While Eastern religions espouse meditation as a path to enlightenment and self-awareness, those in the West are increasingly turning to this spiritual exercise as a means to improving the quality of their lives. Those adhering to a meditation routine speak of the calm they experience through meditation, as well as the health benefits that they enjoy. Still others note that meditation goes well beyond mere mental and physical health and claim that meditation possesses a spiritual element that makes them closer to God, nature or simply themselves. Regardless of motivation, few deny that meditation offers benefits of various sorts. For those who find themselves succumbing to the fast-paced, daily grind, meditation can be just the thing for reconnecting to nature, God and one?s self, as well as offering a boost in mental and physical well-being.

Everyone needs "me time," and meditation, even aside from the religious and spiritual overtones, can provide this. For those considering meditation, or trying to get back into the practice, here are some reasons that meditation can be helpful:

Improves Mental Health

On the largest challenges faced by people in the modern day is overcoming the stress produced by everyday life. The vast amounts of anti-depressants prescribed by doctors may be seen as evidence of this fact. Meditation, on the other hand, provides a natural means of reducing stress and anxiety and can lead to enhanced mental health either in combination with, or in place of, popular anti-depressant courses of action. Studies indicate that meditation can go a long way toward improving self-esteem, memory and overall productivity. The connection between body and mind is important to remember, and meditation engages both, relaxing the body even as the mind actively engages. The improved mental health that can result from meditation manifests itself in many ways, but the general effect is greater happiness, better relationships, better decision-making, and a happier individual.

Improves Physical Health

Meditation has been shown to slow the individual?s heart rate through what has been termed a "relaxation response" by Dr. Herbert Benson. Benson?s research into the physical effects of meditation found that body functions improve when stress is reduced and that, in turn, meditation has a dramatic effect on stress levels. As the modern world continuously presents stressful situations, more and more people are overcome, physically and psychologically, by these challenges. Taking the time to "de-stress" each day - via meditation - is one way to overcome this issue. The result of this de-stressing, or relaxation , is to improve all of the major bodily functions and can arguably lead to enhance immune, cardiovascular, digestive and reproductive health.

Improves Spiritual Health

Spirituality is, in general, an ineffable quality or state of being. Trying to describe it is difficult, as it can be different for each individual. Nevertheless, spirituality can be described in a very general manner as a sense of connectedness with that which surrounds us. Primarily, it allows the individual to explore his or her own mind, resulting in a self-awareness or connectedness that removes the individual from the unthinking, monotonous daily grind that can be soul-sucking and which can detract from a life well lived. The connectedness goes beyond the self, and generally brings the individual into the present, as opposed to worrying about or being concerned with the past and the future. The process of meditation, when removing us from past and future, increases the awareness of the present to such an extent that true, meaningful reflection can be attained. This leads to connection with the people and things around us, resulting in an enhanced spirituality that is beneficial to the individual. Be sure to find a very good site to find out about Kabbalah from.