Meditation Balances the Body’s Systems
The mind, heart, and body can improve with regular meditation.
I was first exposed to meditation over 39 years ago. I have never associated meditation as a way to help keep your body fit, but I do know that when I meditate, I have extra energy… to burn!
My exercise practice does seem to improve when I meditate. It must be because of the stress reduction which is what you hear of as being the most benefit of meditation, but also because meditation may be responsible for resolving many conditions made worse by stress.
Most Americans aren’t raised to sit and say “Om.” But meditation has gained millions of converts, helping them ease chronic pain, anxiety, stress, improve heart health, boost mood and immunity, and resolvepregnancy problems.
Any condition that’s caused or worsened by stress can be alleviated through meditation, says cardiologist Herbert Benson, MD, well known for three decades of research into the health effects of meditation. He is the founder of the Mind/Body Institute at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
“The relaxation response [from meditation] helps decreasemetabolism, lowers blood pressure, and improves heart rate, breathing, and brain waves,” Benson says. Tension and tightness seep from muscles as the body receives a quiet message to relax.
There’s scientific evidence showing how meditation works. In people who are meditating, brain scans called MRI have shown an increase in activity in areas that control metabolism and heart rate. Other studies on Buddhist monks have shown that meditation produces long-lasting changes in the brain activity in areas involved in attention, working memory, learning, and conscious perception.
The soothing power of repetition is at the heart of meditation. Focusing on the breath, ignoring thoughts, and repeating a word or phrase – a mantra – creates the biological response of… Read Entire Article Here
