Meditation As A Hobby – Benefits, Pros & Cons

Many people engage in hobbies to pass their leisure time effectively while relaxing their minds. There are many types of hobbies like; reading books, collecting stamps, writing, etc. Meditation as a hobby brings us many physical and mental benefits.

By now, many people all over the world are engaging in meditation as a free time activity. So, it is very important to know about meditation as a hobby for the knowledge of everyone who is engaging in it and who hopes to engage in it. Therefore, this article is all about meditation.

So, what is the importance of meditation as a hobby? Mainly, it helps to concentrate your mind properly on one activity as meditation means the practice of directing your mind for the relaxation of it and the body. This can be done in various ways. At the end, you will get a clear understanding of different stages of consciousness and the awareness of themselves. Meditation has been accepted as a best practice in a religious sense as well as in a scientific sense. Therefore, this is not just a hobby but an effective life practice that helps to do your work properly.

Read – Top Benefits Of Having A Hobby

Accordingly, in this article, I have covered why meditation is a good hobby, how I meditate as a hobby, and the benefits of meditation. Finally, I have given an idea about the goal of meditation as a hobby. 

Let’s get started!

Why is meditation a good hobby?

Meditation means; the practice of directing the mind towards one point. As an example, you can focus on your breathing, inhaling, and exhaling.

When you get used to it, you will obtain clarity and various stages of consciousness and awareness about yourself, your surroundings, and others with better training of the mind.

Meditation has been reached the world in a religious sense, especially in Buddhist philosophy at the beginning, but now it has crossed the traditional boundaries and has been very popular within the Western world also.

So, it is used as a therapy used for counseling, exercises and mind relaxation, etc. 

Therefore, many people like to engage in meditation. Even very busy characters also use meditation as the best means to release the stress and give a break for the mind.

Read – Advantages And Disadvantages Of Hobbies

A person who once engaged in meditation likes to continue it forever because; it is the best hobby that gives thousands of benefits to people.

There is no exact place or a time to meditate, but commonly people use calm and quiet environments for this, and when it is done before going to sleep at night, you can have a relax and deep sleep as well as if you do it in the morning, you can start your day with a positive, calm and relax the mind.  

When talking about meditation as a hobby, it has a greater impact on a successful professional and personal life in addition to mind relaxation. There is no need to do it regularly; you can earn all its benefits as a hobby even if you do it once or twice a week. But when you regularly do it, you can have many positive effects.

And also, there is no need for you to spend many hours on meditation; there are 15-30 minutes sessions. According to your wish, you can engage in this for longer periods or short periods.

Also, there is no need for equipment for meditation like other hobbies require. If you want, you can do this under the guidance or refer to the books, videos, and online sessions for better knowledge. 

Find out more – How Do Hobbies Affect Your Life? Guide For A Positive Change

When it comes to the meditation styles, there are many styles. As an example, there is a transcendental technique of meditation that flows in the form of mantra meditation.

It should be conducted properly. There, the meditator should focus on the mantra sound and can be done for 15-20 minutes in the morning or the evening. 

Buddhism talks about various styles of meditation which is the major practice for enlightenment in one’s life. As there are many meditation styles in it, there is no exact accepted style to use.

You can practice as you wish. For example, Buddhism talks about “Anapanasati” which focuses on breathing, inhale and exhale, the enlargement of lungs and the contraction of lungs, etc.

Yoga is also known as a meditative style that helps to relax both the body and the mind. It is associated with Hinduism. Breathing control is the base here, and there are specific physical postures that give exercises for the body also.

Read – Can A Hobby Be Dangerous?

There, you may be able to release the wastes of the mind, including stress, and earn pure thoughts. It is called “pratyahara.” With the practice of this for many years, you may be able to reach that extent.  

There is a very ancient Indian religion called “Jainism,” which also uses meditation as the path to gain enlightenment. But it varies from Buddhism. The goal here is spiritual freedom. They do this with open eyes by fixing the eyes on a specific object. This style uses mantras; the most popular term is “OM,” which is a complex verbal symbol. 

Taoism also used this as a form of mental training and contemplation. Martial arts are also associated with this, which helps the mind prepare for complex body positions and motions. It also promotes physical health with better exercise. 

Many people engage in transcendental meditation when it comes to the new era of meditation, including the western world. Breathing techniques, mantras, visualization exercises, etc., are included here.

Find out – Best Hobbies For Moms In Their 30s – Complete Guide

Most of them do not aim at the religious or spiritual sense but the mind’s relaxation, releasing stress and connecting with the surroundings rather than physically connecting with it. 

And many people search whether there is a specific position for meditation when engaging in it as a hobby. But there is no right or wrong position here. According to the style you choose, you can select the best position suits for that style.

When practicing continuously, you will feel more comfortable with your position if you select the best. So, it is clear that meditation has been rooted in the very past, and due to its effectiveness, it has been developed and practiced by people until now.

Therefore, there is no doubt that meditation is a good hobby. 

How can you meditate as a hobby?

Many people already engage in meditation as a hobby all over the world, and some others love to practice it as a hobby, but they may haven’t a clear idea on the way of doing it.

So, this is your chance to have a clear idea about it as I have given you details about the way of engaging in meditation.

• Choose a place to meditate

If you can choose a private, calm, and quiet place to meditate, it will be easy for you to concentrate your mind. So, select a place without external disturbances and feeling safe.

As an example, you can choose your bedroom for this if you have a separate one. And cleanliness is also very important.

So, clean the place as soon as you select it and decorate it with flowers or something that helps to relax the mind. 

• Sit in a comfortable position

There are different sitting positions that can be recommended for meditation. There is no exact position to sit when meditating; you can select any position that feels comfortable to you.

It may be a lotus position, cross-legged position, sitting on a cushion or a chair, or any way you like. The major thing is that you should sit straight at any position for a better flow of energy through the body. 

• Clear your mind

You can clear your mind through a deep breath. Release the stress with the exhalation. 

• Simply sit and observe 

Meditation can be done by walking, sleeping, standing as well as sitting. But many people do it by sitting as it is comfortable for them. So, you also can choose any position if it is comfortable.

The main thing you should do here is to observe your inner mind and listen to it through silence. See the feelings and thoughts that are born exist and die from time to time and gradually try to concentrate on one point of view.

It may be your inhalation and exhalation, a visual image, a mantra, nature, or anything that helps to calm your mind. Do not forcefully block your stream of thoughts; it will be painful both physically and mentally.

So, try to observe them as outsiders and understand the process but not engage in it. Only recognize the thoughts and let them go without intervening.

If you are unable to concentrate on meditation, you can use simple methods like; bending fingers of the hands by counting from one to ten and ten to one. 

Thoughts are always generated in our minds, but we do not focus on them as they are full of different thoughts. So, meditation helps to clear them all, and when you practice this for a few days, you will realize the peace in your mind and help to concentrate on the present moment.

There is no need to go to longer sessions of meditation at the beginning. You can start it in 15-20 minutes, and you can gradually increase the period.

When you practice it well, you can observe your physical body as an outsider. And it is a little bit of deeper context that you feel when you reach the highest stages of meditation.

• End your meditation

This is the last step. When you finish the meditation, slowly come to the physical state from the spiritual world, slowly reach your surroundings and you. Make sure not to do these at once, it may be painful for your mind, and you will catch a headache.

So, take about 15-30 seconds for this. You should do this slowly as much as possible and very slowly open your eyes. Finally, give your gratitude for the blessings you enjoy and the people around you; it will help to build strong relationships. 

So, these are very simple methods to follow to meditate successfully. You can try this and have the positive results of meditation.

What are the benefits of meditation?

People choose hobbies to have a break from their regular busy lives. So, many people use meditation as a hobby to relax their minds.

Are there any benefits of meditation as people expect? Of course, there are hundreds of benefits. Here, let’s focus on those benefits with more details. 

• Releasing the stress

Meditation is the best method to release stress. It has been found that the reason behind the popularity of meditation is its success as a stress reliever.

Due to the physical and mental stress, the stress hormone cortisol level gets increased by resulting in many harmful effects like; releasing inflammatory chemicals like cytokines.

It will hinder your sleep and promote anxiety and depression; increasing blood pressure, cloudy thinking, etc., are other results of stress.

So, here, especially mindfulness meditation, helps to decrease the inflammation reaction caused by stress. 

• Control of anxiety

Anxiety is a result of stress; meditation helps to reduce the stress which causes anxiety. It has been found that mindfulness meditation is very helpful even in reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder within people and increases the ability to cope with stress and positive thoughts.

Likewise, many meditative styles help to release the anxiety of people. As an example, yoga is another best style to release anxiety as it connects both physical and mental exercises. 

Not only has that, but meditation also releases the job-related anxiety of people. As an example, the professionals who engage in mindfulness meditation can improve their feelings of wellbeing by decreasing the distress and the job strain compared to the others. 

• Promoting emotional health

Meditation also helps to create an improved self-image and a positive outlook in life because; meditation releases the depression of people, decreases the inflammatory chemical levels that are generated due to the stress, and releases their negative thoughts. 

• Enhancing the self-awareness

Some meditative styles help to understand yourself and develop your mind to find the best self. As an example, through self-inquiry meditation, you can develop your understanding of yourself and the way to relate to your surroundings.

And there are other styles of meditations that help to recognize the harmful thoughts that prevent your career. So, when you recognize the destructive thoughts, you can turn them into constructive thoughts.

As an example, it has been found that Tai chi may help to improve self-efficiency by promoting their ability to face and overcome challenges. Problem-solving skills and reducing the feelings of loneliness are other self-developing benefits of meditation. 

• Increase of attention

Focused attention meditation will help you to have this benefit by increasing the endurance and strength of your attention. When people get used to listening to a meditative mantra, they will improve their accuracy and attention.

And, visual task meditation also has a greater influence on promoting the attention of people. Even if you meditate for a short period per day, it will benefit you to develop your attention. 

• Good for the heart

It has been found that meditation is very helpful in reducing the risk of having cardiovascular diseases as it positively impacts blood pressure, cardiovascular mortality, and the effectiveness of the heart muscles.

• Reduces blood pressure

There is a great impact of high blood pressure on increasing the risks of heart attacks and stroke. But, when you meditate, your blood pressure will naturally be controlled with the absence of medicine. 

• Reducing bad habits

It has been found that the people who are engaging in bad habits, whether it be smoking, shopping too much, etc., meditation can help reduce those behaviors.

When they meditate, they will unconsciously realize the uselessness of the bad habits and turn to be good with time.

• Strengthening the relationships

You need to have good communication skills and empathy to have strong relationships. When you meditate, naturally, you will improve all those good qualities, which result in creating strong interpersonal relationships.

Not only that, but you will also easily make relationships with people as you become friendly, kind and a respectful person. 

Further, there are many other benefits of meditation as;

• Boosting concentration and memory by learning to live in the moment.
• Building internal strength and resilience.
• Being comfortable in stillness.
• Learn to control anger, jealousy, hatred, pain, etc.
• Balancing your life with spiritual awakening.
• Being more productive.
• Boosts the immune system and mental functioning.
• Being more creative, kind, friendly, and attractive.
• Helps to deal with uncomfortable situations.
• Encourages movements and decision-making skills.

What is the goal of meditation as a hobby?

People use hobbies to reach their extra goals in life apart from occupational or educational goals. Accordingly, there is no secret that they expect to fulfill such goals by engaging in meditation as a hobby.

So, what is the goal of meditation? Here, let’s focus on its goal in detail. 

Generally, what is a goal? Does it depend on the process or the person who engages in the specific process? In my opinion, the goal depends on the specific person.

For example, when we consider meditation, some people engage in it to release their stress. Some others’ goal is enlightenment. Some others engage in meditation to cure their diseases like depression, high blood pressure, heart problems, etc.

Therefore, there is no doubt that the end goal of meditation depends on the people’s real reason behind their practice.

There are many positive effects of meditation, releasing stress, lowering blood pressure, learning to concentrate on the present moment, getting good sleep, etc.

But we can’t say that they are the goals of meditation; they are only positive results due to the practice of meditation.

But, there is no doubt that what may be the aim of a person to meditate, they all will earn the above mentioned positive results without any discrimination. 

However, here I will explain the common goals of meditation for your better understanding as;

• Realization

Consciousness is enhanced by meditation. So, when you practice meditating continuously, you will be able to reach the highest level of consciousness, which is called realization. It is a major goal of meditation that anyone can reach with better practice.

• Enlightenment

This is mostly discussed in Buddhism. Accordingly, it says that overcoming the ignorance of all the illusions and delusions with deep understanding about everything in the surroundings, including you. 

• Liberalization

This gives the idea of overcoming all the difficulties, problems, etc. Enlightenment and liberalization seem similar and linked together.

We say it because when someone gains enlightenment, they know where to go, what to do, etc. That is the liberalization gain due to enlightenment. No worries here about the future. So, it is a major goal of meditation.

• Wisdom

The natural outcome of liberalization and enlightenment is wisdom. When an intersection between understanding and knowing happens with reaching the highest stages of intelligent valuing and the human experience, you may reach wisdom.

It naturally prevents you from doing wrongs and encourages you to do the right. Accordingly, this also can be cited as a major goal of meditation.

Accordingly, it is clear that there is no exact goal of meditation, but there are many goals that vary according to the intentions of people who are meditating. 

You might be interested in reading;

• Cycling As A Hobby – Must Know Things + Guide & Tips
• Is Reading A Hobby? Yes, It Is A Great Hobby; Guide + Hints
• Collecting Antiques As A Hobby – Start An Antique Collection

Conclusion – Meditation as a hobby 

We have discussed; meditation as a hobby with more details. I think this article will effectively workout for all people who are meditating as I have covered all the related areas like; why is meditation a good hobby, how do I meditate as a hobby, what are the benefits of meditation and finally, I have given an idea about the goal of meditation as a hobby.

The history of meditation dates back to more than thousands of years. But still, it is very popular among people not only as a hobby but also as the best medicine for many physical and mental health problems. So, there is no doubt that meditation is a good hobby.

You have only simple steps to follow when doing meditation successfully; first, it is important to select a calm and quiet place, then sit in a comfortable position, clear your mind, simply sit and observe and finally, end your meditation.

Accordingly, you can earn many benefits by meditating as; boosting concentration and memory by learning to live in the moment, building internal strength and resilience, being comfortable in stillness, learning to control anger, jealousy, hatred, pain, etc.

The main goal of meditation can’t be exactly said as it depends on the intention of people. But generally, it can be said the main goals of meditation as; liberalization, enlightenment, realization, and wisdom. So, you can choose meditation as a hobby and enjoy the freedom of your mind.

Thank you for reading the post. If you think this is useful, feel free to share it with your friends. Stay with HobbyLeads for more about hobbies.