I used to be one of those people who could never practice meditation. No matter what I did, it just couldn’t work for me. But I knew there were so many benefits to it. After all, a lot of people claim that it made them calmer, more relaxed, and capable of dealing with life’s ups and downs. Luckily, after much trial and error, I was able to find my groove with meditation and can finally experience all of those good things that people would tell me. (If you’re subscribed to my newsletter- which is back and here to stay!-, then you know why it’s become a part of my morning routine.)
Now, if you have yet to be convinced about the life-changing powers of meditation, here’s some research that may convince you otherwise.

In 2011, Harvard researchers analyzed the effects of a regular meditation practice over a period of 8 weeks. [1] What they found was astonishing (and I’m not exaggerating words here)- according to the researcher’s findings, the meditation practice created changes in the grey matter within the brain. Grey matter contains most of the brain’s nerve cells, and it plays a huge role in things like muscle control, our senses (such as sight and hearing), emotions, self-control, decision making, and speech. [2] These changes were scanned and confirmed via MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) of the participants, all of whom reported improvements in their ability to cope with and respond to stress.

This study is truly unique because it exhibits both anecdotal results (in other words, going by the personal, word-of-mouth experiences of its participants) and physical evidence (thanks to the MRI readings).

So yes, meditation can literally transform your mind! With positive changes in grey matter, you’re more likely to have a better handle on stress. It doesn’t mean you’ll be able to deflect it in the same way Superman withstands bullets, but it will certainly give you an edge in the struggle against it.

I also want to mention the versatility and effectiveness of meditation when it comes to time. A common reason why many people choose not to meditate is due to a lack of time. Most people assume that you need to isolate yourself for an hour or more in order to hit their moment of transformational zen. But as it turns out, you don’t necessarily need as much time as you may think!
For instance, one study on 101 6th-grade students found that practicing mindful meditation 4-5 days a week was enough to produce a number of significant benefits. The students all reported feeling much calmer, and less capable of inducing self-harm or suicide. [3] Another study, this time on health-care providers, echoes these findings with a similar approach: assigning short, 5-minute meditation “breaks” throughout the workday helped to alleviate work-related stress. [4]

But if you’re looking for a specific recommendation, then let’s turn to the experts. According to Harvard neuroscientist Sara Lazar, Ph.D., “Some studies suggest that practicing even 5-10 minutes a day can provide some benefits. Some studies suggest that there is a correlation between change in symptoms and amount of practice (i.e. those that practiced more derived greater benefits). However, results are highly variable and some studies have not found any correlation between amount of practice and outcome (perhaps due to the particular patient group or set of symptoms that were studied). Most meditation teachers recommend attending one class a week in which you practice for 30-40 minutes, then practicing 5-45 minutes a day on your own. Like exercise, its ok if you occasionally miss a few days, just do what you can and determine for yourself how much you need to practice to achieve the level of stress/symptom reduction that you want.” [5]

In summary: As little as 5 minutes is great, especially if you’re a beginner or are short on time (even 10 minutes is good!). Intermediate to experienced practicers can definitely aim for 30-45 minutes and above, as needed.

So how can you start meditating? Well, there’s more than one way, and not everyone is going to find success with each approach. Personally, I believe you’ll just have to experiment around until you find what works best for you. But that being said, here are a few tips for getting started-

1. Look around for guidance. Sometimes, a teacher is needed to help us understand and practice meditation. If you can find one in person, awesome.
2. Go online. If you don’t have time attending personal ‘om’ classes, no worries. You can look into purchasing courses, or apps. My favorite app that I use on a daily basis is the Waking Up App by Sam Harris and it doesn’t require more than 10 minutes of your time in the morning or at the evening.
3. Don’t go by anyone’s standards but your own. Although there’s this picture of what meditation is, understand that it’s a very personal practice, and therefore is going to work according to your specific needs. So you don’t have to be a yogi to be able to practice it. You don’t need to sit cross-legged or isolate yourself in a temple. You don’t even need a complete silence. Meditation takes many forms. If all you can do is sit outside in your backyard, or do it in your pajamas in your bed, then that’s totally fine! Like I said before, it’s going to be different for everyone.
4. A quick tip- meditation is about being mindful, not mindless. A lot of people think of the phrase ’empty your mind’ when it comes to meditation, and while this is true to a certain extent, it does not mean you stop thinking altogether. A key part of meditation is learning to allow your thoughts to pass while not growing attached to them. You simply observe how everything appears in your consciousness including your thoughts, sensations, emotions, and sounds.
5. And finally, don’t worry about setting a time. Free yourself from thinking that you need an hour or more to yourself in order to meditate.  Five-minute meditations are a great way of refreshing your mind and just letting go of all nagging thoughts that zap our energy.

So what do you think? Have you ever tried meditation, or have yet to get into it? Let me know down below what’s worked (or not worked) for you! Maybe we can help each other out?

Sources:

[1] https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to-a-better-brain/
[2] https://reliawire.com/grey-matter/
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214139116300014#b0625
[4] https://medcraveonline.com/JPCPY/JPCPY-02-00076.pdf
[5] https://scholar.harvard.edu/sara_lazar/faq-0