So you might be wondering, why should I care? What does any of this have to do with me? Those are great questions.
People come to this practice for different reasons. One of the biggest reasons people meditate is to manage stress. Stress management expert Elizabeth Scott underscores this point saying that:
“The benefits of meditation are manifold because it can reverse your stress response, thereby shielding you from the effects of chronic stress. When practicing meditation, your heart rate and breathing slow down, your blood pressure normalizes, you use oxygen more efficiently, and you sweat less. Your adrenal glands produce less cortisol, your brain ages at a slower rate, and your immune function improves. Your mind also clears and your creativity increases.”
Many people seek out meditation for health reasons. There is mounting evidence suggesting that meditation is a tonic for any number of physical ailments and conditions related to stress. And increasingly, when it comes to mental health, therapists are using meditation to model healthier ways to relate to the mind and overcome anxiety and negative thoughts.
Often, when you feel overwhelmed by the crush of life, meditation is an oasis. It helps you create some space from the chaos in your head. It helps you relax and refresh your perspective.
Mindfulness meditation is popular in the workplace as a way to build teamwork, increase focus, deal with criticism, and prepare for meetings and presentations.
Of course, the traditional context of meditation is self-discovery. Through slowing down and observing the movement of your own mind, you can perceive and understand your habitual patterns of thought and behavior. You can recognize deep or hidden motivations within. And through regular meditation, you can marshal your attention to focus on the things that are most important to you—your goals and visions.
Last but not least, deep meditation can give you access to a part of you that feels limitless. These are the deeper currents that Deepak refers to above. Spending time resting in this space is positive beyond measure and gives you confidence in the inherent goodness of life.
What Are The Benefits of Meditation?
As you become familiar with letting go in meditation, you’re going to start experiencing benefits—lots and lots of benefits.
Although advanced practitioners have talked about the positive effects of meditation for millennia, science has now jumped into the ring, adding the weight of a growing catalogue of research from prestigious institutions to back up these ancient claims.
There are several categories of benefit you can experience from meditation. There are emotional, psychological, and physical benefits. There are spiritual and professional benefits as well as biological, physiological, and neurological benefits.
But for me, it started simply. Twenty years ago, I started looking for deeper meaning and purpose in my life. I found it in meditation. Through rigorous practice, I discovered a powerful antidote to my anxiety and a source of confidence and wellbeing that changed my basic orientation to life.
For me, meditation was nothing short of life-changing. Through this ancient practice, I discovered a new part of myself that seemed limitless and positive beyond measure. And more than anything, it showed me that my deepest happiness would never come from a source outside myself.
So that’s my short story. But what does the science tell us about the benefits of meditation?
The Science
Since the late 1960’s, around the time that Dr. Herbert Benson published his landmark book, The Relaxation Response, researchers have been investigating the relationship between meditation and stress. They discovered that meditation triggers something called the relaxation response. What is that?
To quote Dr. Benson, “The relaxation response is a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress… and it’s the opposite of the fight or flight response.”
And what’s one of the best ways to elicit the relaxation response? You guessed it, meditation. Since 1971, there have been numerous studies on the relaxation response which have highlighted the following short-term benefits:
- Lower blood pressure
- Improved blood circulation
- Lower heart rate
- Less perspiration
- Slower respiratory rate
- Less anxiety
- Lower blood cortisol levels
- More feelings of well-being
- Less stress
- Deeper relaxation
Indeed, because meditation stimulates our relaxation response, it is also one of the most effective ways to combat stress. That has given rise to an explosion of interest in mindfulness-based practices like Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Dr. Richard Miller’s iRest.
Recently, with the advancement of neuroscience and advanced imaging technologies, we have started to see the profound influence of meditation on the brain. An article* from Forbes details the following ways that meditation actually changes the brain.
- Meditation helps preserve the aging brain
- Meditation reduces activity in the brain’s “Me Center”
- Its effects rival antidepressants for depression and anxiety
- Meditation may lead to volume changes in key areas of the brain
- Just a few days of training improves concentration and attention
- Meditation reduces anxiety — and social anxiety
- Meditation can help with addiction
- Short meditation breaks can help kids in school
In fact, the benefits of meditation identified by neuroscience have become so compelling that the Harvard Business Review published an article** asserting that meditation is no longer a mere luxury for business leaders, it’s an imperative.
Sources Cited:
*http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain/
**https://hbr.org/2015/01/mindfulness-can-literally-change-your-brain