Health benefits of meditation

In his book, “Minding Your Body, 100 Ways To Live And Be Well," author Joseph S. Rechtschaffen, M.D. shared, “When we hear the word “meditation”, many of us think of a yogi sitting in the lotus position,  deep in concentration, softly chanting. But there are many forms of meditation. For instance, if I have free time between patients’ visit, I often sit quietly in my office chair, breathing deeply, with as little conscious thought as possible. I certainly am not in a trance or mystical never-never land, but usually I can successfully block out the sounds of the sirens and other street noises  that are so much a part of every city. And how pleasant it is to be  “on vacation” for fifteen or twenty minutes. How refreshing and reassuring it is to know that such so accessible respite is possible!”

A relative who has stage four breast cancer was advised by her oncologist to practice meditation for the sake of her health.

 As for myself, I practice breathing meditation every day for twenty minutes after my morning prayer. I  would sit comfortably on a chair, put my hands on my lap, close my eyes and observe my breathing in and out, inhaling and exhaling.  If thoughts crossed my mind, I would let it pass and go back to my breathing. I would do the same thing in the evening before dinner or one hour after dinner.  However, It is not advisable to meditate when your stomach is full.  This I had learned when I trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation some years back.  I also practice Transcendental Meditation wherein I used my  “Mantra” ( a word which  has no meaning). Meditation should be done twice a day for twenty minutes to be able to reap its health benefits.

In its website mayoclinic.org, the Mayo Clinic declares, “These days meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be overcrowding your mind and causing stress.”

Our source cites the following benefits of meditation:

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don’t end when your meditations ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions.

Meditation and well-being.  When you meditate, you may clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress. The emotional benefits of meditation can include: gaining  a new perspective on stressful situations, focusing on the present, reducing  negative emotions, increasing imagination and creativity and increasing patience and tolerance.

Some research  suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of condition such as: anxiety, asthma, cancer, chronic pain, depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, sleep problems, and tension headaches,

Reminder: Meditation isn’t a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it may be useful addition to your treatment. Be sure to talk to your health care provider about the pros and cons of using meditation.

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