy the present moment, and keep yourself in a relaxed state no matter what you are doing. Being in the present moment is very refreshing to relieve stress and to feel that good feeling.
Many people that meditate enjoy the seated and moving meditations. If you are experiencing a lot of stress throughout the day, you may find it difficult to meditate at night. But if you did the moving meditation during the day, it will be easier to relax and meditate at night.
Other Ways to Practice Meditation
If you find you don’t like to meditate alone, look for a yoga class. They don’t normally dedicate the class to meditation but will incorporate it into the class.
You can find a friend or your partner to meditate with you. This way, you will be accountable to each other.
Guided meditation will work better for some people if they find it hard to focus. There are guided meditations on youtube and meditation apps.
Meditation Advice
- Even if you are having a hard time controlling your thoughts and emotions, keep trying. You may feel like you are not making progress, but don’t give up! It will get easier and easier.
- Try to practice at least once per day, if not more.
- When meditating and any thoughts enter your mind, do no engage, let them float by like a cloud. Everyone sometimes gets distracted when they meditate. The thing you don’t want to do is let those thoughts or emotions turn into more thoughts and emotions. That’s why not engaging helps to let them go.
- Find the best place and time that works for you to meditate.
30 Day Challenge to a better life
Choose the meditation that best works for you. Try different types and adopt a habit of doing these twice a day. There are also guided meditations that may even work better for you.
I challenge you to choose what works best for you. You may do one in the morning that may be different at night. Then once you decide how you will do the day and night meditation, do it consistently for 30 days.
Does meditation slow aging, you tell me! After the 30 days, leave a comment on how you feel. But don’t stop there. Keep doing it for the rest of your life. You will automatically start eating better and will want to exercise since you have more of a zest for life.