Meditation Health Benefits A Way to improvement of Mind, Body and Soul

Meditation (Photo credit: Moyan_Brenn)

By Regina Drueding, MD, Certified Meditation Instructor 

Meditation makes us more stress resistant, and reverses the physiologic damage of stress. The stress response affects our physiology, our emotions, our mental capacity and our chemical balance in the body – it directly influences how our immune system works, and we all know how important our immune system is when battling cancer or infections, for example. 

Meditation makes us more resistant to stress, can reverse some of the damage that has been created by the many substances that are released in our body during stress, and will bring us profound mental and physiologic rest. It creates a state of restful alertness, which also has been coined the "Relaxation Response”. 
Meditation is a way to comprehensive self improvement in the realm of the mind and body, but it is also a spiritual journey, and can enhance our spirituality and our connection to the highest power, whatever our religious affiliation or denomination may be. It is thus a spiritual practice that can connect us with our inner self, but it is not a religious practice connected with any particular religion.. In fact, it has been known for thousands of years that meditation is very powerful – and thus meditative practices are integral parts of many religious ceremonies including Christianity. 

The practical benefits of Meditation include: 

• Reverses disease processes
  • Gives us more energy
  • Helps us sleep better
  • Restores a feeling of balance
  • Makes us feel younger, people who meditate age less chronologically
  • People who meditate have a 56% reduction rate in hospitalizations
  • Improves concentration
  • Improves visual acuity
  • Improves the function of the Immune System
  • Promotes the healing process
  • Decreased anxiety
  • Increased alertness and intuition
  • Self discovery 

I could again give you a long lists of benefits of meditation, in fact I have a list of 100 benefits that have been demonstrated in research, but I will give you only 2 examples of how meditation has been found to improve the healing response and the immune system: 

Study#1 Medical students were subjected to testing around exam time, because of the mental stress of grueling exams, lack of sleep etc. It had been found that medical students have decreased number of functioning immune cells circulating at those times – explaining why so many students would develop colds and viral infections around or just after taking the exams. So half of the student body was taught meditation and the other group was given just extra emotional support prior to exam time, and then blood samples were obtained from the students just before going to the exam. Unfortunately, no statistical difference was found in the immune function of the presumed meditation and non meditating students. The researchers were very disappointed and were ready to report their findings, when one scientist had the idea to resurvey the study group to ask who of the students that were taught meditation had actually meditated faithfully on a regular basis prior to exam time .It was found that many of the students, who had been taught how to meditate, did not wish to spend the time, and only a certain group of students had practiced meditation as instructed. The test data were reevaluated, and it was found that there was indeed a statistical improvement of immunefunction in the meditators. 

Study # 2. Another study just recently published showed that patients with severe psoriasis undergoing UV light treatment and chemotherapy healed almost 30% faster when meditating while undergoing light and chemotherapy treatment. The rest of the patients received exactly the same treatment regime, which is the usual treatment regime. 

It has been found that patients who meditate prior and after surgery have faster healing times and better outcomes. 

What is Meditation? 

• Meditation is healthy
  • Meditation is safe
  • Meditation is cheap – and once learned can be practiced without charge for the rest of your life
  • It is one of the best health investments you can ever make
• It is a technique which leads to the state of meditation by a progressive settling down of the mind into a field of silence and profound rest. It is a state of rest, which is different from any other state . Brainwave patterns change during meditation to a distinct pattern different from the normal awake state or the sleeping state.
• Mediation is a practice that has been literally around for thousands of years, at least 5,000 if not 6,000 years, and t belongs to the practice of YOGA. YOGA stands for the practice that leads to the progressive integration or union of the mind, body, soul and the environment 

Over the past 5 years there has been literally a revolution in the field of neuroimmunology, and weekly new data are becoming available to demonstrate that link. Our brain, the peripheral nervous system, and our endocrine and immune system are all interlinked by messengers called neurotransmitters. And just as we are entering the new information age and realize that we can transmit information instantly all over the world, we are realizing that there information systems within our body on a cellular level we never imagined. 

I remember giving a talk to my physician collegues approximately 10 years ago about the link between stress and illness, and I was faced by very skeptical friends who did not accept any of the research that was then available. I can assure you that things have changed, even though there are still many practicioners out there who do not wish to take that link into consideration. 

What is the best Meditative Practice? 

My answer is the practice that works the best for you and seems to give you the most benefits. 

There are the techniques of 

• Mindful Meditation
  • Body Meditation – progressive muscle relaxation,visualization of body parts or processes
  • Taoist energy practices
  • Visual meditation or Visualization
  • Sound Meditation
  • Aloud Or silent Mantra Meditations
  • Transcendental Meditation
  • And many more – even movement meditation as Yoga or Tai Chi 

I feel that is very beneficial to combine some of those techniques, as they will differ in their primary benefit. 

I personally teach Primordial Sound Meditation, which is a technique approximately 6,000 years old. It is the technique that has been taught by Dr. Deepak Chopra, renowned physician, author of many wonderful books and who is keenly interested in the Body mind connection to promote better health. I have personally trained with him – and I highly recommend his books to you. This technique is very powerful, it is practiced silently, and is highly personalized for each individual. I would now like to give you a practical experience of relaxation techniques and Mindful Meditation, which is a meditation that uses the focus on breath to settle down the mind . This is a technique that is easily practiced and you can take this home with you for regular use. If and when you are ready to learn more about meditation and receive a personalized mantra - I will be glad to see you at one of my courses. 

Breathing 

Just a quick comment on breathing.: Breathing mirrors our physiology, and at the same time that we alter our breathing we can alter our physiology. Proper breathing ,or I should say re discovering natural breathing , can also bestow significant health benefits to us. If we breath with our abdominal muscles, and most of us do not breath with the abdominal muscles, but rather our chest, we deliver more oxygen to our bodies – to the brain, the organs in our body – and indirectly it also helps us relax more. I feel that proper breathing and practicing meditation go hand in hand and will potentiate each other. 

Reminder: 

Never force your breath. Breathe naturally. As I told you, breathing has a powerful effect on our body – so you do not want to hyperventilate. If you feel tingly, dizzy or short of breath, just open your eyes stop the exercise and resume when you feel ready to do so 

Try to take some breaths slowly by using your abdominal muscles andbreathe through your nose. 

Imagine that with each new breath healing power enters your lungs through your nose, enters your trachea your lungs and then spreads to your abdominal cavity – the healing breath is spreading through your abdomen, the fills up your lungs and you can even lift your clavicles to get more healing power into your chest, and now slowly release the breath out of the abdomen, out of the chest through your nose. Take a few breaths and then just return to your normal breathing. 

Pay attention that there is a space between your inhalation and exhalation. First concentrate on the space between inhalation and exhalation. Concentrate on that space which is silent and is a door that opens up to many possibilities – better health, restoration of energy, profound rest – 

Now also notice that there is a space between exhalation and inhalation – another space to explore – continue breathing very naturally without forcing anything. 

Progressive muscle relaxation 

Breathe naturally, keep your eyes closed and focus on your feet, Tense your calf-muscles and press your feet as hard as you can into the ground. 

Now release the tension and feel how your muscles become relaxed, tingly and heavy and warm. Focus on that warm or relaxed feeling – can you tell the difference between tense and relaxed muscles? 

Now contract you sitting muscles, the thigh muscles and press your knees together – hold it – and now release the tension. Let the muscles become warm, heavy and relaxed. Feel your relaxed feel calves, thighs and sitting muscles. 

Now contract your abdominal muscles and your back muscles pressing the back more against the back of the chair, hold it, and now release.Take a deep breath in and out and feel that your belly is more relaxed. 

Now make a fist with both hands, press your elbows against your sides and tense your shoulders, you can even crunch up your shoulders and tense the neck. Hold it, see how hard it is to breathe, and then release all the tension. Feel the freedom, take a deep breath and feel the warmth,tingling, and relaxation ascending from your hands, arms, shoulders and neck – your hands are warmer and more relaxed. 

Now tense your facial muscles, tense your jaw, pucker your lips, crunch your nose and face and frown if you can. And now relax – can you tell the difference between tense and relaxed jaw muscles? Let your jaw slightly open relax your face and concentrate on your scalp – have it be relaxed and tingly. 

Now survey your body, focus on warmer more relaxed feet, notice the tingling energy in your calves and legs, let the relaxation sweep your buttocks, sitting muscles and your back and abdomen. Feel the heaviness and loose muscles and the tingling sensation. Focus on the relaxed shoulders and the neck, and feel the lightness of your facial muscles. Enjoy the deep relaxation, let the warmth move through your body, and now will move to mindful meditation in silence, as the music fades. 

Summary 

Meditation leads to the relaxation response, which is a physiologic response that opposes the stress response. It is a protective mechanism against stressful stimuli – may they be emotional or totally physical. 

Meditation is a safe practice that causes characteristic changes in the neurotransmitters or neuropeptides and endorphins, resulting in a very distinct brain wave pattern. Some believe that centers in the brain are stimulated that result in a anti stress cascade pattern. 

Besides the benefits mentioned earlier, meditation results in improvement of hypertension, sleepdisorder, headaches, heartrhythm disturbances, chronic pain – pain due to cancer, infertility and irritable bowel syndrome. 

Following meditation, mental and physical refreshment result – and benefits are cumulative with regular practice. StarBuzzOnline.com