10 Reasons to Start Meditating.

When people hear the word "meditating" they often think about sitting crossed leg on a yoga mat, eyes closed, straight back, fingers in position and in deep trance. While this is exactly what some people may look like, it can also be as simple as sitting in a chair in a quiet place to refocus your thoughts. Even just five minutes of a time out out of your day, with yourself and no other distraction can make a world of difference in your well being. There are many benefits to meditating, here are ten:

1. IT STOPS YOU. Often on auto pilot, we go through our day and reach the night wondering where the day went. Taking that five, ten or the recommended twenty minutes just stops you from the ongoing activities and brings down the pressure.

2. CALMS BODY & MIND. Coming to a full stop, you look to the right, to the left... and calm down from the speed. You will slowly become more aware of your body and the aches and pains accumulated during the day. Your heart beat slows and you remember to breath - deeply.

3. RELAXES THE BODY. As you breath in and out deeply, you massage your entire body. Your muscles relax, your organs relax, your nerves relax.

3. CLEARS THE MIND. Once you body and mind are calm, you will be able to think clearly again. Any problem you might have encountered can be solved more easily when you are able to think clearly. Ideas will flow and solutions will be revealed. Meditation clears up mental chatter making room for a more productive thinking.

4. FOCUS. While meditating, you need to focus on one think in order to achieve all of the above. Focusing on your breath is a start. As you practice, you will get better at it and it will bring a stronger focus in your life.

5. RELIEVES STRESS. A no-brainer. If you meditate in the morning upon waking, you strengthen your ability to cope with stress because you took that time to calm, relax your body, and clear the chatter in your mind making a list of "to do's" for the day. In the evening before going to sleep, meditation will unwind you and wash the stress of your day away.

6. OPENS NEW CHANNELS of communication. As you become more comfortable slipping into a meditative state, you will be more in touch with your subconscious mind and use it to your advantage. Find out more about the power of your subconscious mind.

7. HEAR THE INNER VOICE. There is you, and then there is the YOU of you. The "you" that notices your "self" thinking. Ever had this little voice whisper a command in the back of your mind? Listen to it, it is your inner, wiser, spirit guiding you. When there's too much noise pollution around, that little voice gets lost but during meditation, you can hear it and it always knows what's best for you.

8. ACTIVATES CREATIVITY. Everyone is creative and meditation will bring out your creative side.

9. DISCIPLINE. When you get into the habit of meditation, you become more disciplined, you eat and drink more wisely bringing into your experience a healthier living.

10. CONNECT TO SOURCE. Meditation will connect you to your subconscious mind, to your inner spirit as well as to the eternal Source (God) which is a part of us and we a part of it. We often - almost - forget this connection. But in the quiet of the meditation state, we can connect and draw from the Source all that we need.

Create a space to encourage your meditation practice: 5 easy ways to create your personal magical environment.