(b)Why is meditation good for you?(/b)It Boosts Your health1 - Increases immune function2 - Decreases Pain 3 - Decreases Inflammation at the Cellular Level It Boosts Your happiness4 - Increases Positive Emotion5 - Decreases Depression 6 - Decreases Anxiety 7 - Decreases Stress It Boosts Your social lifeThink meditation is a solitary activity? It may be (unless you meditate in a group which many do!) but it actually increases your sense of connection to others:8 - Increases social connection & emotional intelligence9 - Makes you more compassionate 10 - Makes you feel less lonely It Boosts Your Self-Control11 - Improves your ability to regulate your emotions12 - Improves your ability to introspect It Changes Your BRAIN (for the better)13 - Increases grey matter 14 - Increases volume in areas related to emotion regulation, positive emotions & self-control15 - Increases cortical thickness in areas related to paying attention It Improves Your Productivity (yes, by doing nothing)16 - Increases your focus & attention 17 - Improves your ability to multitask18 - Improves your memory 19 - Improves your ability to be creative & think outside the box 20. It Makes You WISE (R)It gives you perspective: By observing your mind, you realise you don't have to be slave to it. You realise it throws tantrums, gets grumpy, jealous, happy and sad but that it doesn't have to run you. Meditation is quite simply mental hygiene: clear out the junk, tune your talents, and get in touch with yourself. Think about it, you shower every day and clean your body, but have you ever showered your mind? As a consequence, you'll feel more clear and see thing with greater perspective. "The quality of our life depends on the quality of our mind," writes Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. We can't control what happens on the outside but we do have a say over the quality of our mind. No matter what's going on, if your mind is ok, everything is ok. Right now.It Keeps You RealOnce you get to know your mind, you start to own your stuff and become more authentic, maybe even humble. You realise the stories and soap operas your mind puts you through and you gain some perspective on them. You realise most of us are caught up in a mind-drama and become more compassionate towards others.And...the more you meditate, the more you seem to benefit.Myths about MeditationHaving an empty mind—nope, in fact, when you start meditating, you'll find its quite the oppositeSitting in lotus position—nope, you can sit on the couch (just don't lie down, you'll fall asleep)Sitting for an hour a day—nope, small doses work just fine, Chanting in a language I don't understand—nope, not unless that floats your boatWeird—what's so weird about sitting and breathing?"I can't meditate" because:I can't clear my mind—no worries, while you're sitting there you'll experience the noisy chaos of a wound up mind that's unwinding: tons of thoughts, feelings and emotions. Don't worry about how you feel during, notice how you feel after and throughout the rest of the dayI can't sit still—that's ok, just sit comfortably, fidget if you need toI get anxious—that's also normal, all the junk's coming up, learn some breathing practices to calm yourself down, exercise or do yoga before meditatingI hate sitting still—that's fine, then go for a walk without your earphones, phone etc; or start with yoga; or do breathing exercises…give yourself time to just "be" without constantly "doing" somethingI tried and I hated it—there's not just one kind of meditation, there's a whole menu out there, look for the shoe that fits: mindfulness, Transcendental, compassion, mantra, Vipassana, Art of Living breathing practices, yoga nidra, yoga, insight, loving-kindness, tai chi etc...I don't have time - if you have time to read an article about meditation all the way through, you have time to meditate. Think of all those minutes you waste every day on the internet or otherwise, you can definitely fit in 20 minutes here or there to give your life a boost! Gandhi is quoted as saying "I'm so busy today, that... I'm going to meditate 2 hours instead of 1."