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Have you been curious about meditation, but ruled it out because it seemed like a waste of time? Meditation delivers excellent health benefits at a bargain price; it’s free. The following health benefits are all attributed to regular meditation practice.

Meditation is an excellent stress-buster. If you’re a typical American, you probably live a stressful life and pack too much into your schedule. Even as little as fifteen minutes of meditation will lower your body’s level of cortisol. What is cordisol, you ask? Cordisol is a hormone your body produces in response to stress; too much cordisol leads to a variety of health issues.

Meditation improves overall heart health. Every time you meditate, your body responds by lowering your blood pressure and slowing your heart rate. Meditation also boosts your body’s self-repair capabilities, which has prompted the Mayo Clinic to advise cancer patients to meditate daily.

Meditation supports mental focus and feelings of serenity. When scientists studied monks that had kept up meditation practices for years, they found their brains were much more active than a typical person’s brain. They found that the monks had enlarged hippocampuses; this part of the brain is responsible for feelings of well being. In general, people who practice meditation see improvement in mental focus.

Is it easy to begin a meditation practice? Commit a time frame, like fifteen minutes every day, to your practice. Set an alarm, sit in a comfortable position, shut your eyes, and relax. Think about one word and nothing else. Your mind will wander, but keep reigning it in, releasing the distracting thoughts and focusing on that one word. Do not move or open your eyes until your timer goes off. Add minutes to your meditation sessions until you find the perfect session length to meet your needs.