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Author:
B. SixWise

Meditation is gaining mainstream acceptance as a beneficial preventive health program. Once thought of as only for eastern monks practicing in remote caves in the mountains of India, today everyone from busy executives to students are enjoying the practical results of daily meditation.

Meditation is one of the better-studied alternative therapies, and it has been shown to provide a wide range of health benefits. More and more doctors and hospitals are recommending meditation as an effective stress buster and useful support for patients of heart disease and many other chronic and acute conditions.

Meditation can help you "Take a 20 Minute Vacation" without physically going anywhere. Plus it is proven to provide a range of excellent health benefits such as preventing premature aging and lowering cholesterol... and with today's "meditation technologies" that you will read about below, meditating is much easier than you may think!

The effectiveness of meditation comes from the fact that one can achieve a state of deep relaxation in just a few minutes. When we settle down into a state of deep relaxation, the body and mind are refreshed and revitalized. This gives us many good effects that are both immediate and long lasting.

Health Benefits of Regular Meditation Include:

Lower Blood Pressure Better Sleep Anti-aging Less Anxiety Faster healing Decreased substance abuse Lower Cholesterol Stronger Immune Response

Meditation, Stress and a Healthy Heart

The results above have been demonstrated in many rigorous scientific studies, a few of which are mentioned below. Researchers have found that meditation lowers levels of stress hormones. In fact, by decreasing the level of one such hormone – epinephrine -- meditation has been shown to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood and therefore help arteries to remain clear. Reduction of stress hormones also supports the healthy functioning of the immune system.

This reduction in stress hormones may be explained by the relaxed state that comes about through meditation. Electroencephalograph (EEG) studies of the brain in those who are meditating show that meditation boosts the intensity of alpha waves – associated with quiet, receptive states -- to levels not seen even during sleep. This relaxed state combats anxiety, and this is confirmed by research which has found lowered levels of lactic acid in the blood. (High levels of lactic acid are associated with anxiety.) Another effect of meditation is that breathing slows, so the body uses less oxygen.

Meditation has been found to be particularly helpful for the heart. Meditators have been found to have improved blood circulation, as well as a lowered heart rate, which places less demands on the heart.

A 1998 study published in Psychosomatic Medicine showed that people who practiced transcendental meditation (TM) had lower levels of lipid peroxide than those who didn't. Lipid peroxide can contribute to atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases associated with aging. A 1999 study published in the same journal showed that people who practiced TM had lower blood pressure immediately after meditating than did the control group.

Help for Fibromyalgia, Psoriasis, IBS, and More

A 1998 study in Alternative Therapies showed that meditation helped decrease symptoms such as pain and sleeplessness in patients with fibromyalgia, a disease characterized by muscle pain, fatigue, and mild-to-moderate depression.

In a 1998 study at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, psoriasis patients who listened to a mindfulness meditation audiotape during their ultraviolet light therapy experienced faster healing than those who had the light therapy alone.

Meditation has also been associated with a longer life span, better quality of life, fewer hospitalizations, and reduced health-care costs. It has also shown promise as an adjunct therapy in relieving mild depression, insomnia, tension headache, irritable bowel syndrome, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), as well as in controlling substance abuse.

Meditation is Easier Than You Think!

With such overwhelming evidence of the benefits of meditation, why isn't everyone meditating?

Often the obstacle is that meditation is thought to be difficult and requiring years of practice to become "good at it." The reality is that there are many different styles of meditation and many are very easy to learn and bring benefits from the start. Some people even find ways to meditate on their own, setting aside a quiet time to sit and "simply be." Usually, however, some instruction is needed.

There are books, CDs, classes, and websites which offer instruction in meditation. There are many different styles of meditation, and finding the right meditation for you may take some trial and error. It's important to find a method which feels natural, easy and relaxing.

An excellent way to experience the benefits of meditation without having to learn a specific practice is to use a guided meditation CD. We designed our Pure Relaxation CD [B1] to offer an easy way for anyone to experience the "meditative state" in which the mind "lets go" and the body relaxes. Tested and recommended by members of the National Health & Wellness Club, this highly acclaimed CD has given many people an easy way to relax.

The essence of successful meditation is relaxation. The health benefits can easily be seen to result from a state of relaxation in mind and body. Anything that you can do which relaxes you deeply can be thought of as meditation. Whatever way you choose, we encourage you to start and wish you peace of mind and the very best of health!

About the Author : This article was provided by the world's #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter -- FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: "holistic living" pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: "holistic living" means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world's top experts in all six of these areas -- completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com. Source: www.isnare.com

| Article Keywords: Meditation

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Meditation... Inviting Inspiration Into Meditation Try Not To Force Things Too Much Often, when meditating, we try too hard to force a certain state of mind that we think we should have. We try hard to suppress thoughts, for example. This is just another thought, of course, and another obstacle to the peaceful state we are hoping for. So how do you make things happen that can't be forced? The question itself shows the need for another perspective. Some things can't be forced to happen, and all struggles to do so only take you farther away. There are times when all you can do is prepare and wait. The Dinner Invitation Imagine a wonderful evening with new friends. You prepared dinner, bought a good bottle of wine, and cleaned the house. Now the guests are here, the conversation is great, and you are happy. Can you make this happen? Yes and no. You can prepare in every way to make it a pleasant event, but in the end, the guests can decline your invitation, or not arrive, or show up late, right? You can't force them to come, or if you try, you'll ruin the atmosphere or even the friendship. That is how meditation is, too. You do what is necessary to prepare for a good experience, but in the end, you can't force it. Work and discipline help, just like cleaning up and chilling the wine are necessary to prepare for a good dinner party, but there is no forcing the result. When the experience is a good one, enjoy it, but if it doesn't happen, just prepare again. So when you want to invite inspiration into your meditation, or into your life, don't try to push the guest through the door. When you are tempted to do so, turn back to your preparations, and concentrate on that. Just send out the invitations, prepare yourself, and relax. About The Author Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation...