Some of the more easily measurable benefits are the physiological ones. When we reach a relaxed but focused state in meditation, we are essentially giving our bodies and minds a break; a chance to recover and rebalance. This can lower blood pressure and heart rate. We can attribute this to a range of the core outcomes of meditation working together, like reducing stress, breathing more effectively, and being able to relax more readily. The lowering of these vital indicators can result in further benefits, for example lowering blood pressure can prevent serious cardiovascular conditions like heart attacks and lowering heart rate can improve the strength of the heart muscle and increase physical endurance. 

Those who meditate may also report a reduction in acute or chronic pain. This is because meditation can impact the way our brains interpret and respond to pain signals. It can also sooth the nervous system which is the body’s way of sending pain messages. With a reduction in pain, the amount of pain medication may also be reduced. This brings yet another benefit as medications often come with unwanted side effects that put further strain on us.  

People who meditate often find they sleep better; not only can it help us fall asleep, but it could result in a better quality of sleep and sleeping through the night. Around 20% of the UK population has trouble with their sleep, often due to anxiety. Meditation both aids relaxation and empowers us to release our ‘emotional clutter’, giving us tools to safely let go of thoughts and emotions that keep us awake at night. As sleep is so vital for our overall health and wellbeing, simply improving this can have a domino effect of improving other aspects of our lives.  

Meditation can bring other benefits to physical health such as improved digestion, reduced cholesterol levels, decreasing the aging process, and being able to relax muscles and tension in the body. It can ameliorate PMS and menopause symptoms, alleviate migraines, and strengthen the immune system which in turn can positively impact the quality of life for those with cancer.    

The psychological benefits of meditation are far reaching and heavily backed up by scientific studies. It can dramatically reduce stress, anxiety and mental ill-health. This is due to the body and mind relaxing during meditation, meaning that the ‘stress hormones’ adrenaline and cortisol are reduced. Because meditation nurtures peace and tranquility and teaches us to let go and release tension and negative mind chatter, we can experience a changed perspective. We can feel more balanced, even in high intensity situations, can find we are able to be less reactive, and can feel gratitude for our realities rather than focusing on the aspects of our lives that we interpret as negatives. 

Once we’ve learnt not to cling to the vicious cycle of worrying, wishing, and obsessing over every thought and feeling that pops into our minds, we tend to become happier. This is because we can get over negativities quicker, become more resilient and uncover innate joy.  

Robust scientific studies of the brain can now explain how meditation develops a more compassionate and empathetic outlook. Certain types of meditation, most prominently the ‘loving kindness’ technique, enlarge the areas of our brain that make us more understanding and considerate. This increases our propensity for being positive and forgiving in our interactions with others and stimulates emotional intelligence.  

A lesser-known benefit of meditation is that it fosters creative and innovative thinking.  This is because it helps synchronise the left and right sides of the brain. Those who meditate could also find that instead of the ‘monkey mind’ that latches onto the multitude of random and habitual thoughts that stream through our minds, there is an increased ability to create space in the mind and effectively focus on the activities or tasks at hand. This gives us the potential to complete our work quicker and to a higher standard. 

If all these benefits aren’t enough, meditation also offers us spiritual gains. This doesn’t have to mean religious or mystical – this is about us finding a purpose, being connected to something outside ourselves, and having love and respect for our planet and all that inhabits it. Research has found strong correlation between the impacts of loneliness and greater mental health distress and studies have identified that common factors in healthy and happy centenarians include having a purpose and feeling connected. Green social prescribing where patients suffering a variety of ailments are advised to spend time in nature have seen truly meaningful results. Meditation techniques like mindful walks can be used similarly, bringing spiritual benefits where we feel closer to nature. This can help us appreciate the world around us and become less inward and more outward facing.   

Many physiological benefits interlink with those that are mental, emotional and spiritual. For example, better sleep and identifying our purpose can improve our mood and outlook significantly. And if meditation leads to us feeling calmer, less angry and more connected to nature, then our blood pressure can drop. The fact that meditation works in this way as a holistic approach means we can see improvements in a variety of areas of our health and wellbeing, by simply introducing this one form of practice into our lives. And all we need to practice meditation is our own minds and bodies.