O-K…those of you who already make meditation a part of your daily routine know that a mere couple-minutes-a-day can improve your health and you can step to the head of the class. Those of you who don’t understand the benefits of meditation have to read the following article. So pay attention…there may be a test after.
According to learningmeditation.com, recent studies confirm the positive effects of meditation on overall health and well-being. In fact, a mere 10-15 minutes a day can make a difference in how you handle the demands of everyday living. Check out the following benefits and tell me you don’t feel like sitting cross-legged near some burning incense.
1) Meditation Lowers Blood Pressure: I’ve already written about how stress can jack up your immune system and throw your body out of whack. The American Journal of Hypertension recently reported on clinical trials that showed basic Transcendental Meditation (TM) techniques not only lowered excessive cortisol (which has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s “fight or flight” response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body) but increased serotonin – (Serotonin is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain known to influence the functioning of the cardiovascular, renal, immune, and gastrointestinal systems). What’s more, TM techniques were found to lower blood pressure by 6mm (diastolic) and 3mm (systolic) after one year of continuous meditation.
2) Meditation leads to a longer life: The National Institute of Health conducted an 18-year study that tracked 202 men and women whose average age was 71. The study revealed that those who practiced meditation outlived the national average for mortality by 23 percent.
3) Meditation Increases Self-Acceptance and Self-Esteem: Meditation teaches you to choose the person you want to be, not the one guided by random thoughts. It allows you to not get sucked into negativity.
4) Meditation Improves The Health of Your Heart: Think about it: if you’re not stressing, your heart isn’t racing. And if it’s not racing that means the heart is working at a normal rate rather than an increased rate effected by stress. Sometimes increasing your heart rate is good (i.e. during exercise) but functioning under continued stress isn’t good.
5) Meditation Enhances Memory: Experts say that when the brain is functioning in a more relaxed state, it’s able to absorb and retain memory better. A study by Massachusetts General Hospital that a covered a 2-year span revealed that individuals who practiced meditation for at least 40 minutes a day had a cerebral cortex that was thicker than those who didn’t.
6) Meditation May Help You “Kick the Habit”: If meditation can help you stay focused, it’s reasonable to think that TM can impact your efforts to cut down or stay away from nicotine, drugs or alcohol.
7) Meditation Encourages Creativity: Anything that frees your mind, enhances alertness and focus is a good stimulus for new ideas and creative thinking.
8) Meditation Enhances Alertness and Focused Thinking: A study by the University of Kentucky showed that individuals who meditated performed better on a test of mental quickness than those who opted to sleep instead. Bottom line: when you meditate you narrow your focus, limit the stimuli bombarding your nervous system and calm you mind in the process.
Want even more of a motivator? While learning meditation techniques comes at a price, the actual act of meditation is free. And if you can feel better and less stressed at “no cost” that is a good thing.
So there you go — just a few of the many benefits of meditation. Learning to meditate is as easy as checking the internet for resources or local newspaper for free or low-cost classes. Meditation has been de-mystified over the years. It has less to do with traveling to some remote mountain-top monastery and more with it’s easy accessibility no matter who you are.
