The Need For Meditation in Our Busy World

The Need For Meditation in Our Busy World

Lama Zopa states "The best way to cure ourselves of disease is through meditation, through using our own mind. We then become our own doctor, or own psychologist, our own guru." [1]

In order to explain the benefits of mediation, you must understand what mediation is. “The word mediation originally comes from two Latin words: meditari (to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) and mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation 'medha' means wisdom.”[2](Yoga health)
            Mediation has been used for thousands of years in many Eastern Religions. Western countries began practicing and appreciating meditation about 30 years ago.
            Some people use meditation to discover their inner peace, and encourage their own spiritual growth. Others use it as a relaxing, stress reduction tool to slow down and free the mind of clutter. Concentrating on your breath can help release, any stress, and tension in your life.
            Practicing meditation on a regular basis will help improve your, body, mind and soul. It helps relieve stress by relaxing the mind and body, and improving your circulation and easing pain.

            Various studies have revealed that meditation can have a positive affect mentally and physically. Some laboratory studies have presented documentation that indicates that practicing meditation can change the performance of the brain. It appears that, meditation is able to shift brain activity from the right frontal cortex to the left. This movement seems to ease stress and increase happiness without the use of anti depressant drugs.
            A by product of this shift seems to be improved consciousness, and memory.
            Recent theories have indicated that practicing meditation can help slow down the aging process by thickening the frontal cortex.
            A new study by Sara Lazar, PHD, at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, has shown that meditation actually increases the thickness of the cortex. She and her colleagues took brain images of 15 ordinary people who meditated (about 40 minutes) each day. She compared them to 15 people who did not meditate. The images revealed increased thickness in the cortical regions related to sensory, auditory and visual perception. Internal perception such as the automatic monitoring of heart rate or respiration also showed this thickening. Normally, this area of the brain has been shown to thin out as we begin to age.
            It is exciting to discover that meditation can be studied using modern scientific methods. This study was small, but it, and others like it, may just be the “proof” we need to change our attitudes about health care.
            There are many benefits of mediation. Mediation enables you to learn how to breathe properly and feel relaxed, in our fast pace world. It aids in reducing nervous tension and anxiety, in a relatively short period of time. Slowing down brain activity (delta waves) helps release endorphins, which is a natural anti depressant. Endorphins give you that natural high! Meditation also lowers blood pressure, heart rate and assists in strengthening the immune system. After awaking from a meditative state, you tend to find clarity, feel calm and relaxed.
            Meditation comes in many forms; all have different principles for achieving this discipline of the mind. Two well-known systems of meditation are Yoga and Chi Gung, (the basis of martial arts).
            Yoga is an East Indian method of meditation. A sage whose name was Patanjali, defined yoga as “a suspension of the modifications, of the thinking principal which is obtainable through different methods such as controlling the vital breath and steady pose, both of which are ultimately connected to the mind”.[3]
            Asanas, are specific physical postures that were developed centuries ago, as a form of exercise. The term “asana” means steady pose. When performed slowly and with constant effort they produce not only physical results but also metal exercises in concentration, which leads to meditation.
            These exercises work externally and internally. Externally they act like a system of lubrication for the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons, by increasing circulation and flexibility. Strength and agility of the spinal column is essential for a healthy body. Our spinal column protects our nervous system, which is the carrier of messages from our brain to the other parts of our body.
            Asanas work internally by stimulating the flow of nerve energy. Our internal organs receive massaging that tones them into working more efficiently.
            Asanas are always practiced with deep breathing, relaxation and concentration. These three come together to form one of the many methods of meditation.
            Another common procedure used for meditating is known as Chi Gung (Qi Gong, Chi Kung). Chi Gung is also an eastern method of mediation and has been around for more than 2500 years in China.
            Chi Gung is a series of simple exercises, which focus on slow, graceful movements, visualization, posture, and breathing, to achieve a meditative state of mind.
            By directing your breath through the movement of your body, this physical art form can help to construct your maximum strength, while relieving stress, anxiety and many other unnecessary distractions that life might bring!
            Entering the meditative state by performing Chi Gung exercises enables the body to relax and to return to a normal state. Balancing the circulation of the energy flow (chi) and the blood is the key to this form of healing.
            Learning to control our “Life Force” or the chi enables us to balance our physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual selves. The sense of joy that is achieved in meditation increases our confidence, and sprit that we can fight illness.
            “From the physiological point of view, the Shanghai Institute of Medical Science's Institute for the Combined Use of Chinese and Western Medicine has conducted a study on the effects of chi gong and tai ji chuan on elderly people's endocrine systems (the pituitary, thyroid, and sex glands). They invited forty-seven elderly people of the same age, sixty-six years old, to perform chi gong exercises regularly. After doing this for several weeks, the capabilities of their pituitary, thyroid, and sex glands were shown to have increased. This strengthening and stabilizing of the endocrine system can have a beneficial regulating effect on the vigour of the whole body's metabolism.” [4](Chi gong)
            It would be advisable to try out different forms of mediation to see which ones suit you. After meditating for a while you may discover that you can use this device to ease your pressure wherever you may be.
            Meditation has been an aid for freeing tension since the beginning of time.
Our anxiety levels are directly related to how quickly we have to deal with changes in our every day lives. Meditation is a way to refine our body, mind and soul, so that we will be ready for what life has to offer.
          Developing your own method of meditation may enable you to improve your life style.
            Exercise, concentration and relaxation, with proper breathing come together to form what we call meditation. Meditation enables us to become conscious enough to have control over our lives. This self-discipline gives us the chance to be masters of our own health.

                                Bibliography

Asana- Posture.
http://www.asana-posture.in/whatisasana.htm, November 2005.

Chi-Gong : Massage Therapy Information. 2002-2005
http://www.massage-classifieds.com/chi-gong.html, November 2005.

Dong Paul and Esser H. Aristide. Chi Gong: The Ancient Chinese Way to Health. Marlowe and Company, 1990
http://www.healthyfoundations.com/guolin/guolin_article.html, October 2005.

Dr. Jooyoung and Shin Julia, M.D. The Physiology of Meditation. 1999-2000
http://ejmas.com/pt/ptart_shin_0400.htm, November 2005

Health and Yoga. Meditation it’s benefits. 2000
http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/meditation/objectives.html October 2005.

[1] Lama Zopa, http://www.lamazopa.com

[2] Yoga & Health, http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/meditation.html

[3], Swami Vishnu devananda, The complete illustrated book of yoga,

[4] Chi Gong, http://www.healthyfoundations.com/guolin/guolin_article.html