How meditation can help lose body weight

Most of the people are aware of the fact that it is essential to maintain a proper lifestyle to live healthy, but they fail to follow the same because of the temptations which have been radiating all around the corner.  A sedentary lifestyle is the insignia of today’s world and even those people who genuinely wish to lead a healthy lifestyle fall prey to this.  As a result, stress, obesity, insomnia etc., have become common and those who are trapped in this vicious situation are struggling to find a way out of it.

If you really wish to lead a healthy life, it is necessary to have a decision to control your mind against unnecessary liking and thoughts and it can be achieved only through meditation. Meditation calms the mind and relaxes the body.

Benefits of meditation in losing weight

1. Meditation is the process which helps getting aware of things. This utility of meditation helps get rid of unnecessary desires and wishes. For example, if you have a craving for candy and the doctor warns against that, it may create an embarrassing situation. At this time you could apply the functionality of meditation  and notice the thought indifferently with out being identified with it then the desire would vanish from your mind and what remains there is pure bliss.
2. You can also divert your awareness to some other matters too, that also would help forget the unnecessary thoughts. This technique can be applied if you are in the diet and trying hard to drop some extra pounds from your body.
3. Relaxation is the other benefit of meditation and that disposition would help enhance the B.M.R (Basal Metabolic Rate. It is the measurement of energy expenditure of a person during physical, emotional and digestive rest over a 24-hour period.)
4. Stress is one of the main reasons of getting obese. This is because if you are in a stressful situation and seeking a way to get rid of it, you may naturally develop a craving for more food. This may help you for the time being in deviating from stressful thoughts, but it would later lead to obesity. Therefore, it is necessary to be relaxed, still and being in a serene state without having any involvement of yourself. This disposition will relieve the stress and over time it would be your character.
5. The meditation techniques like Transcendental Meditation, Mindfulness, Breath Counting Meditation etc., would help in this regard.

Transcendental Meditation

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced the TM technique and TM movement in India in the mid-1950s.

The meditation practice involves the use of a mantra for 15–20 minutes twice per day while sitting with the eyes closed.  It is reported to be one of the most widely practiced,and among the most widely researched, meditation techniques, with hundreds of published research studies.

Mindfulness Meditation

Make sure that your spine is straight. Close your eyes and take deep breaths, concentrating completely on breathing, and be very mindful of the process of breathing, experiencing breathing in and breathing out. Concentrate on every single part of your body one by one. Continue the same for almost 10 minutes and then move your concentration to the sounds around you. It is important that you do not judge these sounds, but rather just experience them as they are. Continue the same for almost 5-6 minutes.

Slowly open your eyes, move your concentration to what you see around you, and again be careful that you do not judge them but rather just experience the mere vision of them. All this time, you should be aware of your body as well as your breath. In the beginning, it could appear to be quite difficult, but with practice, one would be able to experience the real joy of mindful- meditation. In course of time, you will understand that you have fallen in love with the mere act of existence.

Breath Counting Meditation

To practice this meditation, take a comfortable seating position and keep your hands in the Cosmic Mudra (keeping the left palm over the right one, with the thumbs touching each other. Make sure that both the palms are facing upwards) and place them on your lap. Try smiling and concentrate on your breathing. Even if you are not able to concentrate completely on breathing, count after each breath and this will eventually help. Keep counting your breaths and if you lose track in between, start from the beginning again.

In the beginning, do this just for two minutes. Gradually increase the time and the results will amaze you. Your confidence would be boosted and your thoughts would be clear. You will experience that your concentration  and will power have improved.

As you move forward you would experience that you are covered by an aura of peace where happiness blooms. This is something to be experienced and not explained. Take a short break from your life to practice this meditation and you will find that your life has absolutely changed.

Praveen Vikkath