Medical Benefits of Meditation

Meditation is the practice of connecting with your inner self or your higher power, God, in effort to release your mind from specific stress factors, anxieties or fears. Meditation is the ability to release negative energy within your body and mind, physically, mentally and oftentimes spiritually as well. The goal of meditation is to transform those negative energies into positive energy which can be used to act as healing benefits for the stress, anxiety, and fears. Meditation offers clarity and peace of mind.  The medical benefits of meditation can result in healing for the three main areas of health: physical, mental and spiritual.

Mental disorders that can benefit through meditation are vast. Some conditions in which meditation can help are:

Relaxation
Stress
Depression
Panic attacks
anxiety
irritability and moodiness
memory
self esteem and self confidence
relationships

For improved Physical health, meditation can also aide in relief for the following:

Pain
Cancer
Heart disease
Angina pains
Asthma
PMS
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
high blood pressure
cholesterol

Scientists and doctors agree, more and more, that meditation is having a direct impact on the way the brain is ‘wired’. There has, in recent years, been a dramatic rise of the research and testing of meditation and the exact effects meditation can have on the brain and the heart.

There are various forms of meditation, all of which have separate characteristics that offer a unique method for healing. Stress has been proven to result in depression and fears. That depression from excess stress can result in physical injuries and negative health disorders such as heart disease. Meditation is proving that you can reduce the risks to such conditions by first reducing the stress. When your bran is relaxed, a dramatic improvement to your mental health occurs, which, in turn, reduces the risks to poor physical health as well.

The Spiritual needs of people can become deeper and have a stronger impact by increasing the following:

~ More meaningful understanding of the endless existence of a higher power.
~ Feelings of a sense of Oneness with yourself and you higher power or with the universe.
~ Strong sense of Unconditional Love
~ General feelings of well being
~ Improved Psychic abilities
~ A Deeper feeling and realization of Purpose
~ A strong sense of achievement
~ Strong increase of discerning abilities
~ Occurrence of a deep, inner sense of Knowingness

Traditionally, meditation comes from eastern cultures, primarily India and Tibet. Buddhism and Hinduism play a great role in meditation, although meditation can be adjusted to accommodate any religion. Prayer is in and of itself a form of meditation, in Christianity, for example, prayer is a way to ‘talk’ to God. Therefore, meditation, in Christian Zen, can be a way to simply relax and ‘listen’ to God. This can also be included in ‘Christian’ yoga. In this sense, during meditation, rather than talk to God, which can cause your mind further stress due to focusing your mind on the stress factors, instead you can meditate on the things God has done in your life, the good in the world and the solution to issues resulting in stress, ‘listening’ rather than ‘talking’.

By Lorraine Cooper