Meditation is a safe practice that has been found to reduce anxiety, depression and pain. Preliminary evidence also suggest that experienced meditators also underwent changes at the genetic and molecular levels that could lead to lower inflammation and possibly beneficial health effects.
But despite its benefits, many people, especially beginners, stop meditating when they encounter obstacles in their practice. I don’t blame them because meditation can look deceptively simple initially. How hard can it be to sit down and seemingly do nothing at all?
But the truth is, meditation is anything but being passive and doing nothing. In its essence, it is an active training of the mind to increase mindfulness, concentration and resiliency, qualities that are sadly in short supply in our instant culture. And this training requires effort and commitment, not to mention the time you need to put in if you really want to transform your mind.
