"Thus meditating you will no longer strive to build yourself up in your prejudices, but, forgetting self, you will remember only that you are seeking the Truth."

- James Allen

Many people sit and meditate to achieve spiritual growth or inner transformation....

1 ) We slowly take off our masks. Most of us have at least some false masks that we wear in our daily life. We pretend to be somebody other than who we truly are so that we can fit in with the crowd. With meditation we can find greater happiness in being our true selves. We become much more aware of the times in our life that we are being false, when we are trying hard to please others, or when we are afraid to move on from things that no longer serve us or others. The value of this has to be experienced to be appreciated, but would you rather stress yourself out trying to be someone you are not? Or would you rather get to know who you are and live an honest life?

2) Yogis and Buddhists have taught meditation as a technique for spiritual growth for millennia. They prescribe it as a way to achieve liberation from the suffering we all face in our world. Through regular meditation practice they claim that we purify our hearts and minds to become better people. You can be religious or not and still have a regular meditation practice in your life. Spirituality is not about a journey prescribed by an outside authority, it is your own journey to find meaning and purpose in life.

3) You enhance your intuition. We go to school to educate our intellect. We go inwards in meditation to train our intuition. Our intuition is incredibly valuable in many areas of life. We are much more likely to make the best choices for others and ourselves when we listen to the voice of our intuition. It is a feeling inside of us that guides us to follow a course of action. With the endless chatter of the intellect it can be very difficult to hear our intuition. With regular meditation practice we become much more aware of this inner feeling. It can guide us in business, relationships, money matters and our health endeavors. But like anything, we need to train it.

4) You are able to release unhealthy attachments that no longer serve you. With meditation you become aware of just how attached you have become emotionally to people, places and things. With meditation you can begin to release the attachments. This does not mean that you cannot own anything in your life, it just means that it won't own you. You will experience less fear of losing these life experiences and enjoy them more while they are in your life.

5) You are contributing to world peace. Believe it or not scientists have studied the affects of groups of people meditating together and it has been shown to reduce the crime rate in the city of Washington DC. Before meditation began and after it had finished the crime rates were elevated. During the period of time that meditators sat and meditated, the crime rates dropped. It may sound crazy at first but think of the effect that large groups of people, all concentrating on inner peace, would have on the people around them. It may just have inspired others to take a more peaceful approach to their day.

These are some of the many benefits you can experience from a regular meditation practice. You can guarantee that you will be able to find more as your journey progresses.