April 2009. Volume 1, Issue 8 | www.infiniteindulgence.com
From Albert Camus, French author and philosopher, 1913-1960
In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an
invincible summer.
What Can Meditation Do For
You?
by Ann Karcich
When most of us think of
meditation, we think of the 'traditional' benefits associated with
meditation over the centuries. Some of these benefits are a greater
feeling of peace and compassion, enlightenment in the sense of greater
clarity and understanding and a deeper knowledge of self. But there are
other lesser known benefits that even a simple, consistent meditation
practice can help you achieve. Here are five of those benefits which
have been proven by Western research.
Stay Warm
In research at
Harvard University with Tibetan monks, the monks entered a deep
meditation using a yoga technique known as g Tum-mo. Wet sheets were
placed on the meditating monks which lowered their body temperature to 49
degrees F. Most people would at least begin to shiver at that low a
temperature and some might even die. For the meditating monks, steam
shortly began rising from the sheets which were completely dried within
an hour. This is just one example of the mind-body connection that can
be achieved with a meditation practice.
Get Smarter
As we age, some
of us find we're not quite as sharp mentally as we once
were. In a study reported in 2005, meditation was found to
increase the structural areas of the brain associated with
cognitive and sensory processing of information. Most of
the brain regions affected by meditation were in the right
hemisphere which is involved in concentration. A
meditation practice will help you learn to focus your
thoughts and take advance of this increased mental power.
Live Healthier
There
are many, many health benefits from meditation.
Practitioners have long experienced these and research is now
beginning to explain the physiological changes that occur
during and after meditation. Imagine going to your
physician and coming away with a 'prescription' for daily
meditation instead of for a pharmaceutical. Some of the
many reported health benefits include:
- Enhances immune function by
increasing activity of natural killer cells
- Helps normalize blood pressure
- Reduces pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Improves air flow for asthmatics
- Speeds up post-operative healing
- Decreases muscle tension
- Improves exercise tolerance
Free Your Creativity
Most of us spend a lot of time thinking or worrying about
the past and the future. Meditation trains the mind to
focus on the present so we can be more aware of those
creative ideas that just suddenly appear. After a long
distance run, I've sometimes found that an answer to some
troublesome problem has just popped into my mind. The
relaxed mental state achieved during the run allowed my mind
to find a solution.
Like Yourself Better
After setting up a regular meditation practice, many people
report that they just feel happier. Others report a
greater peace of mind and an ability to keep those pesky
life annoyances in perspective. One view of meditation
is that it provides balance to the practitioner or a means
of keeping body, mind and spirit in harmony. All of
these benefits can lead to a greater self confidence and more
satisfaction with ourselves.
So what's stopping you? With benefits
like these and more, we can all benefit from meditation.
Don't have time? Just find five minutes a day to breathe
deeply and observe your breath. Once you find how the five
minutes of peace and calm enhance your life, you'll be eager
to take your practice to another level.
|
