Why Meditating Alone Isn’t Enough: 6 Benefits Of Communal Meditation

Meditation can be a life-changing journey and a deeply personal experience. However, there’s more to meditation than simply sitting alone. Communal or group meditation can be a powerful tool to help you stay focused and improve your meditation experience. To find out for myself, I recently began weekly communal meditation. What at first started as simple curiosity has changed the way I meditate for the better.

To share my experience, here are six ways communal meditation can be beneficial for your mind, body and soul.

1. Meditating in a group makes it easier to stick with it

One of the hardest things about meditating alone is motivation. In our busy lives, it can be difficult to carve out time for meditation. You may struggle with enthusiasm and just generally let your meditation routine slide. Like with any other activity, it’s always easier to remain committed if other people are involved. So while it’s easy to quietly miss a day of meditating at home, it’s harder to find excuses when you know the group is waiting.

2. The sense of community

Meditation can be one of the most enriching personal journeys you’ll ever undertake, but that doesn’t mean you can’t invite a few friends along for the ride. Believe it or not, odds are there are probably more practitioners in your area than you expect, and they can provide a whole new dimension to your meditation life.

Communal meditation is a great way to meet new people who share a passion for meditation. Plus, in my own personal experience, I’ve found some of the stereotypes about meditators tend to be true: most are chilled out, decent people who care deeply about peace and self-improvement. Whatever walk of life they come from, they’re great people to hang out with.

3. It can improve your mental and physical health

Yup, that’s right: group activities can make you live longer. According to this study by researchers from Brigham Young University and published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, social isolation can increase your risk of premature death by roughly a third. The researchers argued the findings suggested that social isolation should be considered a major public health risk on the same level as obesity and drug abuse. “This is something that we need to take seriously for our health,” the study’s author Julianne Holt-Lunstad told Time.

So if you’re serious about improving your physical and mental health, then the best thing you can do is make sure you’re getting regular, meaningful social interaction. Communal meditation is the perfect way to do exactly this.

4. It can be a big learning experience

Arguably the single biggest benefit of communal meditation is the opportunity to learn from others. Most communal meditation groups tend to include people of all levels of experience, from basic beginners to serious sages. This makes communal meditation a great way to learn from others.

If you’ve ever struggled with meditation, then odds are you’re not alone. Everyone encounters challenges at various points during their meditation journey. The best way to surmount these challenges and improve your experience is to learn from others who have gone down this path before.

5. Meditating in a group can amplify your experience

There’s a lot of somewhat surreal research on the soothing effect of group meditation on individuals. Indeed, many regular practitioners of communal meditation say they experience an amplified sensation of peace and tranquility, which they often attribute to the power of the group.

“When connecting collectively, it’s not uncommon for people to leave group meditation and feel a strong intention for world peace.” senior meditation teacher Erica Jago has noted.

Whatever the explanation for this experience, it’s clear many people share this sensation of heightened empathy and peace while practicing communal meditation. If you’re interested to see what it’s like for yourself, then there’s only one way to do it: give communal meditation a try!

6. Communal meditation can reignite your passion

Finally, for many of us, meditation can sometimes feel like a chore. Even if you have a stable routine of individual meditation established, all of us can fall into ruts from time to time. Sometimes, it can almost feel as though you’re just going through the motions, but not really going anywhere. The occasional communal meditation can help break up the monotony and rekindle that love for meditation. Some people in my group only attend once a month or less, simply to touch base and get themselves reoriented. Even the most experienced meditators can, therefore, benefit from communal meditation.

Have you tried communal meditation? Share your experience in the comments below!

FREE BOOK: 4,000 Year-Old Ancient Secret to Help You Fight Dangerous Inflammation =>

— Ryan Mallett-Outtrim