By Kripa Watts

 There are thousands of peer reviewed studies that demonstrate the benefits of meditation for both the mind and the body.  Indeed, at least one study has demonstrated benefits to the greater community when a large enough number of people within that community are meditating!  For me, two of the greatest things about the simple practice of quieting the mind are that anybody can do it and it’s free!

Here are a few of the benefits that have been demonstrated:

Increased melatonin secreted during meditation before bed time. (Ref 1) Melatonin plays an essential role in healthy sleeping patterns, memory, learning and overall cognitive function.

Reduces stress and tension even in cases of chronic disease conditions. (Ref 2) In studies, patients suffering from cancer who are taught a mindfulness practice have reported a better quality of life, more joy in life, less tension, and fewer physical symptoms

Maintenance of healthy blood pressure. (Ref 3) A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension demonstrated that a Transcendental Meditation program decreased BP in association with decreased psychological distress, and increased coping in young adults at risk for hypertension.

Increases concentration and strengthens the mind. (Ref 4) A 2011 study suggests that meditation training improves brain efficiency, possibly via improved sustained attention and impulse control.

Reduction of violent crime rate when a large enough number of people within a community. (Ref 5) In 1993 a group of 4,000 participants from all over the world flew to Washington DC to participate in an 8 week meditation experiment.  During that same period of time, violent crime in the area dropped by 23%.  It has been calculated that the odds of this happening by coincidence are 1 in 500,000,000!

These are just a handful of many studies that have shown the positive benefits of meditation.  It’s pretty compelling when you look at the research, and rather difficult to understand why more people don’t in fact make a habit of doing so.  We are a culture on the go and we often feel we don’t have time for the luxury of sitting down and doing nothing!  Hopefully, this information will inspire you to give it a try.  Five minutes in the morning – sitting still and focusing on your breath will get your day off to a good start.  You might even find that increased focus helps you to get more accomplished!  And 5 minutes at night, before bed, could help you to slip into a deep, peaceful sleep. Let us know if you do or don't and if you might give it a try.

References:

1. J Formos Med Assoc. 2010 Oct;109(10):694-701. Detection of nighttime melatonin level in Chinese Original Quiet Sitting.

Liou CH, Hsieh CW, Hsieh CH, Chen DY, Wang CH, Chen JH, Lee SC.

2. Mindfulness-based stress reduction training for oncology patients: patients' appraisal and changes in well-being.

Kieviet-Stijnen A, Visser A, Garssen B, Hudig W.Helen Dowling Institute, Center for Psycho-oncology, P.O. Box 85061, 3508 AB Utrecht, The Netherlands. 

3. A randomized controlled trial on effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on blood pressure, psychological distress, and coping in young adults.

Nidich SI, Rainforth MV, Haaga DA, Hagelin J, Salerno JW, Travis F, Tanner M, Gaylord-King C, Grosswald S, Schneider RH.

Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention, Maharishi University of Management Research Institute, Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa, USA. snidich@mum.edu

4. Neuroimage. 2012 Jan 2;59(1):745-9. Epub 2011 Jul 7.  Meditation training increases brain efficiency in an attention task.

Kozasa EH, Sato JR, Lacerda SS, Barreiros MA, Radvany J, Russell TA, Sanches LG, Mello LE, Amaro E Jr.

Instituto do Cérebro, Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal De São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

5. Social Indicators Research - Volume 47, Issue 2, June 99

Effects of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Preventing Violent Crime in Washington, D.C.: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June--July 93

John S. Hagelin, Maxwell V. Rainforth, Kenneth L. C. Cavanaugh, Charles N. Alexander, Susan F. Shatkin, John L. Davies, Anne O. Hughes, Emanuel Ross, David W. Orme-Johnson