What are the benefits of meditation?
There are now many institutions and researchers contributing to scientific studies on the impacts of mindfulness meditation. To learn more, we recommend checking out the following institutions:
- Mind & Life Institute
- Center for Healthy Minds at University of Wisconsin-Madison
- UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)
- Center for Mindfulness at UC San Diego School of Medicine
- Mindfulness Center at University of Virginia School of Medicine
- UMass Chan Medical School
- The American Mindfulness Research Association (AMRA)
Broadly speaking, the practice of meditation helps you explore different aspects of your mind and develop a mindfulness that can be with anything that comes up — challenging emotions, moods or thoughts as well as positive states like joy, happiness and ease. The ultimate aim is to understand as much as we can about the nature of the human experience, of this body and mind. Over time, these understandings can offer us more skillful ways to respond to life with kindness, patience, compassion and equanimity instead of habitual reactivity and confusion. And when practiced regularly, this can lead us towards increasing resilience, happiness and ease in all areas of our life.