The Real Reason We Should All Be Meditating

There is no doubt that there are some seriously rad benefits to getting your OM on. Studies have shown that meditating?lowers blood pressure, amps up your immune system, reduces stress, improves concentration and according to a 2015 study by UCLA, may be better than your moisturiser for radiant skin. But what about the more subtle shift that happens when we turn inward regularly. That awareness we discover deep within us that exists beyond our thoughts. The part of ourselves that is always calm, quiet and still. Our intuition.

Our intuition lives in the present moment, and a regular meditation practice puts it on speed dial giving us instant access to our inner compass. Opening up this dialogue with ourselves helps us make better choices and decisions and means we’re less likely to need to collect the opinions of others. Intuition is that instinctive ?inner knowing? or an idea that rises from deep inside. It may feel like the idea has come from nowhere but you’ll know deep down that you’re being guided. When you get into the habit of using it, your trust in yourself will become so great that there will be no doubt in your mind about the decision you are about to make.

When we act from our heads we make decisions based on pros and cons, past fears and experiences, our value systems and our own logic and reasoning. Although we have thoughts, we are not our thoughts and when we move away from the minds constant chatter, we have a real opportunity through our intuition to discover our true selves and uncover our real wants and desires away from the fear and constant questioning of our busy minds.

Taking yourself out of your head and into your heart takes practice and getting your OM on regularly is one of the quickest ways to open the channel. The next time you’re unsure of something, don’t agonize about it in your mind or write up a list of pros and cons. Stop, drop and meditate on it instead. In those small gaps between thoughts, you’re answer will come. Deep down, we always know what’s right for us and the more we trust and make decisions from that inner place of wisdom, the more in flow we’ll be and the happier we will become.

Sinead Van Kampen; omtothepeople.com @omtothepeople

Photo by Sergei Zolkin