Meditation is defined as a mind-body technique, which practices awareness, and induces tranquility in order to connect the mind and the body. It is also described as “mental fasting,” implying clearing and cleansing of the mind by the absence of distractions and negative emotions (Leikin, 2003). It has shown to benefit its users psychologically, physically, as well as spiritually. Meditation works by bringing about a relaxed and healthy state by physiologically and biochemically altering the body. It is characterized as a state of rest, while allowing the body to become more alert.
This is accomplished through a dramatic decrease in metabolism, in turn, relaxing breathing patterns, and thus slowing activity within the nervous system. Upon completion of meditation one is more likely to show faster reactions to certain stimuli, a greater level of creativity, and a more conscious understanding and comprehension (ICBS Inc. , 2004). Vast health and spiritual benefits can be observed, as well. This paper will describe and discuss how meditation came about, the context in which it was used in the past, reasons for its use as compared to modern uses, as well as, ways in which meditating can heal the body and soul.
It will also compare different forms of meditation, including; what each method entails, examples of postures to achieve each method, and results that can be achieved. Meditation was originally practiced spirituality in many ancient religions, including Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and most commonly, Buddhism. The founder of Buddhism, Siddharta Gotama became the master of the art of meditation and went on to teach it to his followers. He became known as “Buddha,” (“Enlightened or Awakened One. “) (Saunders, 2000). Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest and largest religions, starting over 2500 years ago.
With Buddha as their leader (not as their God), followers learn the Four Noble Truths; First, “all existence is suffering,” secondly, “there is a cause for this suffering,” third, “the cause may be brought to an end,” and fourth, “the discipline necessary to bring it to an end is enlightenment (also known as, Buddhism)” (Saunders, 2000). Buddhists basic beliefs entail interconnectedness with everyone and everything, there is no beginning and no end (which involves the concept of reincarnation), and the law of “cause and effect,” or kharma.
However, Buddhists believe that kharma can be under our control with the practice of meditation. In this way, meditation can be used to “burn away” our bad kharma by replacing negative thoughts, actions, and attitudes with positive ones. Meditation brings the ones who practice it spiritually closer to the world, by reducing suffering and kharma and eventually allowing that person to become free both (Zen Mind International, 2004). This is just one example of religious use of meditation, which allows for spiritual benefits.
As mentioned, it is quite apparent that meditation carries spiritual benefits along with it, even without implementing religion. Although, presently, many people begin practicing meditation with the intent of achieving its physical benefits, most will go on to incorporate meditation into their spiritual well being (ICBS Inc. ,2004). They find that meditation is a way in which to spiritually grow, and to become one with their God (if religious) and with the universe.
They also find themselves more aware of their environment and their interconnectedness with the world around them, as well as feeling rejuvenated and possessing vitality, which compares with the feelings received by Buddhism. There are a few reasons and explanations for these similar feelings. For one, this interconnectedness is thought of coming from the act of emphasizing breathing and breathing exercises while meditating. By this act, one shares that breath with the world and the world shares breath with you (The Institute for Applied Meditation, Inc. ,2004).
Your body also is made up of and emits magnetic fields. Meditation and consciousness allows the body to emit the magnetic field further than usual, allowing for more communication, emotions, and feelings to be given off and received (The Institute for Applied Meditation Inc. , 2004). Also, many people who practice meditation for its spiritual benefits claim that it allows them to find meaning and fulfillment in their life, allowing for a feeling of being accomplished, as well as easier acceptance of unwanted events, and more self-confidence (Trivieri, 2001).
As you can see, regardless of whether meditation is used for religious or non-religious reasons, similar emotions and feelings are equated with both. However, in addition to its spiritual benefits, meditation is used, today, in the health care field as a form of healing and disease prevention, both physically and psychologically. Although these medical benefits were recognized many years ago, meditation was not initially utilized for that purpose (Smith, 2004). The 1970s brought about the beginning of recognizing the vast range of health benefits accomplished by meditation, and using them for that purpose.
Articles were first published in The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, which discussed these advantages that meditation can produce(Lukoff, 2002). A huge advocator of meditation, named Dr. Herbert Benson, completed an enormous amount of research on stress combined with meditation in the 1970s, and published much of his findings in the Scientific American, American Journal of Physiology, and also wrote a book called The Relaxation Response (Lukoff, 2002). At Harvard, he studied how stress causes the sympathetic nervous system to become activated, producing what is commonly known as the “fight or flight” response (Castleman,1996).
This response causes much undue stress on the body, including increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, increased blood pressure, increased oxygen consumption, increased lactate production, increased cortisol production, as well as increased muscle tension. Through Benson’s studies, it was proven that practicing meditation had the opposite effects of stress on the body (i. e. decreased heart rate, decreased respiratory rate, decreased blood pressure, decreased oxygen consumption, decreased lactate production, decreased cortisol production, and decreased muscle tension) (Castleman,1996).
Benson then created a form of transcendental meditation (originally developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India (Leikin,2003))that was non- religious, so that all people, regardless of whether they practice a religion or not, could enjoy the advantageous benefits that transcendental meditation produced on the body (Lukoff, 2002). As discussed above, stress relief (induced by lowered heart, breathing, and respiratory rate, as well as lowered blood pressure, oxygen consumption, lactate production, cortisol production, and muscle tension) is one physical benefit of meditation (Trivieri,2001).
However, meditation has the power to do much more than just this. Meditation has also shown to reduce cholesterol levels, thus decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease. Also, because breathing techniques are so heavily concentrated on during meditation, air flow is improved, therefore being beneficial to people with any sort of breathing disorder such as asthma or emphysema. Meditation also reduces free radicals in the body. These free radicals are toxic forms of oxygen molecules, which promote tissue damage, a major source of aging and disease in the body.
It also lowers the core body temperature, which has shown to increase life expectancy. Consequently, people who chronically practice meditation appear more youthful, age less quickly, and have an increased life expectancy (Trivieri,2001, Chopra, 1991). All sources overwhelmingly agree that meditation has the ability to assist in the treatment of a vast rage of disorders and diseases. The reason behind this is stress. Not only does a disease cause direct physical stress on the body, but the person it inflicts is usually mentally stressed knowing of the disease or disorder, as well.
For example, a person who has chronic pain, whether it be from an injury or arthritis, usually experiences some sort of mental anxiety, as well as physical stress of the pain on the body. Stress and anxiety actually cause intensified pain, thus leading to even more stress and anxiety. Meditation can break this cycle because of its ability to reduce factors associated with stress (heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol levels etc. ), and consequently reduce pain. This also goes for such problems as infertility, irritable bowel syndrome, and premenstrual syndrome, all of which cause a person to experience stress, depression, and/or anxiety.
By eliminating the stress you can reduce or eliminate the problem (Jaffe,1980). As mentioned before, meditation can help those with breathing disorders. When a person has a difficult time breathing, it raises the fear and anxiety of suffocation, causing even more difficult breathing. By relieving this stress, along with practicing breathing exercises during meditation, a person will have fewer incidents of these breathing episodes. Two other disorders that are caused by stress and that can be relieved by meditation are insomnia and ulcers (IBCS Inc. ,2004).
A study was also done regarding cancer patients and meditation, involving 73 patients who attended at least 20 sessions of intense meditation. Nearly all of them reported reduction in stress, anxiety, or depression. More than 50% reported a greatly improved quality of life and more than 20% had a reduction of growth or shrinkage of their tumor (ICBS Inc, 2004). Meditation can also assist people with drug addictions who are physically and psychologically dependent. Practicing meditation can reduce the anxiety and pain associated with withdrawl and/or relapse (ICBS Inc,2004).
There are two major techniques for meditating and they will be discussed and contrasted. The first method is called concentration meditation, and the other, mindfulness meditation. Concentration meditation is defined by focusing on an object (an image, a sound or a word). It also employs breathing techniques, and minimizing distractions by always focusing on that chosen object. This increases awareness of the mind and allows the body to breathe more deeply, using less oxygen, and thus decreasing heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, etc. (ICBS Inc. , 2004).
There are so many forms of this concentration meditation, including chakra, yantra, and mantra meditation. A chakra is a believed energy center in the body. There are seven of the chakras along the spinal column and three of them (the third, fourth, and sixth) are used for chakra meditation. The third chakra is the center for strength, the fourth for happiness, and the sixth for wisdom. By focusing on these chakras during meditation, strength, happiness, and wisdom will be gained (Zen Mind International, 2004). A yantra is an ancient geometrical design, which represents happiness and clarity.
During yantra meditation, the focus is on the center of the design and once the mind is quiet enough, the focus is extended outward until the entire design is being concentrated on. A mantra is a sacred word or phrase, meaning “speech” or “prayer”(White, 2000). During Mantra meditation, this word or phrase is repeated, focusing on breathing technique, as well as the sound and energy that the mantra brings. The mantra will also help you to focus your mind on a single entity, thus bringing you inner peace and clarity (White, 2000).
The second form of meditation is mindfulness meditation, also known as “vipassana” by Buddhists (Castleman,1996). This is quite different from concentration meditation. Instead of pushing out thoughts and focusing on one particular object or phrase, in mindfulness meditation the person is attentive to all of the passing emotions, sensations, images and sounds (ICBS Inc. , 2004). Although attentive to these entities, the person should not become involved in or react to them, but simply be accepting and nonjudgmental of them.
This form of meditation does impose the same health benefits as concentration meditation, it is simply done in a different way. Mindfulness meditation is said to help a person gain a more non-reactive and understanding mind, especially in times of stress or fear and also allows a person to react less impulsively, and so effectively and efficiently (ICBS Inc. ,2004, Castleman,1996). There are certain things that are needed in order to properly and correctly practice meditation, especially when first learning. The first thing needed is a quiet place.
It should be a comfortable environment with little or no distractions (Jaffe,1980). However, after becoming accustomed to meditation, it will be easy to do in any environment. A second thing that is necessary is a comfortable, yet poised posture. A classic and common posture used in meditation is called the Half Lotus Posture. It is sitting with legs crossed and head and spine upright and straight ( Jacobs, 1996). This could be uncomfortable for some people, especially ones first starting out. However, this posture is practical in maintaining awareness and in not falling asleep.
An example of another posture (and one in which falling asleep can occur) is called Shavasana. In this position, the person lays flat on the floor with legs apart and arms at sides (Jacobs, 1996). A third item needed in meditation is an object to concentrate on. For example, in Chakra meditation, the object would be an energy center in the body, In Yantra meditation, it would be a geometrical design or picture, and in Mantra meditation, the object would be a word or phrase. Also, in mindfulness meditation, the object would be any or all emotions, sounds, and sensations experienced (Jacobs,1996).
The fourth and final necessary thing needed in meditation is a passive attitude. One should focus on breathing technique, obtain internal silence, relax muscles, and engage all senses (Jacobs,1996, Jaffe,1980). Without this, full concentration cannot be reached. When meditating, one needs to be able to be completely focused and relaxed in order to achieve the full benefits of this practice. Although this task is difficult at first, after some practice, it can easily be achieved (ICBS Inc. , 2004). I, myself, have used meditation in certain times of my life when stress prevailed.
I found that it was difficult to perform, at first, because of the uncomfortable posture and the difficulty of clearing the mind. However, it is very relaxing and it gives the body a freeing and cleansing effect, after a bit of practicing. I find that it does help to alleviate stress by calming the body. Just the act of deep breathing alone is helpful in this task. I believe that this practice can be useful to me in the future, as I follow my career path. I am studying to become a physician assistant, and I would recommend meditation to my patients who experience stress or anxiety, or have a diseases who’s symptoms are amplified by stress.
As you can see, it is quite apparent how much power the mind possesses and how it affects both the body and the soul. This mind – body connection can be the key in overall health and wellness, physically, mentally, and spiritually, and this can be achieved through the practice of meditation. Not only will meditation reduce stress, and thus cause a healing domino effect throughout the body, but it can also be extremely useful in both religion and spirituality, creating inner peace, content, and a feeling of wholeness.