When we meditate, we take our lives to new levels of peace and color.

We lower our stress levels, we connect more with our surroundings, we get in touch with our pain and we learn to love ourselves more.

In fact, if everyone realized just how beneficial meditation was, everyone would be doing it.

Why You Should Meditate

With everyone talking about how great meditation is, it becomes easy to get caught up in the hype without having any understanding.

But meditation is much more than a trendy coping mechanism for the elite.

Meditation calms you and teaches you to control your mind, all of which will translate into real life benefits.  If you take it seriously enough, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the turn your life will take.

In this post, we’ll discuss some reasons why meditation should be a daily activity for everyone.

Meditation Can Relieve Stress

Between earning a living, spending time with family, creating work-life balance and being an all-round awesome person, life can get stressful sometimes.

Meditating daily can help to relieve all of that stress.

When you meditate, you override the part of your brain that produces cortisol (a stress hormone that is responsible for regulating how your body reacts to stress or danger). (1)

A 2013 study confirmed that meditation could reduce anxiety and stress levels by almost forty percent. (2)

The best part about meditation is that it doesn’t require a lot of time.

So if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, you could easily take 25 minutes off to meditate.

Meditation Will Make You More Self-Aware

Being self-aware means that you are very mindful of your thoughts and how they translate to actions.

Meditating regularly allows you to reflect on your thoughts and bring them under control.

Attaining this level of mindfulness will ultimately result in better decision-making skills.

Instead of living in a constant reactionary state, you will become more aware of your environment.

Meditation will teach you how to exist in your environment.

Meditation Can Help You Sleep Better

In a world that is constantly on the move, a little quiet may be all you need to improve your quality of sleep.

Studies have suggested that meditation could go a long way in treating insomnia. (3)

Also, when your mind is in a constant state of ease, sleeping becomes a lot easier.

Meditation Could Help With Anger Management

If you find yourself struggling to keep your anger in check, maybe it’s time you started meditating.

There is no doubt that being perpetually angry is not good for your health.

A 2000 study confirmed that regular bursts of anger increases a person’s chances of developing Coronary Heart Disease. (4)

If you need to learn to control your temper better, then meditation is definitely an option you should consider. (5)

Meditation will calm your mind and help you reject the initial instinct to go off the rails. It will help you respond better to provocative situations.

So now that we’re up to speed on why it is important to meditate, let’s get to the hard part – the how.

Many people view meditation as something you need to do with the help of a Shaman, but the truth is you can do it on your own.

Once you master how to meditate properly on your own, the next step would be working it into your daily routine.

How to Meditate Daily

There are so many suggestions how best to meditate but that’s not our focus.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be on the level of ancient Buddha.

In this post, we’re just going to discuss practical steps to developing a daily meditation habit.

Think of it like Meditation 101 – how to meditate for beginners.

Figure Out Why You’re Doing It

Understanding why you need to meditate might be the push you need to create a daily meditation habit.

The stronger your reasons, the more likely you are to keep at it.

If you’re meditating because everybody is doing it, you might need stronger reasons because very soon, you’ll be tired of following the crowd.

Search your life truthfully and you’ll find that you have more than enough reasons to start meditating.

It could be because you want to be more productive at work, it could be because you want to de-stress your life, and it could even be because you’re not getting enough sleep.

Once you figure out that reason, you’ll have the motivation you need to start and maintain the habit of meditating.

Start Small

The mistake most people make with meditation is that they want to take big strides and hit the ground running.

They tell themselves, “Today, I’m going to start with a one hour meditation session.”

If you’re anything close to realistic, you know deep down that you’re lying to yourself.

Start with one- or two-minute sessions daily. It may seem like such an inconsequential period but it works.

If you’re a lot less busy than the average person, you could start with five-minute sessions and work your way up from there.

The important thing is not how long you spend per session, the important thing is how committed you are during each session.

Tie Your Meditation To A Trigger Activity:

It’s usually very easy to say, “I’ll meditate every morning.” But really, what is the guarantee that you will?

Instead of making vague promises to yourself, tie your meditation session to an activity you already perform as part of your daily routine.

For example, you brush your teeth daily. You can set your meditation time right after you brush your teeth.

This way, you never forget and you’re always aware when it’s time to meditate.

Choose A Method

So now that you’ve worked your way to the point of actual meditation, what’s the next step? How exactly do I meditate?

In case you didn’t already know, there are an infinite numbers of meditation methods to choose from.

Here are a few basics ones to choose from:

Breath Control

Breath control is one of the most popular meditation methods.

As you breathe in, try to empty your mind and follow the flow of air all the way from your nostrils to your lungs.

If it helps, you could do this and count to 100 or 200, whichever works for you.

Make sure you’re not thinking of anything else as you do this.

Visualization

This is another popular meditation method.

Close your eyes and imagine a place that you associate with peace and beauty.

Be as detailed as possible – that white bird, the sounds of flowing rivers, and the sound of wind hitting the leaves, imagine all of it. These details matter in meditation.

Create the most beautiful place that you can and remain there throughout your meditation session.

Guided Meditation

Guided meditation usually involves a trained instructor or teacher.

The best part about guided meditation is you can do it anywhere. You don’t have to join a class.

In fact, you can check out some instruction videos on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Audible and even Spotify. There are many great options and some of them are free!

Meditation Apps

For those of us who like to use our phones for everything, this one is for you.

With Meditation apps like Headspace, YogaGlo and Insight Timer, you can meditate on the go. (6, 7, 8)

Be Consistent

The only way to get the most out of meditation is to stay consistent.

Make the decision to meditate everyday so you never have to wake up debating whether to meditate or not.

Meditation can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

If you keep at it, you’ll notice the difference in no time.

You’ll realize that you’re more self-aware, more mindful and just generally more at peace with life.