Health Benefits of Meditation

Research has shown that meditation can contribute to an individual’s psychological and physiological well-being. It brings the brainwave pattern into an alpha state, which is a level of consciousness that promotes the healing state. The health benefits of meditation are segregated into three categories:

A. Physiological Benefits of Meditation :

1. Decreased metabolic rate, lowered heart rate, and reduced work load of the heart.
2. Lowered levels of cortisol and lactate, the two chemicals associated with stress.
3. Reduction of free radicals, which are unstable oxygen molecules that can cause tissue damage.
4. Decreased high blood pressure.
5. Higher skin resistance. Low skin resistance is correlated with higher stress and anxiety levels.
6. Drop in cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular disease.
7. Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing. This has been very helpful to asthma patients.
8. Decreases the ageing process.
9. Higher levels of DHEAS in the elderly women. An additional sign of youthfulness.

B. Psychological Benefits of Meditation :

1. Increased brain wave coherence.
2. Greater creativity.
3. Decreased anxiety.
4. Decreased depression.
5. Decreased irritability and moodiness.
6. Improved learning ability and memory.
7. Increased self-actualization.
8. Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
9. Increased happiness.
10. Increased emotional stability.

C. Spiritual Benefits of Meditation:

The longer a woman practices meditation, the greater the likelihood that her goals and efforts will shift toward personal and spiritual growth. Many women who initially learn meditation for its self-regulatory aspects find that as their practice deepens they are drawn more and more into the realm of the “spiritual.” In her work with many cancer and AIDS patients, Dr. Borysenko has observed that many are most interested in meditation as a way of becoming more attuned to the spiritual dimension of life. She reports that many die “healed,” in a state of compassionate self-awareness and self-acceptance. tags: meditation, benefits, spiritual, physical, doing meditation, meditation, meditation,health benefits,free.