Meditation: Benefits, How It Works, & Exercises to Try

The Benefits of Meditation

Meditation offers numerous benefits to physical health, mental health, and overall quality of life. That’s because meditation directly impacts the brain and nervous system to influence the entire mind-body system.³ The practice of focusing attention actually creates physical, chemical, and electrical changes in the brain and body that lead to significant improvements in our wellbeing.^1,7,8 Here’s a look at some specific benefits of meditation.

Mental Health Benefits of Meditation

Meditation helps people shift their attention away from negative thoughts and emotions and onto something else, thus creating some distance between themselves and their negative mental chatter so they can choose how they want to respond. Further, physiological changes in the brain and body enable people to actively deal with mental health challenges. Meditation has been found to be as effective as psychotherapy or medication for many mental health conditions.¹ Meditation has been shown to help improve:

Anxiety^1,3,5,8,9,10

Meditation reportedly decreases symptoms of anxiety as well as its effects on people’s lives. Time spent in quiet contemplation helps people increase awareness of anxious thoughts and feelings. While this might seem counterintuitive at first, it is an important step in dealing with anxiety. Once people begin to notice their anxious mind and automatic negative thoughts, they can accept them for what they are (ideas rather than absolute truths). They can then distance themselves from worries, fears, what-ifs, and worst-case scenarios by refocusing their attention.

Depression^1,3,8,9,10

Similar to how it helps anxiety, meditation helps improve depression symptoms and effects by increasing awareness of automatic, negative thoughts and allowing them to repeatedly fine-tune what they pay attention to.

Bipolar Disorder⁹

In creating a state of calm and steadiness, meditation can decrease impulsive behaviors and improve mood. People become aware of thoughts and develop the ability to pause and shift attention before getting caught up in negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)^15,16

Given that difficulty concentrating and impulsivity are hallmarks of ADHD, it would seem like people living with ADHD would be unable to sit in meditation. Yet meditation is about teaching the mind to focus, and even short meditation exercises can be beneficial for everyone, including those with ADHD. Meditation has been shown to “rewire” the brain, thus helping people with ADHD learn to focus their attention.

Schizophrenia⁹

People with schizophrenia who practice meditation develop the ability to pay less attention to hallucinations such as voices.

Borderline Personality Disorder⁹

Because they hone their ability to recognize strong emotions and thoughts and let them pass without reacting to them, people living with borderline personality disorder who practice meditation experience more peace in their relationships with others.

Physical Health Benefits of Meditation

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that meditation does more than quiet the mind. It quiets the body, too. In inducing a state of calm, meditation decreases the body’s physiological responses to stress, which is implicated in a wide variety of health conditions.³

While meditation is not known to be a cure for disease, it can complement medication and other medical treatments to help manage many illnesses and conditions, including:

• High blood pressure:^1,10 Regular meditation practices have been shown to lower blood pressure.
• Heart disease:⁵ Heart disease can be closely linked to stress. In reducing stress and our reactions to it, meditation can have a direct, positive effect on heart health.
• Digestive conditions:^1,5 Meditation can help manage digestive discomfort and conditions. In particular, meditation has helped the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis (UC).
• Immune system functioning:⁷ The immune system, dubbed the “floating brain,” is an intelligent system that responds to both positive and negative signals it receives from the brain and nervous system. Meditation creates a positive internal environment that increases the production of antibodies (the body’s weapons against foreign invaders) and decreases inflammation throughout the body, something implicated in numerous health conditions and diseases.
• Chronic pain:^1,10,11 Meditation can change people’s relationship with chronic pain and the way they sense pain by helping them shift their attention away from discomfort and onto something else, thereby occupying the mind differently and reducing pain sensations.
• Symptoms of cancer and other chronic illness:⁵ Meditation isn’t considered a cure for any disease, but it has been shown to play an active and effective role in helping people manage symptoms and live a better life despite ongoing symptoms of even serious illness.

Lifestyle Benefits of Meditation

In calming the monkey mind and intentionally focusing attention, meditation frees people from the trap of their own thoughts and emotions. It releases people from ruminations about the past and worries about the future. Thus, many people who meditate report improvements in the quality of their lives.

General lifestyle benefits of meditation include:

• Less stress:^3,5,8,10,11 While meditation doesn’t change external circumstances or make problems disappear, it does improve people’s ability to deal with the stressors in their lives. With regular meditation, people report an increased ability to pause and respond to difficult people and situations rather than instantly reacting in unhelpful ways or ruminating over problems for extended periods of time.
• Better sleep:^1,3,5,10 Meditation aids in whole mind-body relaxation and increases alpha waves, which are associated with sleep.
• Reduced fatigue:⁵ This is a welcome byproduct of reduced stress and improved sleep. Meditators tend to report feeling greater energy.
• Improved focus and concentration:^3,5,8,11 In developing people’s ability to shift their focus and attend to the present moment rather than remaining stuck in thoughts and feelings about the past or future, meditation seems to improve focus and concentration in other areas of life, leading to benefits at work, school, and home.
• Increased compassion for self and others:^8,11 Meditation helps people turn their attention to positive thoughts and feelings about themselves, others, and their world in general. Loving-kindness meditation in particular specifically develops empathy and compassion.
• Better relationships:⁸ Meditation practices increase compassion and help people remain calm in the face of conflict. Additionally, meditation calms the physiological response to stress by reducing heart rate and blood pressure and reducing stress hormones like cortisol which allows people, once agitated, to return to a calm state more quickly and let go more easily after a conflict.

People who practice meditation regularly report positive changes and improvements in total health, wellbeing, and quality of life. But is it all in their heads, or does science back up their claims?

What Does Science Say About Meditation?

To date, over 6,000 scientific studies have been conducted to explore meditation and its effectiveness.¹² The evidence in favor of meditation’s numerous benefits is overwhelmingly positive. Here is just a handful of studies that indicate that meditation is good for us. The studies examined how meditation affects the brain itself, symptoms of anxiety, and insomnia.

A study published in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience reviewed brain imaging studies to determine whether meditation actually changes the brain. Researchers discovered across studies that meditation changes brain structures to improve such functioning as emotional regulation and response to stress. Changes in the brain induced by meditation also increase self-awareness. Study authors thus concluded that meditation has the potential to help people with clinical mental health disorders.²⁵

A team of researchers reviewed 36 randomized controlled trials to determine the effects of meditation on anxiety. Participants self-reported that the experienced anxiety but had not been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In over two-thirds of the studies (25 out of the 36), meditation was shown to reduce anxiety symptoms.²⁶

Mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce insomnia and improve sleep. In a randomized controlled trial, 54 adults were randomly assigned to three groups: one group attended a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program and learned meditation through the program, another attended a Mindfulness-Based Insomnia Program that incorporates meditation, and the third group served as the control and received interventions that did not involve meditation. Participants who meditated improved sleep and reduced insomnia by the conclusion of the program, and many continued to benefit at 3- and 6-month follow-ups.²⁷

Not everyone celebrates the numerous positive meditation studies. Some point out that many studies are flawed, with imperfect methods or small sizes; further, a lack of a uniform definition of meditation that is measurable by scientific procedures makes it difficult to test its true effectiveness.¹⁷ Nonetheless, the fact that thousands of studies have been done and more continue is encouraging. It indicates that meditation has the potential to boost our total health and wellbeing, and we are on the way to discovering just how it does it.

Does Meditation Pose Risks?

A few words of caution about meditation are in order. While it’s generally considered safe for most people, it’s advisable to consult with your doctor before doing meditations that incorporate movement.¹ Also, while meditation does indeed offer mental health benefits and can ease the symptoms of many mental health conditions, the practice isn’t recommended for everyone.

In particular, it can be harmful for people who have experienced past or present trauma, causing painful experiences to resurface and increasing anxiety, panic, and other negative emotional experiences.^8,14 If you have been diagnosed with any mental health condition or have experienced trauma, it may be a good idea to consult with a mental health professional before beginning a meditation practice and periodically as you continue your practice.

Also, it’s important to remember that meditation isn’t a magic wand designed to eliminate problems, nor is it a replacement for other medical and mental health treatments.^1,14 The practice allows you to shift your attention and calm your mind to better cope with challenges, but it isn’t a cure-all. It is a helpful tool to help you take charge of your own relationship with your life and everything it encompasses. It becomes a way of being in your life and of responding to all types of situations.

Types of Meditation

Different types of meditation exist, which means that you can try different approaches to the practice of quieting your mind and focusing your attention in order to discover what works best for you.

All types of meditation impact changes in the brain, but, while researchers are still investigating this, it seems that each type may affect a unique area of the brain.¹⁸ For example, a study appearing in 2017 in the journal Science Advances revealed a discovery that different types of meditation can affect areas of the brain involved in executive functioning, emotional regulation, empathy, or perspective-taking.¹⁹ Therefore, when choosing a type of meditation, it may be wise to consider your personal goal for meditating.¹² Knowing why you want to meditate can help you determine exactly how you want to do it.

In general, all forms of meditation can be done individually or in groups such as classes or retreats, and they share common elements:¹

• Dedicated amount of time to engage in quiet contemplation (the length may vary according to the setting, type, and individual)
• Quiet location as free as possible from distractions
• Comfortable posture (often seated on a pillow, cushion, or chair with a straight but not rigid spin, but sometimes meditation is done lying down or with movement)
• Open, non-judgemental attitude in which you allow thoughts to drift in and out, noticing them without getting stuck in them or berating yourself for having them)
• Purposeful, focused attention (it is the precise nature of this focus that differentiates one type of meditation from another)

Here’s a rundown of common types of meditation:

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation involves focused attention on sensations in the present moment of meditation.² Often, concentration is on the breath—the act of breathing and the sound and feeling of air entering and leaving your body.¹³ You may also focus on a sight, sound, or sensation.¹⁰ Regardless of your focus object of sensation, you direct your attention to it for the duration of your meditation practice. When you notice that your mind has wandered, you gently return your focus to your breath, sensation, or object. You might see terms like insight meditation or peaceful abiding meditation to refer to mindfulness meditation.⁴

Focused Meditation

Focused meditation differs from mindful meditation in that you don’t attempt to empty the mind. Instead, you keep your mind on the chosen focal point, such as a background sound or a feeling. It is a great approach for beginners and anyone can begin a focused meditation practice by picking an object of focus and starting.

Loving-Kindness Meditation

Loving-kindness meditation involves directing intentional, focused well wishes to yourself, your loved ones, and to the greater world.^10,13 In a loving-kindness practice, you visualize someone (or a group of people) and direct a positive statement to them, such as “May you be healthy.” You picture them receiving your intention. You can also direct the intention to yourself and feel yourself receiving the same sentiment from others. This type of meditation develops empathy and compassion for yourself and others.

Mantra Meditation or Transcendental Meditation

In this type of meditation, you focus on a repeated word, phrase, or sound.^2,10 You may have seen videos of meditating monks chanting, “Om” (also “Ohm” or “Aum”).” This is a type of transcendental meditation. In its truest form, learning transcendental meditation (TM) is a process involving a seven-step course led by a certified instructor, and the culmination of the training includes a ceremony in which the student receives a personal mantra that is not to be shared.²⁰

You can use mantra meditation, though, without becoming educated and trained in formal TM. You can simply choose a word or phrase that is meaningful and motivational to you (this can vary with each meditation session) and, as you meditate, repeat it internally, out loud, or chat it in a specific tone and rhythm.

Movement Meditation

As the name implies, movement meditation is not a seated meditation but instead is a practice in which your body is in motion and your attention is on the experience of movement.^3,10 Practices like yoga and tai chi are examples of movement meditation. Another form is walking meditation. In walking meditation, your attention is on the sensation of the movement, and it can also expand to include sights, sounds, smells, and textures that you experience as you walk. Walking meditation can involve moving just a few feet or yards or can involve a long walk, and it can be done indoors or outdoors. You can find walking meditations in meditation apps like Buddhify or Balance.

Visualization or Guided Imagery

In meditations involving visualization, your attention is on a person, place, or object that you imagine as you’re seated in meditation.¹⁰ These can be guided by a narrator (a teacher in an in-person class or a narrator on an audio track or app) or self-guided, in which you imagine and focus on a scene of your choice. This type of meditation involves fully immersing yourself in the peaceful setting, imagining sights, sounds, smells, sensations like temperature or movement, and even tastes).

Spiritual Meditation

Historically, meditation has been a part of many religious and spiritual traditions, both Eastern and Western.¹⁰ The purpose of spiritual meditation is to focus on a connection with a higher power. People engage in spiritual meditations during group services or on their own.

How to Meditate: Tips for Beginners

The idea of meditating can be quite intimidating and frustrating at first. Many people worry that they’ll fail because their mind is always full of thoughts and they’re unable to focus attention for even short amounts of time before distractions disrupt their practice. Be assured that meditation is not about completely emptying the mind, and there is no expectation that you must remain completely undistracted while you sit in meditation. If this were the case, no one would meditate, not even the most seasoned of Buddhist monks.

Be patient with yourself as you learn to meditate, for obstacles are likely to pop up. When you’re aware of them, it’s easier to accept them as part of the process and remain patient with yourself rather than berating yourself or negatively judging your experience.

Common obstacles include:¹⁴

• Self-criticism and discouragement>
• Feeling agitated and restless
• Falling asleep
• Experiencing strong emotions

The Mayo Clinic offers some reassurance about meditation:⁵

• It is not about emptying your mind but instead is about filling it with purposeful awareness of and attention on something of your choosing.
• It is not about eliminating problems or avoiding stress. It’s about learning to be engaged, attentive, and fully present in your life rather than remaining stuck in your troubled thoughts about the past or future.

With these ideas about meditation obstacles and the nature of meditation in mind, use the following tips to help you start and develop your own meditation practice:

• Determine your purpose. Clarify your motivation for meditating and continually remind yourself of your reason. Knowing your why helps you keep going despite frustrations and obstacles
• Know yourself. There is no wrong way to meditate, and one type isn’t better than another. Start with the type of meditation that fits your personality or just seems most appealing. If sitting still is difficult, try beginning with a movement meditation.
• Start small. You don’t have to sit in mindfulness meditation or repeat a mantra for six hours at a time in order to benefit. In fact, even a minute or focusing on your breath for a single breath cycle (one slow, deep inhale and one slow, complete exhale) is enough at first.^4,10
• Be consistent. The key to teaching your mind to be calm, centered, and focused is to meditate regularly. While meditating daily is great, if that doesn’t fit your schedule, determine how many days per week you can practice, and work it into your routine. As with any developing skill, short meditation sessions done consistently are more powerful and effective than a long session done only occasionally.
• Be gentle with yourself. Rather than calling yourself names and being generally mean to yourself because your attention wanders, simply notice when your concentration slips, acknowledge it without judging it, and return your attention to your meditative focus. Avoid the temptation to force your mind to concentrate by trying too hard. Let your thoughts come and go naturally, and gently refocus as many times as you need to. In meditation, there’s no limit to the amount of times you can redirect your attention.

It can also be helpful to use meditation apps, like Headspace or Calm, to help you build your meditation practice. Between guidance from apps and these beginner tips, you should feel ready to try these meditations at home starting now.

Meditations to Try at Home

The best way to learn to meditate is to simply begin. Pick one of the following meditations, select a quiet, comfortable space, and start your meditation journey. Rest assured, there is no wrong way to meditate, and you’re not evaluated on your performance. In fact, meditation isn’t about performing at all. It’s about being. Be present with yourself and your experience, and allow your mind to do what it does, tip-toeing in softly and redirecting your thoughts when you need to.

The first several times you meditate, set a timer (one with a bell or other soft, gentle sound is best) for five minutes. Then, as you continue your practice, gradually begin to lengthen the time you spend in meditation.

For each of these meditations, silence your phone and minimize distractions. You might want to play soft instrumental music or nature sounds, or you may prefer to keep the room silent. It’s up to you. Other than the movement meditation:

• Sit in a comfortable position. Depending on your flexibility and physical health, you might sit in a cross-legged position on the floor, settle onto a pillow or blanket, or sit in a chair with your feet planted flat on the floor.
• Keep your spine straight yet slightly relaxed, upright but not rigid or stiff.
• Close your eyes or turn your gaze slightly downward.

Mindfulness Meditation: Simply Breathe

In this meditation, your focus is on your breath.

• Breathe in slowly through your nose.
• Listen to the sound of the air entering your nose.
• Follow your inhale down your throat, into your chest, and deep into your belly.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed, and feel your body expand as it fills with air.
• Hold for a few seconds, and just experience your body filled with air.
• Slowly exhale through your mouth.
• Feel your body contract as the air leaves.
• Listen to the sound of the air leaving through your mouth.
• Continue to breathe slowly and deeply, paying attention to the experience of breathing in this moment (this inhale, this exhale) until your timer sounds.

Mindfulness Meditation: Like a Rock

Here, you will be focusing on a rock that you select when you’re outside. This rock symbolizes you when you’re centered, calm, and steady. If it’s small enough, you may want to carry it with you to use as a quick focus object and reminder when you notice yourself stressed or distracted.

• Take several slow, deep breaths.
• Hold the rock in the palm of one hand. Notice how it feels against your skin. Is it heavy? Light? Cool? Warm?
• Transfer it to your other palm and notice how it feels in this hand.
• Roll it around between your fingers or rub the tips of your fingers across its surface as you keep it in your palm. Note the texture. Are there smooth areas? Rough or jagged places?
• Open your eyes and study it with your sight. What details do you notice? Do you see different colors or shapes? Are there any cracks?
• Tap it gently on the floor or a table beside you, and observe the sound it makes. If you have other objects nearby, tap it on different surfaces and just note the different sounds it makes.
• Continue to explore this rock, this focus object, with your senses of sight, sound, and touch until the timer sounds.

Loving-Kindness Meditation: May You Be at Ease

Here, you are directing feelings of love, kindness, positivity, and wellbeing toward yourself and others. Begin with yourself, because we must come to love ourselves before we can give love to and receive love from others.

• Visualize yourself. You might picture yourself doing something that makes you happy or imagine yourself sitting in this meditation.
• As you fall into a rhythm of slow, deep breathing, slowly repeat the following phrases to yourself. As you direct them toward yourself, picture yourself receiving them and embracing them fully, as if they are already happening and will continue.
  • May I be safe.
  • May I be secure.
  • May I be well through my whole mind and body.
  • May I be centered.
  • May I be at ease.
• Repeat them several times.
• Now, visualize someone you care about. Picture them fully, and feel the affection you have for each other. Imagine them receiving these well wishes from you as you repeat them to yourself.
  • May you be safe.
  • May you be secure.
  • May you be well through my whole mind and body.
  • May you be centered.
  • May you be at ease.
• When your timer sounds, remain in your posture for a few breaths, feeling yourself filled with these sentiments.

Mantra Meditation: I am Present. I am Light.

Like mindfulness meditation, this meditation is anchored in your breath. Instead of just breathing, you repeat a phrase with each inhalation and exhalation.

• Breathe in through your nose, slowly and deeply.
• As you inhale, remind yourself, I am present. You may say this aloud or quietly to yourself.
• Pause.
• As you exhale, remind yourself, I am light. Again, you may say this aloud or quietly to yourself.
• Pause
• Repeat breathing slowly and deeply, repeating the mantras, until your timer sounds.

Walking Meditation: Inner Peace from the Ground Up

In this movement meditation, you may walk inside or outdoors. Choose a small space clear of obstacles, in which you can walk a few yards forward, to the left, back, and to the right. If it is comfortable for you to do so, walk barefoot so you can feel the floor or the ground with the skin of your feet. If that isn’t possible for you, that’s okay. Even in shoes or socks, you can still feel your feet connect with the ground beneath you.

• Stand tall, with a straight yet relaxed posture.
• Turn your gaze downward, just in front of you.
• Breathe slowly and deeply as your walk.
• Begin to walk very slowly forward, as slow as you can, for approximately 10 steps. If it helps you focus, you may count your steps.
• Feel the movement of your leg as you lift your foot to walk.
• Feel first your heel connect to the ground, and then notice the sensation of your foot rolling slowly forward, each part of it gradually connecting to the ground below.
• Feel the transition of your other leg rising and having its turn in your forward journey.
• Now attend to the feel of your other foot as it connects with the ground.
• After about 10 steps, turn to your left and walk another 10 steps. Repeat until you’ve made a complete rectangle.
• Pay attention to how the muscles of your body feel as you move. Notice your posture and the position of your arms. Feel your whole self experience this movement together, as one unit.

Visualization Meditation: Appreciate Your Favorite Natural Spot

In a visualization meditation, you picture yourself immersed in a peaceful location, one that makes you feel happy and serene. Because being in nature has numerous benefits for overall health and wellbeing ²¹, often the setting is a natural one. However, you may select any place that makes you feel secure. (For some people who are anxious away from home, visualizing their favorite room in their house can be calming, for example). This meditation uses nature to help you be present, focused, and relaxed.

• Close your eyes, and imagine a large, clear lake.
• Picture yourself there. You are standing on the shore, with gentle waves lapping at your feet. What is the temperature of the water? How does it feel as it touches your skin?
• It’s a warm, sunny day. Feel the sunlight on your skin, in your hair.
• It isn’t windy, but there’s a gentle breeze. Feel it blow gently across your skin and through your hair. You can feel your hair ruffle ever so slightly with each soft breeze.
• Notice the surface of the lake, specks of sunlight dancing on the water. What shade of blue is this lake?
• Expand your gaze to the edges of the lake. You see trees. How many different types do you notice? Observe their contrasting shades of green. As you scan, you see other plants and flowers. What other colors and shapes do you notice?
• Tune in to the sounds around you—the waves lapping on the shore, birds chirping, bees buzzing.
• Take the deepest breath you’ve taken so far, and inhale the smell of the water, the freshness of the air around you, and let it permeate your body.
• Feel your whole body relax, your muscles let go of tension, as you simply enjoy being here.
• Continue to immerse yourself fully in this scene, noticing sensations without judging them, until your timer sounds.

The History of Meditation

Meditation is a very old and established tradition. Archaeological evidence indicates that people have been practicing meditation for over 5,000 years, while written evidence from around 1500 BCE proves that people in ancient India practiced meditation.²¹ Meditation was originally a spiritual or religious tradition, originating in what is now India, becoming part of Buddhism in India and Taoism in China between 600 and 500 BCE.²¹

It wasn’t until the 1960s and beyond, however, that meditation began to filter its way into Western secular society.^21,22 It gained some popularity in the United States with the social movements in the 1960s, and in 1967 Dr. Herbert Benson at Harvard Medical moderated one of the first scientific studies that began to shed some light on how this ancient practice positively impacts things like heart rate, oxygen consumption, and sleep.²²

It’s Jon Kabat-Zinn who is widely credited with being one of the people who brought meditation and mindfulness to the West. He both practiced and scientifically studied mindfulness and meditation, and in 1979 founded his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts—a program that now is used in universities, hospitals, clinics, and other settings across the US—a group educational program that relies heavily on mindfulness meditation to help people cope with a variety of challenges.²³ With research and anecdotal evidence supporting its effectiveness, it’s likely that meditation will continue to grow as a secular practice in mainstream society.