We’ve all heard that practicing meditation can be good for us…

…but beyond the common knowledge that it’s relaxing, we might not be exactly sure WHY it’s so good for us.

The truth is that meditation allows you to experience many benefits, both direct and indirect. Here are five surprising benefits that you can gain from regular meditation practice.

1. It Improves Fertility

Stress has been proven to hurt our immune systems. But did you know it can be equally devastating to our fertility? While scientists aren’t sure about the exact link between stress and infertility, they have discovered that women who took part in stress-reduction techniques were more likely to fall pregnant.

2. It Improves Self-Acceptance

When we engage in meditation, we become more aware of our thoughts and more capable of controlling them. A crucial part of meditation is noticing our thoughts and feelings without judging them. This helps us to develop a different perspective on our inner dialogue so that we can develop a greater understanding of ourselves.

3. It Improves Self-Confidence

Our self-confidence is built on the stories we know about ourselves. So, just like our self-acceptance can be improved with meditation, so can our self-esteem. When we experience negative thoughts and feelings about ourselves during meditation, we learn to notice them at the moment, and not hang onto them. After a time, this leaves us able to handle negative, internal dialogue better, outside of our meditation sessions.

4. It Improves our Relationships

Our relationships can be improved through the practice of meditation in two ways. First, it allows us the time to reconnect with ourselves. The more grounded, relaxed, and self-accepting we are, the more we can be our best selves with others. Secondly, it can help us to develop our awareness of the stories we hold around others. Meditation provides us with the ability to see stories we have with others from a different perspective.

5. It Improves Creativity

Many internal and external factors contribute to the creative blocks that we experience. When we struggle to break through specific thought patterns, practicing meditation is like hitting the restart button. Meditation allows us to step away from and out of these patterns, making it easier to move past them.

Engaging in regular meditation provides you with a whole host of benefits. Practicing for just ten minutes a day can change your entire world. While the length of your practice isn’t significant, the frequency that you practice will determine how successful you are on your path.