The benefits of meditation and the main effects of practice

The popularity of meditation is growing rapidly. More and more people are discovering the benefits of meditation practices. The benefits of meditation for the health of the human body, psyche and brain are especially pronounced.

Meditation is a training process for training the mind to focus and redirect thoughts.

At the end of this article you will find a bonus: audio meditation for independent practice!

Some people use meditation as a means to become more aware of themselves and their surroundings. For others, meditation is a method to reduce stress and learn to be happy.

Don't forget to get your free online course on mindfulness meditation : get the course for free
There I show you the fastest and safest way to learn to meditate from scratch and bring a state of mindfulness into everyday life.

People also use meditation as a practice to create healthy habits. Such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep, and even an increased pain threshold.

This article examines 12 scientifically proven benefits of meditation. All information is taken from official scientific sources.

Stress Reduction

Stress reduction is the most common reason people try meditation.

One study of 3,500 people found meditation to be an effective stress reliever.

Typically, mental and physical stress causes an increase in the level of the hormone cortisol. This leads to sleep disturbances, depression and anxiety, high blood pressure, fatigue and foggy thinking.

Chronic stress leads to inflammatory diseases. In a rigorous eight-week study of mindfulness meditation, regular meditation practice was found to reduce stress and stress-related inflammation.

Another study of 1,300 people found that the strongest stress-reducing effects were in people with the highest levels of stress.

Several other studies have also shown that meditation can improve symptoms of stress-related conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia.

Who conducted the research:

Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging & Behavior and Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, United States;
Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W. Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States;
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, WI 53719, United States;
Department of Oral Biology and Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, Ohio State University, 305 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States;
Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Information published on the US National Institutes of Health website;

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395196
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159112004758
journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Abstract/2000/09000/A_Randomized,_Wait_List_Controlled_Clinical_Trial_.4.aspx

Stress relief

We are all living people and experience certain shocks in life. Some stress is unavoidable and minor, so it is less toxic. But too much anxiety or chronic tension is extremely dangerous and harmful to the body. But with the help of meditation, you can calm down, taking deep breaths and exhalations, and redirect your attention to the practice process. Stress, of course, will not disappear overnight, but you will see a change in the amount of accumulated stress. Simply closing your eyes and breathing steadily has enormous benefits. Especially when you approach stressful situations with awareness.

Anxiety goes away

As a result of reducing stress, meditation provides another benefit - the constant worry disappears.

Researchers claim that meditation is a surefire remedy for various phobias, social anxiety, paranoid thoughts, obsessive-compulsive behavior and panic attacks.

18 volunteers, after an 8-week meditation course, continued regular practice for 3 years. This experience showed that a low level of anxiety can be maintained for a long time.

One study found that meditation can help control anxiety levels associated with working under stressful conditions. A group of nurses took part in this study.

Who conducted the research:

Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA;
the Stress Reduction Clinic, Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA;
Department of Psychiatric Medicine, The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA. [email protected] ;
Shapiro, Shauna L.,Astin, John A.,Bishop, Scott R.,Cordova, Matthew;

Sources:

researchgate.net/publication/5946075
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016383439500025M
doi.org/10.1002/da.21964
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20387774
psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-05099-004

Meditation improves emotional health

Some forms of meditation also lead to improved self-esteem and a more positive outlook on life.

Two studies of mindfulness meditation found a reduction in depression in more than 4,600 adult participants.

Inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, which are released in response to stress, can affect mood and cause depression. A review of several studies suggests that meditation may reduce depression by reducing the production of these inflammatory chemicals.

Another controlled experiment compared the brain electrical activity of meditators with the brain activity of non-meditators. Those who meditated showed measurable changes in activity in areas of the brain associated with positive thinking and optimism.

Who conducted the research:

Davidson, Richard J. PhD; Kabat-Zinn, Jon PhD; Schumacher, Jessica MS; Rosenkranz, Melissa B.A.; Muller, Daniel MD, PhD; Santorelli, Saki F. EdD; Urbanowski, Ferris MA; Harrington, Anne PhD; Bonus, Katherine MA; Sheridan, John F. PhD;
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Bhangagarh, Guwahati 781032, Assam, India. Electronic address: [email protected] ;
Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Balanagar, Hyderabad 500037, Andhra Pradesh, India;

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25591492
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24439650
journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Abstract/2003/07000/Alterations_in_Brain_and_Immune_Function_Produced.14.aspx

Increases self-awareness

Meditation helps you develop a deeper understanding of yourself.

For example, self-regulation meditation is clearly aimed at helping you better understand yourself and how you relate to others.

Other forms of meditation teach you to recognize thoughts that may be harmful or self-defeating. The idea is that as you increase your awareness of your thinking habits, you can guide them towards more constructive thinking patterns.

A study was conducted in which 20 women battling breast cancer took part. The results showed that participants who participated in the tai chi program improved their self-esteem more than those who received social support sessions.

In another study, 40 older men and women who took part in a mindfulness meditation program experienced decreased feelings of loneliness compared to a control group.

In addition, the experience of meditation can promote more creative problem solving.

Who conducted the research:

Karen Mustian – University of Rocheste, Department of Surgical Oncology;
Jeffrey Katula - Wake Forest University, Department of Health and Exercise Science;
Leonardo Fontenelle, Institute of Psychiatry at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address;
Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA, Electronic address: [email protected] ;
Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA;
Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon, France;

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26231761
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26686556
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25141355
researchgate.net/publication/8129703_Tai_Chi_Chuan_health-related_quality_of_life_and_self-esteem_A_randomized_trial_with_breast_cancer_survivors
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0036206

Is it worth meditating? We understand the benefits of the most controversial technology

The only problem with meditation is that it is difficult to see real benefits from it. With other useful habits, everything is much simpler. I started eating less - I lost weight, I started working out in the gym - I gained muscle mass. I started meditating - so what? The lack of visible results is the reason that we give up meditation. Although this habit takes virtually no time, even 10-15 minutes a day is enough.

We decided to understand the benefits of meditation and how it affects the human brain and his body as a whole.

Who is Elizabeth Blackburn

The word "meditation" was first mentioned in the 12th century by the monk Guigo II. Of course, meditation as a spiritual practice appeared much earlier, but the word meditatio was first used then. The technique began to be popularized only in the 1950s, starting in India and ending in the United States and Europe.

Such interest was understandable: meditation gurus talked about almost magical transformations of thinking, improving memory, rejuvenation and stopping aging. Of course, many embellished, but identifying the lie was not so easy due to the placebo effect and the inability to see the real benefits of the process.

One of the first to connect meditation and science was Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn. In the 1980s, Blackburn discovered telomeres in the human body - repeating sequences of genetic code that protect it (genetic code - Ed.) from loss of information. Telomeres can change size, and the smaller they are, the higher the risk of various diseases: diabetes, obesity, stroke, Alzheimer's disease.

Returning to her research only in the 2000s, Blackburn decided to look at telomeres from a different perspective and discovered that their size is proportional to the amount of stress a person experiences. The more stress we experience in our lives, the smaller our telomeres become.

Blackburn and her colleagues examined the DNA of victims of childhood abuse, people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and people who were depressed. By comparing the length of their telomeres with the telomeres of ordinary people, they once again confirmed that they were right.

The telomere length of people under stress was shorter than that of normal people.

This study shocked the scientific world, and other scientists also rushed to study telomeres and their impact on our health. It was later discovered that telomere length not only shortens due to stress and a hard life, but also increases due to exercise, proper nutrition and social support.

However, it was Blackburn who advanced the furthest again. In 2011, another study came out that linked telomeres and meditation. No one has previously tried to combine these two concepts.

It turned out that meditation is the most effective activity in slowing down the destruction of telomeres and promoting their increase.

As part of the study, a group of participants went on a three-month meditation course. The level of telomerase in their DNA after completing the course was 30% higher than that of the second group, which was just waiting for the trip.

How the brain changes after meditation

It's amazing how much you can learn that is new and turns everything upside down with just a little desire. In 2003, American scientist and psychology professor Richard Davidson conducted a study trying to figure out whether meditation affects the brain physically.

The study was long-term, and 25 people took part in it. The researchers measured the level of electromagnetic activity in the experimental subjects three times:

before an eight-week meditation course;
immediately after the course;
four months after graduation.

Participants were divided into two groups, one of which completed the eight-week course, and the second did not. After the course, both groups were injected with a small amount of influenza virus.

The amplitude of alpha waves in the meditating group was higher. Moreover, the body of this group secreted more antibodies for the influenza virus.

Alpha waves are a graphic representation of the electrical processes that occur in the brain.
Alpha waves have the greatest amplitude in a state of quiet wakefulness, especially with eyes closed in a darkened room. The greater the amplitude of alpha waves, the less a person is susceptible to stress, anger and bad mood. (Wikipedia) In addition to the amplitude of the waves, the physical state of the brain was also examined in the experimental subjects. It turned out that in the meditating group, the areas of the brain responsible for learning, memory and emotions became denser.

How to stay awake for 40 years

Having examined the effect on the brain and DNA, we can move on to a more mundane topic - sleep. Sleep is an integral part of our lives, and we pay a big price for it - more than a third of our entire life. But there is no other way. Or is it possible?

Paul Kern was a Hungarian soldier who fought in the First World War. In 1915, in one of the battles, he was wounded in the temple by a Russian soldier. The bullet hit the frontal lobe and separated part of it. After such a brain injury, a person cannot survive, but Paul managed. With only one strange consequence: he could no longer sleep.

From the moment he was wounded in 1915 until his death in 1955, Kern did not sleep and, in his own words, did not experience any difficulties in this regard. Kern's brain was examined many times, but the cause of the anomaly was never found.

Scientists haven't been able to figure out what it takes to stay awake for so long (shooting yourself in the head doesn't count), but they have conducted a number of other studies that show that it is still possible to reduce the need for sleep.

During the experiment, 30 experimental subjects were divided into two groups. The first group included those who were new to meditation, the second group included those who had been meditating for a long time. All participants had their PVT reaction time measured 40 minutes before meditation, after meditation, and after a short nap.

PVT (psychomotor vigilance task) is a special task that measures the speed of a person’s reaction to visual stimulation.

The results showed that reaction speed accelerated after meditation (even in beginners) and slowed down in both groups after a short nap. The study also revealed that participants in the second group needed less sleep to fully rest.

Conclusion

Now that the benefits of meditation have been proven, we are left with one more problem. Despite the popularity of meditation in the West, we still think of it as stupid sitting in the lotus position. And just try not to hum “Om”, then meditation is not considered successful.

However, there are still long-term benefits from meditation, and, as you understand, this is proven not only by the words of people who practice it, but also by numerous studies on this topic. It has been scientifically proven that meditation:

Increases telomere length, reducing stress, bad mood and depression.
Increases the amplitude of alpha waves.
Helps strengthen the lobes of the brain responsible for learning, memory and emotions.
Reduces the number of hours of sleep required by the body to rest.

I hope you read this far before you start meditating.

Improves attention

Just as lifting weights increases the physical strength of muscles, practicing focused meditation increases the power of attention.

For example, one study looked at the effects of an eight-week course of focused meditation and found that the practice improved participants' ability to refocus and maintain their attention.

A similar study found that human resources workers who regularly practiced mindfulness meditation were better able to focus on a task.

These workers also remembered details of their tasks better than their peers who did not practice meditation.

In fact, one review concluded that meditation may even change the patterns of convolutions in the brain that contribute to mind wandering, anxiety, and poor attention.

Meditation, even for a short period, can benefit you. One study found that a four-day meditation session may be enough to increase attention span.

Who conducted the research:

Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia;
Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. [email protected] ;
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, USA;
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, USA;
Department of Psychology, William Patterson University, USA;
David M. Levy - University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;
Jacob O. Wobbrock - University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;
Alfred W. Kaszniak - University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA;
Marilyn Ostergren - University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;

Sources:

link.springer.com/article/10.3758/CABN.7.2.109#page-1
dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1979862
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23643368
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810010000681

Summary

Based on the experience of millions of people, we can conclude that meditation improves health, improves many abilities that are important for each of us in everyday life, normalizes our mental and emotional state, and has a beneficial effect on our relationships with others.

Literally 20-30 minutes of daily meditation practice can physically strengthen our brain, make us smarter, more attentive, calmer, stronger, more positive. This suggests, at a minimum, that meditation is worth at least trying, because it can really change the quality of our life and our personality, and only in a positive way.

If you wish, you can find a lot of scientific research in various sources confirming the positive effect of meditation on a person, his body and life. If interested, check out these links:

Research from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Harvard Medical School - Effects of Meditative Movements on Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (National Center for Biotechnology Information).
Research by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the University of Magdeburg - Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Intraocular Pressure, Lowers Stress Biomarkers and Modulates Gene Expression in Glaucoma: A Randomized Controlled Trial (National Center for Biotechnology Information).
Research from the University of Southern California – Mindfulness meditation and the immune system: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (National Center for Biotechnology Information).
Emory University Research – Effect of Compassion Meditation on Neuroendocrine, Innate Immune and Behavioral Responses to Psychosocial Stress (National Center for Biotechnology Information).
Research of the American Heart Association and the Council on Clinical Cardiology - Meditation and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (National Center for Biotechnology Information).
Research by Maharishi International University – Transcendental meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: an experimental study with the elderly (National Center for Biotechnology Information).
Research by Maharishi International University – Long-term effects of stress reduction on mortality in persons > or = 55 years of age with systemic hypertension (National Center for Biotechnology Information).

But even what we have given is more than enough to stop being a skeptic and try to find out for yourself what meditation can give. So we wish you to look at things objectively, but do not forget that spiritual practices are not an empty phrase. Try meditation and a wonderful world of transformations, discoveries and revelations will open before you!

We also recommend reading:

Storytelling
Meditation practice in the modern world
Why productivity tips work. A view from neuroscience
Guide to mindfulness: what it is, what it is for and how to practice it
Brain digest
7 simple ways to upgrade your brain
Ways to Improve Cognitive Learning
Interesting and unusual facts about meditation
Brain digest
The science of inspiration: what it depends on and where to find it
Brain digest

Key words: 1Psychoregulation, 1Self-knowledge

The benefits of meditation for the brain. Meditation reduces age-related memory loss

Improving your focus and clarity of thinking can help keep your mind young.

Kirtan Kriya is a method of meditation that combines the repetition of a mantra with repetitive finger movements to focus the thoughts. This method has improved participants' ability to perform tasks requiring good memory in many studies of age-related memory loss.

Additionally, a review of 12 studies found that different styles of meditation improved attention, memory and thinking speed in older participants.

In addition to combating normal age-related memory loss, meditation may at least partially improve memory in patients with dementia.

Who conducted the research:

Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation, Tucson, AZ, USA;
Department of Internal/Integrative Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA;
Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts;
Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany;
Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands;
Institute for Medical Psychology, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany;

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26445019
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24571182
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24093954

Develops good feelings towards yourself and people

Metta, a type of meditation also known as loving-kindness meditation, is the practice of developing kind thoughts and feelings towards oneself.

Through this practice, people learn to extend kindness and forgiveness to the outside world, first to those closest to them, then to acquaintances and, ultimately, to enemies.

Twenty-two studies of this form of meditation have demonstrated its ability to increase people's compassion for themselves and others.

One study of 100 adults found that these benefits were dose dependent.

In other words, the more effort people put into Metta meditation, the more positive feelings they experienced.

Another group of studies has shown that the positive feelings that people develop through Metta meditation can reduce social anxiety, reduce family conflict, and help manage anger.

Who conducted the research:

Cochrane Institute of Primary Care and Public Health;
School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires.3TIME Institute, Cardiff University;
Michael A. Cohn - Department of Psychology, University of Michigan;
Kimberly A. Coffey - Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;
Jolynn Pek - Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;
Devon E. Hinton - Harvard Medical School;

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24979314
ccare.stanford.edu/article/enhancing-compassion-a-randomized-controlled-trial-of-a-compassion-cultivation-training
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3176989
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156028

Improves sleep

Insomnia is often caused by random thoughts that are difficult to control. Meditation is training to control such thoughts.

Study participants who meditated fell asleep earlier and slept more peacefully than those who did not meditate.

In addition, meditation relaxes the body and puts a person into a peaceful state in which he usually falls asleep.

Who conducted the research:

Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California, USA;

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26390335

General concepts and advice on meditative practices.

In order for you to achieve the desired result the first time, you first need to identify your needs. If you are a beginner, then your primary task will be to relax your soul and body. However, if you are an experienced practitioner, you can achieve different states of mind. The effects of meditation are striking in their diversity. For example, if you want to replenish your energy balance, you must first tune in to the process and carefully consider all the steps of your dive. The most important thing is to turn off the internal dialogue. This means that if you have a stream of thoughts in your head, chaotic or not, you should note them, but not engage in thoughts about this or that issue. In order to fully engage in the process, your thoughts must be pure.

Health benefits of meditation. Meditation lowers blood pressure

Meditation also improves health and relieves stress on the heart.

Over time, high blood pressure causes the heart to pump blood harder, which can lead to heart disease.

High blood pressure also promotes atherosclerosis and narrowing of blood vessels, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

A study of 996 volunteers found that during meditation on the mental repetition of a mantra, blood pressure decreased by an average of 5 points.

This effect was more pronounced in older people and in those who had high blood pressure before the experiment.

A review of the research concluded that several other meditation techniques showed similar results.

Who conducted the research:

Evidence-Based Medicine Center of Lanzhou University, School of Basic Medicine Sciences of Lanzhou University, Key Laboratory of Evidence-Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou City, China;
School of Public Health of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou City, China;
Golden Age Association Frances Wu Chair for Chinese Elderly, School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA;
Einstein Institute for Heart and Vascular Health, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States. Electronic address;

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25673114
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25390009
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23890919

Helps control pain

The perception of pain is related to the state of mind, and a person is able to increase his pain threshold.

For example, one study used functional MRI techniques to monitor participants' brain activity while they experienced a painful stimulus. Some participants had previously undergone four days of mindfulness meditation training, while others had not.

The meditating patients showed increased activity in brain centers known to control pain. They also reported less sensitivity to pain.

Another larger study looked at the effects of regular meditation in 3,500 participants. Meditation has been found to be associated with a reduction in complaints of chronic or intermittent pain.

Additional studies of terminal cancer patients have shown that meditation helps reduce chronic pain before death.

Who conducted the research:

F. Zeidan - Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC;
Durham University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England;
School of Medical Education, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England;
Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland;
Department of Pediatrics, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland;
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland;
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland;

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3090218
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25354470
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395196

How can you meditate

Maybe you've tried meditation before, but after an hour of trying to turn yourself into a "discomfort pretzel," you decided it wasn't for you.

Don't write off meditation because of this. Meditation is about restoring a sense of balance, returning to a calm state of mind, and the methods for achieving this will vary from person to person. What calms one person may irritate another, and there is nothing wrong with that. You just need to find your own way to calm your mind.

Luckily, there's no shortage of options. Here are the 4 most common ways:

Concentrate on breathing.

This meditation is based on mindfulness and emphasizes the importance of being in the present moment. Such meditation teaches us not to suppress our thoughts, but to be able to distinguish them from reality.

As our feelings and emotions drift, we can identify their cause and not allow them to control us.

Mantra.

The world is a very scary place, especially when it challenges us. In such times of uncertainty and vulnerability, a personal mantra can make all the difference.

A mantra is a set of words that we repeat to ourselves over and over again. This can be either a short sentence or a long poem. Think of it as a psychological anchor.

No matter where our challenges lie, or what our future may look like, we have that little piece of peace—something that will help us overcome any troubles.