Why is meditation good for the mind?
In this article, we'll explore how Pain Scan Meditation helps calm the mind.
Two Abilities Strengthened by Meditation
As explained in our article "How to practice Pain Scan Meditation", meditation primarily involves two key practices:
- Maintain deep, steady breathing
- Observe your pain
By practicing meditation regularly, you can develop two important abilities:
- The ability to control your breathing
- 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 Control Our 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 vicious cycle in which minor pain leads to even greater pain:
- You experience pain.
- Your breathing becomes shallow, reducing oxygen intake.
- Your brain receives less oxygen, which impairs clear thinking.
- You become unable to solve your problems rationally.
- Your problems worsen, causing even greater pain.
What Happens When We Can't Acknowledge Pain?
Our brains naturally try to avoid pain.
For example, turning away from something unpleasant or covering your ears to avoid hearing something distressing.
But when this tendency becomes too strong, it can trigger another vicious cycle in which minor pain leads to even greater pain:
- You experience pain.
- A desire to escape the pain arises.
- You attempt to block the painful information from consciousness.
- Your brain fails to process essential information needed to resolve the situation, impairing your thinking abilities.
- You become unable to solve your problems rationally.
- Your problems worsen, causing even greater pain.
Final Thoughts
These vicious cycles can affect anyone to some degree in daily life.
However, with regular meditation practice, you can maintain steady breathing and accurately recognize pain and its underlying causes, even in difficult situations.
This helps you avoid these vicious cycles, leading to a more peaceful mind.