Meditation: The Royal Road to Stress Reduction.

Posted on September 1st, 2009 by docdave

Meditation.

One very important way of reducing stress is through meditation. Before I go on to describe more about meditation I would like to share with you some of its benefits.

Benefits of meditation.

Though meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, it also has many health benefits. The yoga and meditation techniques are being implemented in management of life threatening diseases; in transformation of molecular and genetic structure; in reversal of mental illnesses, in accelerated learning programs, in perceptions and communications beyond the physical, in solving problems and atomic and nuclear physics; in gaining better ecological understanding; in management of lifestyle and future world problems. Some benefits of meditation are:

It lowers oxygen consumption.
It decreases respiratory rate.
It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients.
Leads to a deeper level of relaxation.
Good for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.P. to normal.
Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.
Builds self-confidence.
It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
Helps in chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis etc.
Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome.
Helps in post-operative healing.
Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that meditation increases activity of ‘natural-killer cells’, which kill bacteria and cancer cells.
Also reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the reflexive, “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Meditation often involves turning attention to a single point of reference. It is a component of many religions, and has been practiced since antiquity. It is also practiced outside religious traditions. Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual or psychophysical practices that may emphasize different goals—from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.

Meditation Techniques.

There are a variety of meditation techniques. Many have a basis in a religious or spiritual practice such as Buddhist meditation. Others are secular although they may have some spiritual or ethical component.

One common type of meditation practice is to recite a mantra. A mantra is a short phrase which is repeated over and over again which has the effect of blocking out one’s thoughts. An example of a mantra meditation is Transcendental Meditation (TM). This is a widely practiced and acknowledged form of meditation. You can obtain more information at Transcendental Meditation Organization

In many cities there is a Buddhist organization or group which offers meditation practice and training.

Meditation and the Brain

Before describing how meditation affects the brain, I need to give a short description of brainwave patterns. Brain activity creates an electromagnetic field which can be measured by attaching electrodes to the scalp. The electromagnetic output is recorded and this is called an Electroencephalogram EEG for short. Brainwaves of different frequencies have been given designations of Greek letters.

Delta Waves. Delta is the frequency range up to 3 Hz. It tends to be the highest in amplitude and the slowest waves. It is seen normally in adults in slow wave sleep.
Theta Waves. Theta is the frequency range from 4 Hz to 7 Hz. It may be seen in drowsiness or arousal in older children and adults; it can also be seen in meditation. This range has been associated with reports of relaxed, meditative, and creative states.
Alpha Waves. Alpha is the frequency range from 8 Hz to 12 Hz. It is brought out by closing the eyes and by relaxation. It was noted to attenuate with eye opening or mental exertion.
Beta Waves. Beta is the frequency range from 12 Hz to about 30 Hz. It is seen usually on both sides in symmetrical distribution and is most evident frontally. Low amplitude beta with multiple and varying frequencies is often associated with active, busy or anxious thinking and active concentration. It is the dominant rhythm in patients who are alert or anxious or who have their eyes open.
Gamma Waves. Gamma is the frequency range approximately 26–100 Hz. Gamma rhythms are thought to represent binding of different populations of neurons together into a network for the purpose of carrying out a certain cognitive or motor function.

In subjects who are meditating there is commonly a progression from Beta waves which characterize a wakeful alerts or even anxious state through Alpha Waves, which characterize a calm state of relaxation through to Theta Waves with profound meditation and calmness.

Meditation and Buddhist Monks.

There were some very interesting stuff is done on meditation by Buddhist monks. These studies used brain imaging such as PET scans and functional MRIs. These showed significant differences in the brainwave patterns and brain activity of monks and novices meditators. The monks showed more gamma waves which seemed to indicate a coherence of brain activity. In addition to that the brain regions associated with happiness were larger and more active. The novices however were able to train themselves to achieve some of these effects. You can read more about these studies here Buddhist Monks meditation. What is interesting about these studies was that it confirmed that the brain is not fixed but is able to adapt and change in response to mental activity. The longer you practice meditating the more profound the changes that you will attain.

Binaural Beats and Brain Entrainment.

Over the last few years it has been found that sound waves have the power to induce changes in the brainwave frequencies. The frequencies of the various brain rhythms are however below the normal hearing range. So that one cannot change the brainwaves simply through low-frequency sound. However, if you play different frequencies in each ear the harmonics are such that you induce lower frequencies. These frequencies then change the brain’s dominant rhythm to lower frequencies. Thus it is possible to induce alpha, theta and even delta rhythms. The effect of this is to induce a state which seems to be identical to that of deep meditation. This seems to be a shortcut to attaining the effects of considerable meditation practice in a relatively short time. Get more information about binaural beats.

In Conclusion.

Meditation has been shown to have profound effects on your health and resistance to stress and illness. I would strongly encourage you to seek out meditation training and practice it regularly. I have been using transcendental meditation myself for several years. In the meantime you can check out binaural beats which you can readily download.