In a single word – Ego. This is the most complicated and sophisticated construct or institution within us, whatever you’d like to call it. And it’s very subtle – that’s the difficult part and that’s what makes it hard to detect, control or do anything with it for achieving our self-improvement.

It has dominated the impact on human civilization much more than anything else, and for the most part, negatively. Countries have gone to war because of it and been reduced to ashes. Mighty rulers, kings, successful people have succumbed to it, only to make things worse for themselves, people around them and sometimes their entire continent or the world.

But where does Ego stand in our lives today and how can we win the battle of controlling it?

Yes, you’ve heard all the standard stuff about meditation – relaxation, stress relief, becoming calmer and so on. But there’s a lot more to meditation than what 99% of the forms of meditation claim or can do. Sahaja meditation is deeper than most other forms and below is a list of amazing benefits of meditation that you may not have heard before.

At Sahaja Online, we have covered the scientifically established benefits of Sahaja meditation extensively. But even we haven’t included some on our comprehensive list of benefits. That’s because there are always those intangibles that science can never measure, which of course doesn’t mean that the benefits don’t exist.

Here’s our list of the most important things you can focus on for a deep meditative experience.

It’s rare to find anyone who doesn’t have issues with being consistent and sticking to a newly introduced routine. Especially when the routine involves some sort of a workout – physical or like in our case, regular meditation. The more difficult the workout the harder it is to fall into a routine and stick to it. The older we get, the more conditioned we are in refusing to inculcate anything new in our lives.

A different way of looking at it is that the greater the benefit and higher the purpose, the more difficult it is. And something like meditation and spirituality are at the apex of the pyramid of human needs. Therefore, they rank as the toughest to achieve when it comes to practicing consistently.

Don’t be surprised if we tell you that this is how Nature has designed it to be. Human beings can evolve to higher states only by being tested by having resistance and obstacles thrown in their path. You have to prove that you are worthy of it, in other words. Self-improvement goals achieved too easily will not be valued by us and we will likely come back to where we started very soon.

Achievements that come through winning over great difficulties are sweeter and longer lasting. Big muscles are developed by lifting heavy weights, not through a light workout.

So, how can we build our meditation muscle?

For starters, we’d like to clarify that by family, we mean any group you’re associated with that makes you feel happy, welcome and share the bond with others in the group. It could your workplace, the circle of friends, the group of people you play tennis with, your actual biological family or most relevant to us, the collective group of meditators or yoga practitioners you associate with.

Meditation can make a world of difference by cementing your place in any family. It can make you the most loved, sought after and respected member of the family. This can fill the void in your life with help and assistance being available to you whenever you need it, whether it’s emotional support, physical assistance or just about anything.

So, how does meditation do it and why is it special?