The Scoop on Meditation
A Simple Practice with Profound Benefits
Article courtesy of Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals
People who meditate regularly appear internally and externally five to
10 years younger than their non-meditating peers, according to author
Deepak Chopra. That's good news for the estimated 10 million people who
practice meditation on an ongoing basis and experience the resulting
calm it cultivates.
The rich benefits come from doing something that looks like nothing:
Sitting still, being quiet, and breathing deeply. Meditation works
simply but profoundly by defusing the onslaughts of life -- a racing
mind, busyness, deadlines, commutes, all of which have physiological
effects on well-being. Meditation calms the nervous system, decreases
metabolic rate, heart rate, and blood pressure, and lowers levels of
cholesterol, stress hormones, and free radicals. It also has a direct
effect on breathing, slowing and deepening respiration so more oxygen
circulates throughout the body.
Not only that, meditation is said to
lessen feelings of anxiety and depression and improve memory and
concentration. And all of this culminates in slowing the aging process,
as Chopra notes.
There are many meditation techniques, including focusing on a mantra, a
sacred word or phrase, or your breath. But the basic intent of all
meditation is focus and attention. And it doesn't take hours a day in
an ashram to meditate effectively. Benefits kick in with even a short
period of devoted time.
How to begin? Wear comfortable, unrestrictive clothes, sit on a cushion
orchair with your back straight (think once again, comfort), rest your
hands on your legs, let your eyes go soft and out of focus or close
them, breathe slowly and deeply, and -- the hardest part --attempt to
detach from the usual bombardment of thoughts that your mind generates.
Begin to quiet the internal dialogue. When thoughts flit through your
mind, let them pass without judging them, like clouds passing overhead
on a summer's day, and come back to your focus (your mantra, counting,
etc.) and breathing. Start with this sitting meditation technique for
five minutes a day, and add on time as you get more at ease with the
process.
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