Why is meditation good for the mind?

In this article, we'll explore how our meditation technique helps calm the mind.

Two Abilities Strengthened by Meditation

As explained in our article "How to meditate", meditation primarily involves two key practices:

1. Controlling your breath
2. Observing your pain

By practicing meditation regularly, you can develop two important abilities:

1. The ability to maintain deep, steady breathing
2. The ability to acknowledge pain

When these two abilities improve, it becomes much easier to calm your mind.
To understand why, let's consider what happens when these abilities are lacking.

What Happens When We Can't Maintain Deep, Steady Breathing?

When we feel pain, our breathing tends to become shallow or irregular.
You've probably sighed when feeling overwhelmed—that's a common example.
But if this becomes too frequent, it can lead to a negative cycle:

1. Pain causes your breathing to become shallow or irregular.
2. Your brain receives less oxygen, which impairs your clear thinking.
3. Without clear thinking, you can't resolve the problem rationally.
4. The problem remains unresolved and may get worse over time.

What Happens When We Can't Acknowledge Pain?

Our brains naturally try to avoid pain.
Everyone wants to get away from unpleasant feelings quickly, right?
However, if you excessively avoid acknowledging pain, it can create another negative cycle:

1. You experience pain but try to push it out of your awareness.
2. As a result, you fail to recognize the real cause of your pain.
3. Without recognizing the problem, you can't resolve it rationally.
4. The problem remains unresolved and may get worse over time.

Final Thoughts

These negative cycles affect everyone in daily life to some extent.
However, by strengthening your ability to control your breathing and acknowledge pain through meditation, you can break free from these patterns.
Meditation enhances brain function, improves problem-solving skills, and ultimately helps create a more stable, resilient mind.