5 Benefits Of Meditation On Learning Minds

Meditation is a practice that is used to encourage mental focus and awareness. There are several different techniques that can be used to meditate, all of which are designed to reach that same goal: shifting a person’s consciousness to benefit psychological and cognitive health. The practice began thousands of years ago, and many religions (including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) have their own way of using meditative practices to benefit the mind.

In the modern age, meditation is not always tied to religion or spirituality – many people use it simply because it can provide therapeutic relief. There are many different types of meditation, but all stem from the two main practices known as concentrative and mindfulness meditation.

What are concentrative and mindfulness meditation?
During concentrative meditation, a person focuses their attention on one specific thing. While focusing, the world around them begins to melt away as they tune in to that one object. Some of the more common focuses in concentrative technique include the breath, specific words or mantras, or counting numbers.

Mindfulness meditation is designed to address specific psychological issues such as depression or anxiety, so the way the practice works can vary significantly. Its main aim is to pull the person into the present, where they can be accepting and open to the moment they are in while meditating.

What are the benefits of meditation to the mind?
Meditation has proven to be highly beneficial to the mind in many ways, including its ability to reduce mental stress. Stress can have a negative impact on cognition, and meditating can help to mitigate those harmful effects by reducing stress. Anxiety, which is a highly common psychological ailment, can also be curbed using meditation. This is good for the learning mind, because anxiety has been shown to “take over” – that is, when a person is feeling anxious, they are less able to think coherently or take in new information.

Meditation has also been shown to improve overall emotional health and enhance self-awareness. This allows people to feel more optimistic and see themselves in a better light at the same time as assisting in self-discovery. When people achieve a better understanding of who they are and what they want, they are able to truly strive to become the best version of themselves. Self-awareness can also help people recognize harmful behaviors that may not be beneficial to their overall goals.

Can meditation help learning?
Learning can benefit hugely from a meditation practice, and many schools are now introducing it as a way to help students deal with stress or other life issues. Some specific benefits of meditation on learning minds include:

1. Increased attention span
   For many students, paying attention to classes may be difficult. Focus is a vital component of academic success, and when a student is unable to focus effectively, it can severely affect their performance. Meditation has been shown to help improve and lengthen attention span.
2. Improved memory
   Memory and the ability to think clearly are also crucial for students. Recall is important when students are taking exams or other tests, and memory capacity determines levels of information retention. Research has shown that meditation can strengthen the area of the brain involved with memory capacity, and this is what drives people to become better at remembering things if they participate in regular meditation practices.
3. Better sleep
   Getting good-quality sleep every night is important for overall health, but it is especially important for learning. Without adequate sleep, the brain becomes less able to function as it should, which can hinder a student’s success. Research has shown that participating in mindfulness-based meditation practices can help reduce insomnia and other sleep-related disturbances.
4. Heightened creativity
   While meditating, people’s minds generally become more open. This is one of the main goals of a meditation practice. Because of this, students who meditate regularly can become more creative because their minds are more open to new ideas. This drives creativity and can help learning by increasing a student’s motivation to learn.
5. Better problem-solving skills
   People who meditate regularly also develop stronger problem-solving skills for the same reason that their creativity becomes heightened: meditation helps to open up the mind and allow for more critical thought. Problem-solving is important in learning because it encourages students to take initiative as well as building their confidence. When a student faces a roadblock in their studies but figures out a way to fix it on their own, they become more aware of their abilities and more confident in their academic prowess.

What type of meditation is good for students?
The benefits of meditation for students are undeniable. Any type of meditation can be good for students, but a form known as breath awareness meditation might be the best because of the way it helps to increase cognition. It is also easy to do, so even younger students can grasp the concept of this type of meditation easily, giving them a better opportunity to meditate effectively and experience the benefits.

Meditation may be an ancient practice whose origins are closely tied to religion and spirituality, but everyone and anyone can use it to help them achieve their goals. When it comes to students, meditation could eventually become a crucial part of their academic success.

 

Featured image by Kaur Martin on Unsplash