For thousands of years in ancient India, people have been benefiting
from the practice of meditation. The primary goal of meditation is spiritual
awakening and enlightenment. However, the consistent practice of meditation
brings with it benefits on many levels, including the physical, emotional,
mental and spiritual levels.
People who meditate find that they have dramatic increases
in awareness, calm energy and general well-being. Scientific technology has
been used to validate the many benefits of meditation by measuring changes in
brain wave activity, as well as physical health benefits over time. Over 500 scientific studies conducted at 200
independent universities and institutions in 35 countries and published in over
100 leading scientific journals concerning the tremendous benefits of meditation.
Meditation replenishes mental and emotional energy, but
there are also some direct effects on the physical brain and nervous
system. For example, recent scientific research
has found that meditation actually increases the pre-frontal cortex of your
brain, that part of the brain responsible for positive emotions. People who
meditate regularly also show improved capacity for learning and retaining
information – a plus for the college student!
Below is a partial list of benefits you may expect to gain
from meditating:
Physical Benefits
- Reduced
levels of free radicals that cause tissue damage.
- Decreased
metabolic rate.
- Lower
heart rate.
- Reduced
work load of the heart.
- Lowered
levels of cortisol and lactate, chemicals associated with stress.
- Decreased
high blood pressure.
- Drop
in cholesterol levels, lowering risk for cardiovascular disease.
- Improved
flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing.
- Healings
from chronic diseases (allergies, arthritis etc.)
- Improved
post-operative healing.
- Higher
levels of DHEAS, decreasing the aging process.
- Higher
skin resistance due to decrease in stress and anxiety levels.
- Immunity
enhancement.
Psychological
Benefits
- General
feelings of well-being
- Normalized
brain wave activity
- Greater
creativity
- Increased
clarity in thinking
- Increased
learning ability
- Increased
levels of energy
- Increased
abilities of healing and rejuvenation
- Decreased
anxiety, depression and irritability
- Increased
emotional stability
- Increased
ability to deal with difficult situations and people
- Increased
self-control
Spiritual Benefits
Meditation is primarily for the seeker of knowledge. There
is a whole science behind it, based on teachings from thousands of years ago.
The spiritual benefits are too numerous to list, and depend on the sincerity,
orientation, and persistence of the spiritual seeker.
If done correctly, meditation energizes your awareness,
bringing peace and wisdom, expanding your capacity to love unconditionally, and
prepares the soul for deep spiritual communion with God, the One without a
Second.
Many siddhas (psychic or spiritual powers) are natural
fringe benefits of meditation. For those of you who are interested in these spiritual
powers, I suggest reading a book on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. There are
many good translations available.
Dhyana is the Sanskrit word for meditation, but it has a
narrower meaning. Dhyana is when the concentration is focused on a single point.
See Swamiji's words on
meditation.
