Meditation is a practice to refine our experience and open a new dimension to our lives. It is a means to tap into a deep source of positive energy and joy. Meditation is relaxation. It is not about concentration, it is actually about de-concentration. It’s not about focussing one’s thoughts on one thing, but instead on becoming thoughtless. A comprehensive scientific study showing that deep relaxation changes our bodies on a genetic level has been published. What researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered is that, in long-term practitioners of relaxation methods such as yoga and meditation, far more ”disease-fighting genes” were active, compared to those who practiced no form of relaxation.
More encouraging still, the benefits of the relaxation effect were found to increase with regular practice: the more people practiced relaxation methods such as meditation or deep breathing, the greater their chances of remaining free of arthritis and joint pain with stronger immunity, healthier hormone levels and lower blood pressure. The reason meditation is so effective at balancing the mind is that during your moments of meditation, you focus entirely on achieving calm, serenity and peace. When your emotions are calm and all of your issues are put aside for a while, you get your perspective back. After you have meditated, the ability of everyday problems to cause you stress or affect your happiness is greatly reduced. The same applies to yoga, prayer and the chanting of mantras.
Research has described the negative effects of stress on the body. Stress is linked to the release of the stress-hormones adrenalin and cortisol, which create inflammation, which in turn raises the heart rate and blood pressure, weakens immunity, lowers fertility and results in a host of degenerative diseases, some of which can be life threatening. By contrast, the state of relaxation is linked to higher levels of feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and growth hormone, which repair cells and tissue, lower heart rate, boost immunity and enable the body to thrive.
Meditation doesn’t have a religion and can be practiced by anyone regardless of the faith they follow. It assists with transition from being just a physical body to a merging with the infinite and recognizing yourself as an inseparable part of the whole cosmos. In a meditative state, you are in a space of vastness, calmness and joy and this calmness and joy is what you emit into the environment, bringing harmony to the planet. Meditation can bring about a true personal transformation. As you learn more about yourself, you will naturally start discovering more about those around you, the earth, the universe and your reason for being. A 2012 study found that in those who meditated regularly the “corpus callosum”, cable of nerves connecting the brain’s hemispheres, was remarkably stronger, thicker, and more well connected. This bridge-like structure is extremely helpful in getting the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate with each other like never before.
To experience the benefits of meditation, regular practice is necessary. It takes only a few minutes every day. Once it becomes part of your daily routine, it becomes the best part of your day. It is like a seed. When you cultivate a seed with love the more it blossoms. Meditation is the cure for loneliness. While the very best cure for feeling isolated is a strong in-person social network and a loving family, this isn’t possible for everybody. Meditation activates the so called “social connectivity” parts of our brain, unlocking many of the same mental, emotional, and physical benefits that come along. Everybody knows that you have to eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep if you want to be a happy and healthy person. But very few of us know the importance of human connectedness to our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Mankind is by nature gregarious and needs others for emotional release and connectivity. Occasionally, however, you have to go “with-in yourself” through meditation to connect to the Higher Consciousness.
Try one or more of these techniques for 15 minutes once or twice a day. The relaxation response can be brought about by sitting quietly with eyes closed for 15 minutes twice a day, and mentally repeating a simple word or sound such as ”Om”. A 2012 study found that in those who meditated regularly the “corpus callosum”, cable of nerves connecting the brain’s hemispheres, was remarkably stronger, thicker, and more well connected. This bridge-like structure is extremely helpful in getting the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate with each other like never before. Harmonizing both of your brain’s hemispheres gives you an array of new abilities: increased focus, deeper thought, more creativity, optimized mental health, better memory, and clearer thinking, just to name a few. Meditation also helps with the de-calcification of the pineal gland. It is also said to change the physical structure of the brain in a process known as neuroplasticity.
Among many other brain areas, neuroscientists have shown that meditation, through the power of neuroplasticity, builds up a big and strong sleep centered “Pons.” The “Pons” is a “message station” between several areas of the brain, without which the brain would not be able to function because messages could not be transmitted between one area and another. In fact, whole books have been written by those who meditate about their lucid dream abilities, which of course are impossible without ample time in deep-stage REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, orchestrated by the Pons.
If you want an all- natural, super effective solution to sleeping like a baby every night, then meditation is one of the answers. A 2008 study published in the Neuroimage Journal found that after only 8 weeks of meditation, the left and right hippocampi of participants had significantly grown in neural thickness, density, and overall size. The hippocampus not only assists with the storage of long term memories but is also responsible for the memory of the location of objects or people. We would not even be able to remember where our house is without the work of the hippocampus. This incredible finding means that adding meditation to your daily routine can in essence, put your brain on a level too advanced for depression. It improves concentration, it encourages a healthy lifestyle, increases self-awareness, can dramatically upgrade your consciousness, allowing you to become a more compassionate person in the process. Along with greater connectedness, happiness, and fulfillment, adopting a “service to others” meditative mind-set helps you find deep meaning and true purpose. It increases happiness, increases acceptance of yourself and others, it slows aging and benefits cardiovascular and immune health.
If you are you ready to be a beacon of light in a sometimes dark world it is time to change your brain. Harnessing meditation’s neuroplastic potential is the key.
“Compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self”. — Russell Simmons
Disclaimer: The contents of this website are not intended to replace a one to one relationship with your health practitioner nor are they meant as medical advice. You are encouraged to do your own research and make your own decisions in partnership with your medical practitioner.