When we think of meditation, most of us think of it as a tool to help us relax, but it is so much more powerful than that.
Meditation is a tool for the mind, but is used for much more than relaxation.
What is Meditation?
There are many different ways we can meditate, and as it's a personal practice there are probably hundreds of ways we can actually do it. The main types of meditation are: Mindful meditation when we focus on one specific thing in our minds or an object. It could be focusing on our breathing, focusing on a particular thought or a sensation in our body, or focusing on an object such as a candle burning.
Another type of meditation is when we just become aware of everything that is happening around us without reacting to it in any way, we are literally living in the moment and becoming 'Aware'.
Another great type of meditation is guided meditation when we are guided through a scene in our minds which will help us to reach a specific outcome, such as becoming more confident, being more motivated, or helping kick habits.
Your Brain and Meditation
Even after your first session of meditating something remarkable starts to happen in your brain.
Without getting too scientific on you, all areas of your brain begin to slow down, reducing the amount of stimulation and information that the brain receives. We are constantly bombarded with information that all of our senses are picking up and feeding back to the brain; meditation helps to slow the information we receive to a trickle which helps us to reduce stress, induce relaxation and enhances focus and concentration.
Motivation
So, how can mediation help us to stay more motivated in life?
Motivation can be defined as a process that guides our behaviours and actions to reach a specific outcome. It is what happens when we read a book for knowledge, when we attend seminars to learn, when we drink to quench our thirst, or start a business to become our own boss.
We need that feeling of motivation to drive us forward in life, to reach our outcomes, to push our boundaries, and step outside our comfort zones in order to grow, mentally and spiritually.
7 Ways Meditation Can Help Your Motivation
**1
. Focus.** Meditation is one of the single best tools to help you stay focused. Using guided meditation will increase your focus even more on a specific outcome in life. This helps us to stay motivated to reach our outcomes.
2. Concentration. We are constantly bombarded with distractions, which can cause our concentration levels to go down. Mediation helps to keep our concentration levels high. As concentration is inextricably linked to motivation, meditation heightens our motivation levels to keep us taking action to reach our desired outcomes.
3. Relaxation. We all know the feeling of being tense and our minds are racing at a hundred miles per hour. When we are in a constant state of alert it's difficult to relax and concentrate on one thing at a time. The more you relax, the more focused you become, which in turn means the more motivated you will become.
4. Reduces stress levels. As we begin to relax we begin to reduce the stress that we feel in our bodies and our minds. Have you ever had the feeling that things are getting on top of you and you can't seem to move forward as there's so much to do? That's called stress, and it's not good for your mind or your body. Meditation will slow you body and mind down, keeping your motivation levels high.
5. Reduce depression. Depression is caused by a feeling of hopelessness, and we tend to think that there is no hope in our future. Meditation is a great way to change our thought patterns, and break the pattern of habitual doom and gloom thinking. This, in turn will increase our motivation to take action.
6. Increase state of happiness. When we are happy, we are confident about ourselves and our abilities, which keeps us moving forward to reach our outcomes in life. Meditation releases more of our 'happiness hormones'. This is like a snowball effect, and the little things that used to get to us, are no longer an issue and we carry on, having more and more confidence in our abilities.
7. More Gray matter. Meditation has been linked to larger amounts of gray matter in the hippocampus and frontal areas of the brain. The more gray matter we have, the more positive emotions we feel. It also has an effect on our emotional stability, and gives us a heightened focus during daily life. This also helps to keep us motivated and more inclined to reach our outcomes quicker.
Get Specific With Your Meditation
We actually have 5 focused sessions in the area of motivation - yes.. meditation sessions which take you on a guided journey, specifically to enhance your natural levels of drive and motivation. Check them out here:
