PT6. MEDITATION - THE BENEFITS
II began meditating as a way to alleviate anxiety. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I subsequently experienced many other benefits of meditation. Many people are unaware of the plethora of benefits of meditation. In the spirit of opening eyes as well as minds and hearts, below are several of the life enhancing/improving blessings of meditation.
• Stress Buster – calmer, tranquil mind that can better handle stress. Reduces stress in the body
• Fewer Doctor visits
• Lower cholesterol levels
• Lower blood pressure levels
• Less heart disease
• Reversal of hardened arteries
• Reduced angina (chest pain)
• Lower levels of stress hormones in the blood
• Meditative techniques are used to enhance immune functioning in cancer, AIDS and autoimmune patients
• Used to normalize brain rhythms and chemistry in alcohol and drug addiction as well as other addictive conditions
• Decreased metabolic rate, lower heart rate and reduced work load of the heart
• Reduction of free radicals – unstable oxygen molecules that can cause tissue damage. They are now thought to be a major factor in aging and in many diseases
• Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing. Helpful to asthma patients
• Younger biological age. On standard measures of aging, long term Transcendental Meditation practitioners (more than 5 years) measured 12 years younger than their chronological age
• Higher levels of DHEAs in the elderly. Lower levels of DHEAs are associated with aging
• Prolonged life expectancy
• Increased brain wave coherence. Harmony o f brain wave activity in different parts of the brain is associated with greater creativity, improved moral reasoning and higher IQ
• Decreased anxiety
• Decreased irritability and moodiness
• Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation
• Increased happiness
• Increased emotional stability
• Altered brain wave patterns reflective of a calmer state
• Fewer accidents and less absenteeism at work
• Less depression
• Increased confidence, awareness and general health
• Used in pain clinics to help patients deal with pain more effectively, reduce or in some cases eliminate pain.
• Meditation helps you to love yourself by showing you who you really are inside, you are simply an individual expression of nature or by empowering you to know and control your own mind-body
Soooo why aren’t YOU meditating?
