The art of meditation has been around for thousands of years and its popularity continues to rise. In fact, it's estimated that up to 500 million people worldwide practice meditation daily.

In order to get started with my journey, earlier this year I participated in a 10-week course called Mindfulness for Life and that shifted my entire perspective on meditation.

Since then I've been practicing on a daily basis (53 days and counting) and some of the lessons I've learned along the way have been absolutely life-changing. Here are the three major benefits I've observed during this time.

Greater Awareness

Since starting meditation, I've managed to rewire my brain. I've obtained a greater understanding of myself, and what I need to do to get to the next level: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Taking a few minutes each day gave me an opportunity to reflect on my habits and even transform destructive feedback loops into more constructive ones. For instance, I managed to replace my unhealthy habit of aimlessly scrolling through YouTube, with a more fruitful habit of writing online.

Improved Attention Span

In the past, I would struggle to pay attention to conversations with friends and family. My mind would be scattered all over the place and I would often forget the names of people I met a few minutes ago.

Meditation has given me greater control of my thoughts and emotions. During conversations, I'm now able to actively listen and focus on what the other person is saying, rather than what's running through my mind at any given moment. In fact, this isn't limited to conversations. My day-to-day tasks are now met with incredible amounts of focus too.

Decreased Stress Levels

Being a medical student, stress is an absolute certainty. This was one of the major reasons I wanted to start practicing meditation in the first place.

Instead of being preoccupied with things out of my control, being mindful has shifted my mindset to focus on the things I actually can control. The same exams I would dread preparing for are now met with a more nourishing approach rather than a depleting one.

"Meditation is the process through which we get to know how our mind works & train our attention to remain where we place it"