These five benefits of daily meditation are incredible on their own but when evaluated from a holistic faith perspective, it is undeniable the strengthening potential these benefits bring to your walk with God.
Meditation impacts all aspects of holistic health which include the physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual components of life. But how do we measure the impact on our walk with God? Quite simply, when we use this time of stillness to connect with God, we equip ourselves to carry this deep and meaningful connection into the remainder of our day. Daily Christian meditation is a way to invite God into every aspect of our life which is the very essence of a holistic faith lifestyle and the reason for seeking sacred in the everyday!
Benefits of Daily Meditation
1. Meditation Changes the Brain
Many meditations and mindfulness exercises work to help you release focus and rest your mind in the place between thoughts.
It may sound like an opposing idea, to build focus by learning to release focus, but it works! Here’s how. When we learn to acknowledge distractions and let them go during meditation, we can use the same technique when we need to focus on one task or assignment. When distractions pop up, whether it be a ding on our phone or the endless running to-do and what-if lists, we are better prepared to acknowledge their existence and determine their relative importance.
Every thought wants our immediate attention. A benefit of daily meditation is that we take back control. We can tuck stray thoughts away or jot them down and leave them there knowing the task will be waiting when the time is right.
Learning to remove this mental clutter also boosts creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Due to the changes meditation makes to the brain, it may also reduce memory loss typically attributed to the aging process.
How this Benefit of Daily Meditation Strengthens Your Walk with God:
Getting acquainted with how your mind works is an eye-opening and awe-inspiring pursuit! We are gifted with so much ability, but often lack the stamina and confidence to take thoughts captive and renew the mind on a continual basis. An ability to surrender and welcome the strength of God into every aspect of our day. is one of the life-changing benefits of daily meditation for us as Christians. All gaps are met in the abundant presence of God.
You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. ~ Psalm 8:5
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
2. Meditation Improves Physical Health
Meditation is widely known for reducing stress and anxiety, which of course leads to a host of wellness benefits. Improved sleep, increased immune system, and lowered cortisol levels are just the beginning!
Possibly one of the more surprising physical benefits of daily meditation is that individuals who practice the art have better control over the deactivation of certain brain regions that relate to pain signals (1). This translates to say that one of the unexpected benefits of daily meditation is a reduction in pain. Our stress level and heightened awareness of pain actually increases pain levels.
Initially, meditating helps us take a mental break from difficult circumstances. Over time, the benefits of daily meditation roll out into the rest of our life as we develop an ability to decrease the perception of pain.
Meditation is also shown to help with addictions by building willpower and confidence in mind over matter abilities.
How this Benefit of Daily Meditation Strengthens Your Walk with God:
Everything is easier when we feel better. When we take care of our physical health it is easier to commit to spending quiet time with God. Fixing our eyes on God when we are doing well instills the spiritual discipline to remain anchored when we aren’t feeling our best. Setting up healthy habits improves digestion, reduces systemic inflammation, and alleviates brain fog, all of which let us move more uninhibited throughout our day. Though physical trials often press us toward God, living without them definitely boosts exuberance in our walk!
3. Meditation Supports Emotional Health
We reviewed previously that one of the benefits of daily meditation is decreased stress and anxiety, which is helpful to both our physical and emotional health. Meditation may also help you increase compassion toward yourself and others. Much of this begins with heightened emotional intelligence that is gained through the observation portion of meditation. Being mindful of our thoughts and feelings goes a long way in helping us be less reactive and taking a step back from emotional situations until we feel more grounded and able to discuss or handle a situation calmly.
This is all incredibly helpful in any position of leadership because emotional intelligence lets you learn more about yourself and those under your management. Emotional intelligence also goes a long way in caring for kids, whether they are your students, your own children, or both!
How this Benefit of Daily Meditation Strengthens Your Walk with God:
Our emotions are layered and it is only when we begin to peel them back do we discover just how many layers there are! Discovering our emotions and reading or recognizing their backstories provides ample opportunity to meet with the Great Counselor. There we find advisement, wisdom, and healing, as well as the empowerment to forgive others and love more fully.
4. Meditation improves Relationships
When we improve our emotional health, it is inevitable that we will improve our relationships. We will be better able to balance our needs and the needs of others and be less reactive to triggers that previously put us on defense.
The benefits of daily meditation include equipping you to pick up on cues from others. This comes as a result of sitting quietly and noticing your own thoughts and emotions. Over time, you will be able to not only use what you’ve learned in meditation to choose how to respond to your own emotional ups and downs, but you’ll also have a heightened awareness of how others are feeling.
In this way, meditation helps set healthy boundaries in relationships. Growing in awareness of your own and others’ triggers, as well as deepening your well of compassion, makes you better at life and relationships!
How this Benefit of Daily Meditation Strengthens Your Walk with God:
One of the most faith-building benefits of daily meditation for Christians is an increased intimacy with God. Learning about yourself in the presence of the Most High highlights your needs in a sweet and transformative way. Acknowledging the deficits within your relationships tightens the focus on where you could do better but often fail. From there, you may quickly switch the vantage point to see where others could improve in how they relate to you.
Meditation assists in noticing these things without judgment during our practice. Then later we are able to process, sort, and problem solve. When we trust God with everything that we notice both during and outside of our Christian meditation practice, we are taking refuge in God.
My deep need calls out to the deep kindness of your love.” ~ Psalm 42:7 (TPT)
God’s love, justice, mercy, and grace beckon us to learn more and walk closer with the One Source of every good gift.
5. Meditation Fortifies Spiritual Health
Spiritual health is more than faith and religion. Though those attributes are included, spiritual health is a measure of your comprehensive, overarching sense of wellbeing. The benefits of daily meditation and mindfulness are seen when you are able to see your strengths and opportunities with greater clarity. And on the flip side, these practices allow mental space for taking your thoughts captive and confronting limiting beliefs.
The practice also helps you be and stay in the “flow” where your mind is in harmony with itself rather than engaging in self-judgment and beratement.
How this Benefit of Daily Meditation Strengthens Your Walk with God:
This benefit of daily meditation is huge for Christians, especially those whose first exposure to the faith was within a legalistic environment. God is the great Judge, having all facts and knowledge and provides the way for absolving sin and removes all guilt. I
t is important to acknowledge sin and remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance but self-hatred stacks the power of your daily, human choices higher than the sacrifice of God. It sounds absurd when we consider anything we do to be more powerful than anything God does. But in reality, this battle can be hard to overcome.
Sitting quietly and learning to moderate or take captive all thoughts is an immeasurably powerful tool for recognizing your place in this privileged relationship and living more abundantly.
I’m in. How Do I Start Meditating?
Start small! Work towards consistency. Let go of expectations.
A few minutes a day is far more advantageous than one long session a week. Our minds are busy, active, creative places. Sitting still without reacting to every thought or idea takes regular practice. And the benefits of daily meditation are more than worth your effort!
Holistic Faith Lifestyle is working to support you in this journey. Each Monday I send out links to my new Christian meditation YouTube videos by email. Subscribers to the list also receive password-guarded access to my own personal Weekly Meditation Playlist. It is a great tool for staying grounded in the Word every day.
To add your email to that list, fill out the form below, then be sure to open the confirmation email to keep the weekly emails coming through. I’m sure you’ll find meaningful support in developing your practice and accessing all the benefits of daily meditation!
Subscribe to Holistic Faith Lifestyle
Check out the Holistic Faith Lifestyle guided Christian Meditation YouTube Channel!
I’m honored to share a part of your daily Christian meditation journey. Please reach out with any questions via the Contact page.
And be blessed!
These are great benefits from meditation. They allow us to center our thoughts, calm our mind, and focus on what matters.
Yes! And I need that discipline every day. Over the years the benefits of daily meditation have settled my spirit and allowed me to be more authentic with God. Stillness is a precious gift! Be blessed, Brandi!
Great article on learning to meditate in God’s presence and on His word.
I like to read some scripture and then think of it from different angles and different parts of it all throughout the day. There are so many layers to be discovered
That’s a great way to reap the benefits of daily meditation within your walk with God! And so true that there is always more depth to be explored. Thanks for sharing!
There are some really good ideas to make daily meditation a part of my daily routine. I need more practice definitely. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
You’re so welcome, Ava! I hope these benefits of daily meditation help you as you work to develop your practice. God is good and kind to provide whatever we lack, which certainly applies when we’re developing spiritual discipline. Reach out if you hit any road blocks! ❤️
Thanks for sharing this post on the benefits of meditating. I find this post very helpful as I plan to meditate more often.
That’s great, Hannah! I hope recalling all the benefits of daily meditation keep you strengthened in this pursuit. Be blessed!
I agree that we need to become less reactive to emotional triggers and achieving that takes practice! This guide to daily meditation is a great way to be intentional in reaching this goal! Great article. Thank you.
It definitely does take practice! These benefits of daily meditation made it worth the effort for me, too. Be blessed, Teresa!
So many great benefits of daily meditation! Who would have thought? The fact that daily meditation is beneficial to our spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical health is enough to get me started!
That’s awesome, Stacey! It has benefited me in all of the ways listed above and know it will for you, too. I hope you enjoy getting started! Reach out if you need help or hit any road blocks.
Thank you for your thought provoking help on meditating. I do believe it is very important and need to become more consistent!
You are so welcome. Just like any healthy habit, meditation takes discipline. God is good to strengthen us wherever we need it, especially if we’re asking for renewed ability to deepen our relationship with our Creator. So good to know that we face nothing (big or small) alone. ❤️
Rachel, God has gifted you with such deep insight. I am blessed to be following your blog. I love that we can have the benefits of daily meditation. Meditating on Him helps me find focus and deep healing in the many areas of our life. I know I sure needed to read this today … ❤
Daily meditation usually takes the form of prayer for me…but I like how you point out the need to distance oneself from the overwhelming activity of the day. With 5 littles at home, this is challenging for me but something I want to try to add to my daily routine!
I bet that is tough! If meditation isn’t available right now in your schedule, you might try to start with mindfulness exercises where you take a routine thing, like washing your hands, and set an intention of engaging all 5 senses. So you might start just by hearing the water run, then your hands moving in the water, then stretch your hearing to see what sounds you may hear in the distance, followed by noticing your other senses, too. It doesn’t sound like much, but mindfulness can quiet the mind and allow for some of those same benefits of daily meditation in microdoses. Throughout the day, they can make a big difference though, especially for a busy mom!
This is an excellent post on the benefits of daily meditation. It really made me think about my daily routine and how I can fit a few minutes a day in to help relieve my stress and anxiety. I am going to do this!
That’s awesome, Heather! It does become easier when we set that intention. And of course, God is good to strengthen us to do things that build our relationship. So you’re not at it alone! Hope you’ll come back here for encouragement on building that spiritual discipline!
Thanks for sharing the way daily meditation has impacted you. There are many great points here!
Thanks, Merry! Yes, these benefits of daily meditation have definitely been big in my life!
Great points that lead us to fully connect with God. Something to share with others when we talk about how our faith keeps us steady. Thank you for sharing.
I love that, MaryAnn! Anytime we can use our daily routine to connect with God, the better off we are. And then to take that a step further by sharing with others how we do that, makes one more benefit fo daily meditation for us Jesus followers!
Daily meditation on God’s Word is the most important spiritual discipline. The world and even many Christians tend to think that mediation is an act of emptying the mind in order to de-stress and find calm. There is no teaching in the Bible that supports that, however. The Benefits are far-reaching, as you have pointed out so well!
Glad you enjoyed these benefits of daily meditation! The benefits coupled with God’s word have been incredibly powerful in my life!
I like how you talked about the benefits meditation for each aspect of holistic. I also liked how you brought in the spiritual growth aspect of each one too.
Thanks, Cindy! There are so many daily benefits of meditation that have positively impacted my life. I wanted to show how they can also strengthen our walk with God. Glad it spoke to you!
Have to be honest – haven’t really been into daily meditation asides from intentional prayer time, but this was definitely an interesting read!
Well, it certainly isn’t necessary for connecting with God, but the benefits of daily meditation coupled with communion with God have been powerful in my life! I hope you give the practice a chance again soon!
This is definitely something my ADD brain of mine needs to try., Seems like there are so many benefits!
Yes, so many daily benefits to daily meditation! And several are helpful in combatting common symptoms of ADD. It’s a big reason why I started meditating with my two kiddos; one diagnosed, and one highly suspected with ADD.
Daily meditation takes discipline and it is such a healthy practice.
It does take discipline but the benefits of daily meditation are so worth it ~ especially when we use it as a way to connect with God!