THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL & MENTAL BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

Historical evidence puts meditation at 5,000 years old, but almost certainly it is older.  It seems that it was originally used to reach a

 higher spiritual level and has had religious overtones throughout history.  This is unfortunate as many people have thus been alienated: I was refused the use of a church hall for my yoga classes a few years ago because of its links to Buddhism.   Personally, I see yoga as a highly beneficial form of exercise and meditation as an extremely powerful route to physical and mental wellbeing.

A couple of years ago, a study was carried out at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine to discover whether or not transcendental meditation had any benefits to patients who had suffered congestive heart failure.  The experiment involved a group of people aged 64 who had recently needed hospital treatment for this condition.  Over the next 6 months one group of patients used meditation to help with their recovery and apart from improved function of the heart, their quality of life and state of mind were greatly improved.  They needed less medical intervention.

So why should this be?  It would appear that meditation counteracts the effects of the sympathetic nervous system – fight or flight.  This was a useful response for primitive man, but it is the reason for many of our everyday stresses. During meditation, however, the flow of blood is directed to the parasympathetic nervous system instead, triggering relaxation, slower heart rate and saving of energy.  In other words, it reduces stress which is known to contribute to heart failure.   So just by meditating regularly you can expect the following physiological benefits:-

1.   May help lower blood pressure
2.  Prevented, slowed or controlled pain of chronic diseases
3.  Boosted immune system
4.  Lowered cholesterol levels
5.  Improved airflow, especially in those with asthma
6.  Younger biological age

PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

Six months ago, a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) proved as effective as anti-depressants in preventing a relapse and more effective in enhancing peoples’ quality of life.   In a trial case involving 123 people, half continued with their usual medication and the other half used mindfulness meditation.  Over a year later, around 47% of those using MBCT had a relapse compared with 60% of those on drugs.  The MBCT group also reported a greater quality of life.

MCBT was developed by a team of  psychologists and targets negative thinking, aiming to help people prevent recurring bouts of depression.  One of my clients uses CBT (cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with meditation and relaxation techniques to help her patients.  It is becoming widely accepted by the medical profession. The  psychological benefits are:-

 1.  Reduced stress and anxiety
 2.  Increased creativity and intelligence
 3.  Reduced depression
 4.   Increased learning ability, moral reasoning and memory
 5.   Reduced irritability and moodiness
 6.   Feelings of vitality and rejuvenation
 7.   Increased emotional control
 8.   Increased self-esteem
 9.    Increased alertness
10.  Improved relationships
11.   Improved concentration