| Meditation is healthy, safe and affordable. In fact | | | | headaches, heartrhythm disturbances, chronic pain |
| it's free. The only expense you'll have is a | | | | - pain due to cancer, infertility and irritable bowel |
| meditation mat, which isn't especially necessary-at | | | | syndrome. Following meditation, mental and |
| least from my experience. Meditation has been | | | | physical refreshment result - and benefits are |
| around for 5,000 years, and was originally a | | | | cumulative with regular practice." |
| spiritual component of yoga. Through the years | | | | How to Meditate |
| non-yogis adopted it, intuitively sensing and | | | | Meditation is both simple and complex. It's like |
| connecting the practice with greater peace of | | | | defining the color orange: When you see it you |
| mind. Personally, I can't say enough good things | | | | know it. Similarly, the experience of meditation is |
| about meditation. Its use has rewarded me with | | | | best, well...experienced. In an article in New View |
| less worry and much more energy. But I've never | | | | magazine, Shippensburg University's Dr. C. George |
| been one for anecdotal evidence. Let's get to the | | | | Boeree describes the basics of Buddhist |
| science... | | | | meditation. In summary, the beginner's technique |
| Transcendental Meditation | | | | is as follows: |
| Recently, there's an incredible amount of science | | | | 1. Sit or kneel comfortably. |
| tied into the benefits of meditation. The studies | | | | 2. The hands are loose and open with the palms |
| are endless and cover a variety of meditative | | | | up, one atop the other and thumbs lightly |
| practices. On Transcendental Meditation alone | | | | touching. |
| (mantra repetition) there are over 500 studies. | | | | 3. Head is upright. Eyes may be closed or open. If |
| Some are more noteworthy that others. A study | | | | open they should focus on your hands or a spot |
| in the Japanese Journal of Public Health found that | | | | nearby. |
| through Transcendental Meditation, industrial | | | | 4. Beginning meditators should count upwards to |
| workers sleep improved and their smoking | | | | ten on each exhale. Breathe in a relaxed and |
| decreased. Another study conducted at MERU | | | | natural way. Then begin again at one and repeat. |
| Research Institute, in Buckinghamshire, England | | | | Continue to breathe naturally. |
| found that the length of time practicing the | | | | 5. Continue for 15 minutes. |
| Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program | | | | In my personal experience, I don't find that the |
| correlated with younger biological age and younger | | | | specific length of time is as important as repetition |
| functional age. | | | | and persistence. To paraphrase, 10 minutes daily |
| Mindfulness Meditation | | | | beats 15 minutes once a week. This brings me to |
| Mindfulness meditation, which asks us to focus on | | | | another point: We all have different personalities |
| our breath to facilitate awareness of the present | | | | and as such, different meditation approaches suit |
| moment, is another widely studied meditation | | | | some more than others. Thankfully there are |
| technique. After studying the effects of 8-weeks | | | | many varieties of meditation. Some varieties have |
| of mindfulness meditation on participants, a 2003 | | | | sub-varieties. |
| report in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine | | | | Mindfulness meditation is one of these versatile |
| concluded: "A short program in mindfulness | | | | practices. Perhaps it's because its |
| meditation produces demonstrable effects on | | | | essence-awareness of the present moment-is so |
| brain and immune function." Impressive, but fairly | | | | versatile. Mindfulness in our daily life can be |
| vague. To get a more committed response to | | | | practiced by slowing down and attending to our |
| the benefits of meditation we have to turn to | | | | surroundings. What are our 5 senses telling us? |
| Taiwan. In 2002 their journal Chang Gung Medicine | | | | We can use mindfulness in the middle of a hectic |
| reported that "training in MM may be a medically | | | | day, such as paying attention to our breathing |
| superior and cost-effective alternative to pain | | | | when stopped at a traffic light. We can also use |
| medication for the control of headaches with no | | | | other everyday events as triggers for |
| underlying organic causes in highly motivated | | | | mindfulness. Buckling your seatbelt? Make this a |
| patients." | | | | reminder to return to the present. Really think |
| Stress Reduction and Meditation | | | | about what you're doing and the details of the |
| What causes these positive physical changes? To | | | | experience. |
| answer this, other research has looked at the | | | | The more traditional may benefit from a more |
| specifics of what happens in the body during | | | | formal mindfulness practice. You may sit in the |
| meditation. . Researchers at the Maharishi School | | | | identical form as in traditional Buddhist meditation- |
| of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, found that | | | | on a chair or kneeling. However, you may also sit |
| meditation has an enormous impact on stress | | | | with your legs crossed. Your eyes are closed and |
| reduction. When they examined a group who had | | | | your posture is both straight and relaxed while |
| meditated for four months they saw that they | | | | your head remains upright. Focus on your breath |
| produced less of the stress hormone cortisol. | | | | and allow mental chatter to float by without |
| They were therefore better able to adapt to | | | | regard. Thoughts, emotions and sensations will |
| stress in their lives, no matter what their | | | | come, but don't be influenced by them. Keep |
| circumstances were. | | | | focused on your breath. If you are getting |
| Having balanced cortisol levels is essential to | | | | involved with your thoughts don't worry-your |
| mental and emotional health. Notice I say balanced | | | | efforts aren't destroyed. The key thing is to bring |
| rather than none. We don't want to completely | | | | your attention back to breathing and continue. |
| eliminate cortisol. If we did we'd be dead. Even | | | | This can go on for 5 minutes to 5 hours. It's up |
| low cortisol levels can be dangerous. Not enough | | | | to you. |
| cortisol is the identifying trait of Addison's disease. | | | | Transcendental Meditation is another popular form |
| John F. Kennedy had this condition, which he | | | | of meditation. Generally, this type is practiced |
| denied passionately during his presidency. Yet | | | | twice daily for a period of 15-20 minutes. Again, |
| during his term he regulated his levels through | | | | this technique involves sitting comfortably. Yet in |
| hydrocortisone (synthetic cortisol). The reverse of | | | | contrast to basic Buddhist the eyes stay closed. |
| JFK's condition is called Cushings Syndrome. The | | | | Each student is given a mantra and is instructed |
| five most common and noticeable changes of this | | | | to induce relaxation through use of this mantra. |
| condition include; red face and puffy cheeks; | | | | Since many of either can't or won't go to a |
| excess fat surrounding the collar bones, muscle | | | | formal TM class, a no-fail mantra I recommend is |
| weakness, and hypertension. But we don't have | | | | the classic OM. In The Heart of Yoga, T.K.V |
| to have Cushing's Syndrome to be damaged by | | | | Desikachar writes that repetition of "OM" enables |
| extra cortisol. The changes we experience may | | | | us to maintain mental and emotional calmness, |
| be subtle variations of these. Plus, the changes | | | | overcome obstacles and enable understanding. It |
| caused by excess cortisol are age dependent. | | | | is the shortest of the mantras, and is said to be |
| Young people may stop growing and teenagers | | | | suggestive of God. If you're uncomfortable with |
| can develop acne. The mature among us aren't | | | | the religious aspects of OM I suggest a word that |
| safe either. Since excess cortisol damages | | | | has positive meaning for you, such as love, calm |
| bone-tissue those over age 60 may develop | | | | or peace. Calm is an ideal substitute, since vocally |
| fractures related to osteoporosis. So it's evident | | | | it resembles OM. |
| that if we can regulate cortisol, especially through | | | | Final Word |
| a natural process, we owe it to ourselves to try. | | | | You may never, ever choose to meditate. Yet if |
| Other Benefits of Meditation | | | | this is your choice it may be valuable to question |
| Regina Drueding, MD, is a meditation instructor at | | | | why. For a long time I was reluctant because of |
| Life Circles in Utah, USA. She quotes the benefits | | | | images of the dropout hippie 60's. Yet when I |
| of meditation as follows: "more energy, improved | | | | tried it the experience overcame my reservations. |
| quality of sleep, decreased anxiety, lessened | | | | If you try it the same may happen to you. If it |
| chronological aging, improved concentration, | | | | doesn't you haven't lost any money, and you've |
| improved visual acuity, increased alertness and | | | | gained a new experience. |
| heightened immunity." She writes: "Besides the | | | | Resources: |
| benefits mentioned earlier, meditation results in | | | | Getting in the Gap: Making Conscious Contact with |
| improvement of hypertension, sleep disorders, | | | | God Through Meditation (Hay House Inc. |