By Souls of SilverMatthieu Ricard is the happiest man alive in the world. If you don’t believe us, ask neuroscientist Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin who tapped into his mind with 256 censors. A French intellectual turned intimate associate of Dalai Lama, Ricard’s brain tuned into the frequency of gamma waves, which are associated with learning and consciousness. And what is his secret to to being there, you may ask. It is meditation. The left pre-frontal cortex of his brain was found to be more active than the right one, which made him predisposed to happiness and less prone to negativity on which the right side of the mind dwells more. And what is the pathway to this happiness according to the happiest man?-meditation on love and compassion to be precise! READ: 11 Things To Keep In Mind If You Want Happiness In Life The monk is not the only man who attests to the wonders of meditation. Davidson’s research too has revealed exemplary results not only in case of seasoned practitioners doing 50,000 rounds of meditation daily but also on those who could dedicate twenty minutes for three weeks. Here are the benefits of meditation listed by Ricard.
1. Meditation Helps You Reflect
With meditation, the mind becomes a mirror. Just as a mirror reflects us and nothing else, our mind is trained with meditations to merely reflect our thoughts. We are made aware of these racing thoughts but we let go without getting stuck in our negative thought patterns.
2. Increases Focus
One cannot control what we think but meditation certainly helps us become more conscious of these thoughts. It’s all about choosing to focus, on our breath. Deep breaths help to calm the mind and by focusing on other things, we stop being controlled by our thoughts.
3. Mindfulness
Mindfulness is nothing but learning to focus on one thing at a time. It can be on our breath. Paying attention to the pattern of or breath is one of the easiest way of staying in the present moment and give our fleeting mind a rest. However, you can choose to focus instead on sensations of heat or cold or sounds you hear in your surroundings. READ: How To Own Your Life-Guide To Self-Love
4. Stay positive
Once you have learnt the technique of focus, it can be used to attract and focus on positivity. Ricard admits that the feeling of all-encompassing love and compassion does not last more than 15 seconds under normal circumstances. But with the power of focus, this condition can be made to be long-lasting. READ: Schools In Pittsburgh Go The Mindfulness Way-Meditation Now An Official Part Of Education
5. Regularity
Like every other thing, human beings too need to nurture their mind every day. So, meditation too helps when it is practiced regularly. Ricard also suggests that twenty minutes of meditation on a regular basis brings tremendous benefits to one’s life.
6. Awareness is the Key
We can easily get rid of the negative thoughts in our mind with meditation, as per Ricard. He says, “You can look at your experience as a fire that burns.” Being aware lies at the root of destroying a particular thought. So, if a person knows that he is anxious, he is no longer anxious but aware of it. And once he has read the feeling of anxiety in himself, he can easily arrest it.
7. Taking Time Out
Meditation not only breeds a peaceful mind but also helps us deal with the stress at workplace and family and maintain calm in crisis. That you cannot find time for meditation is a myth. Just consider the benefits and try meditating for twenty minutes and see the difference. So, set aside twenty minutes from your precious 24 hours for meditation and you too can become the happiest person in the world!
