Amazing
Benefits of Loving Kindness Meditation Backed by Science
Loving Kindness Meditation is about
cultivating compassion and love through mentally repeating a series of phrases
directed at someone you love, a neutral person, yourself, and then all living
things.
Ever wonder if repeating these
Loving Kindness phrases, such as “May you be well”, “May you be happy”, “May
you live with ease and in peace”, is really a productive use of your time?
Turns out science now backs what
Buddhists have long known about this powerful ancient practice. The incredible
thing about Loving Kindness meditation is that a single short session of about
10 minutes, can kick-start a positive ripple effect, leading to increased feelings of social connection and positivity
towards strangers.
Loving Kindness Meditation also has
continued benefits for those that practice more frequently. In fact, science
suggests that the benefits can be surprisingly far reaching.
Here are six incredible benefits of
Loving Kindness Meditation backed by science you should know about.
1. Increases Positive Emotions
If you’re looking to boost your
happiness and well-being, loving kindness meditation could be just the practice
for you. One study showed
that practicing seven weeks of Loving Kindness Meditation increased multiple
positive emotions including love, joy, contentment, gratitude, pride, hope,
interest, amusement, and awe. These positive emotions then had a ripple effect on
the participants, increasing both life satisfaction and reducing depressive
symptoms.
2. Quiets Your Inner Critic
We all have an internal dialogue and
near constant chatter that goes on inside our minds. For many of us, this voice
inside our heads can be downright nasty. Research shows this critical voice can
be tamed through practicing Loving Kindness Meditation. Beyond reducing
self-criticism and depressive symptoms, Loving Kindness Practitioners also
experienced improvements in self-compassion and positive emotions that were
maintained 3 months post-intervention.
3. Strengthens your Capacity for
Empathy
Because of recent advances in the
field of neuroplasticity, we know that what we think, do, and pay attention to
changes the structure and function of our brains. And guess what? Regularly
practicing Loving Kindness Meditation has been shown to
activate and strengthen areas of the brain responsible for empathy. One of
the most important benefits of empathy is that it improves relationships.
Increased empathy can also lead to more compassionate action.
4. Decreases Migraines
Time to toss out your Tylenol? While
meditation isn’t usually thought to be a remedy for debilitating migraines,
research shows it can help. A brief Loving Kindness Meditation
intervention was shown to
immediately help reduce pain and alleviate emotional tension associated with
chronic migraines.
5. Increases Compassion
According to the Dalai Lama, love
and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot
survive. The good news is: Loving Kindness Meditation may be one of
the most effective practices for
increasing compassion. Being more compassionate has a host of
benefits, including improved health, well-being, and relationships.
6. The Foundation of Youth:
Increases Telomere Length
In another eye-opening study , researchers found
that women with experience in Loving Kindness Meditation had relatively longer
telomere length (a biological marker of aging) when compared to age-matched
controls. Bye bye botox, time to get on that meditation cushion and repeat the
Loving Kindness phrases “May you be well, may you be happy, and may you live
with ease and in peace.”
Conclusion
What are you waiting for? Start with
a small, but daily, commitment to Loving Kindness meditation. If you commit to
just five minutes each day, you are much more likely to stick with it,
and you’ll start to see benefits soon enough.
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