Meditation for Mental Health, Personal, & Spiritual Growth: “Spirit Meditation” [video]

04 Feb Meditation for Mental Health, Personal, & Spiritual Growth: “Spirit Meditation” [video]

I haven’t always been a meditator. I used to think it was kind of strange, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to try it for a long time. But about six years ago, when I was going through some of my hardest trials, a craving for peace, personal, and spiritual growth began pulling me toward mindfulness and meditation. I was in need of something–something new, something to calm and center me, something to quiet my mind, something to bring a greater sense of mental health and wellness.

The Power of Meditation

Enter meditation. I first attempted to meditate by sitting still and breathing. I’d been practicing deep breathing for years and had done visualization exercises plenty of times with my clients and myself. But this time, I was trying to quiet my overstimulated, overwhelmed mind. I was trying not to think. I was trying to let go of every thought that came. It was extremely difficult. I found myself thinking about all kinds of other things; my mind wandered and I seemed at a loss to bring it back. I felt frustrated and defeated.

I attempted again, many times, and yes, it became a little more “do-able” over time, but mostly, it was a struggle for me. I’d studied and knew of the many benefits of meditation, and I wanted those benefits. But, I figured, maybe I just wasn’t cut out for meditating.

I was wrong. A couple years later, having given up on meditation, I attended a women’s conference and the speaker led us through a powerful meditation. As I write, in This is How We Grow, “I could actually feel my spirit. I comprehended, even for a moment, that it truly has no beginning and no end. When I focused, I could expand my spirit even bigger than my body, allowing me to experience just how vast each soul truly is. Meditation–I’d been trying to do it for so long, yet [the speaker] converted me in a five-minute experience. I was hooked.” (p. 363)

Meditation for Mental Health: Benefits

I was hooked, and I still am. Meditation has become a staple of my mornings, along with exercise, prayer, and scripture study. It has become a portal to greater peace, focus, and awareness in my daily life, a gateway to a deeper spiritual connection and power throughout each day. When I meditate, I feel more focused and efficient in my work, more patient in my parenting, and more loving in my relationships. When I forget to meditate, I feel the difference, and I miss it greatly.

Meditation and mindfulness have been studied often and shown to improve mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Here are some of the specific benefits meditation offers:

1) Greater sense of peace and calm.

2) Clearer mind and thinking.

3) Helps you focus on the present, bringing a greater sense of awareness to your world, loved ones, and blessings.

4) Improves the immune system, which means less illness and greater overall health (which is also great for mental health!).

5) Helps reduce and manage life stress. Mindfulness meditation not only lowers stress; it leads to lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.

6) Helps reduce negative emotions, and can benefit emotional health after the meditation is over because it changes the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain.

7) Shown to improve symptoms of depression, anxiety, and pain.

8) Can actually change the brain in positive ways that may protect against mental illness.

9) Can improve sleep!

10) Meditation has been shown to increase compassion and a desire to “do good.”

11) A wonderful tool for personal growth, calming the thinking mind and opening one up to a deeper sense of who you truly are.

12) Can increase spiritual awareness, openness, and connection with God and the Divine.

The Spirit Meditation

I’ve experienced all of these benefits, and that’s a big reason I keep making myself practice mindfulness and meditation each day, and why I’m hoping you will give it a try, too.

Below is a video of my favorite meditation. It’s based off the one I wrote about above, the one that opened me up to the true power of meditation. Though there are countless ways to meditate, and I often try different techniques, this one is my favorite. It’s the one I do most days, and I want to share it with you. I also share it in my new book, Who Am I Without You?, along with several other tools that can help anyone going through anything, so I hope you’ll visit the link just above and check those out, too!

What can Meditation do for YOU? Let’s find out…

Click on the video below and give yourself the gift of 7 minutes today. Only 7 minutes to see how meditation might benefit you! Then, leave me a comment, below, or on my YouTube channel, and tell me all about it. I hope it’s one of the best things you learn to do for your mental well-being, personal growth, and spirituality, too!

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What are your thoughts on mindfulness and meditation? Have you practiced meditation? If so, what kinds of exercises do you prefer? What benefits have you experienced? Did you try the “Spirit Meditation ” What did you think? I’d love to hear all about it, so please leave a comment, below!

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Coming March 1, 2015!

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Related Posts/Articles:

“This is How We Grow:” Understanding the Seasons of Personal Growth

10 Ways I Choose to Grow Each Day 

Personal Growth & Self-Actualization: What Will Your Choice Be?