Meditation

Group 1

What is Meditation?
A mental exercise that benefits body processes Has certain physical benefits Tradition grounded in Eastern cultures- India, Tibet Popularized by Western cultures

What is Meditation?
Not a worship or prayer It is Awareness "Watching your breath" is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation. Mind is free of scattered thoughts

What is Meditation?
A Tibetan Lama was being monitored on a brain scan machine by a scientist wishing to test physiological functions during deep meditation. The scientist said - "Very good Sir. The machine shows that you are able to go very deep in brain relaxation, and that validates your meditation". "No", said the Lama, "This (pointing to his brain) validates the machine!".

Meditation
Derived from two Latin words :
Meditari(to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) Mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation 'medha' means wisdom.

With regular practice of a balanced series of techniques, the energy of the body and mind can be liberated and the quality of consciousness can be expanded Not a subjective claim but is now being investigated by the scientists and being shown by an empirical fact

History

History of Mediation
Meditation is BOTH Ancient spiritual practice Contemporary mindbody technique

History of Mediation
Originated from Asia- India, China, Japan Primary Purpose
Past: Religious Practice Present: Health benefits appeared around 1970

History of Meditation
Dr. Benson demonstrated that the effects of meditation are essentially the opposite of the fight-or-flight response. Meditation Decreases:
Heart Rate Respiratory Rate Blood Pressure Oxygen Consumption Muscle Tension

Transcendental Meditation (TM)

Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1957 Practiced 15-20 minutes twice a day
Sit comfortably, eyes closed Silent, mental repetition of a simple sound or mantra Allow the repetition to spontaneously become quieter and quieter until it disappears and one is left conscious, but without thoughts

Physiological Research
TM technique gives rise to a relaxed state marked by:
Reductions in metabolic activity Increased cerebral blood flow Skin resistance changes Reductions in plasma cortisol

Mental Health
TM more effective in reducing anxiety than other techniques TM has been found to reduce:
depression hostility emotional instability

TM is 3x more effective than other techniques in increasing:

self-actualization emotional maturity a resilient sense of self a positive world outlook

TM techniques have also been linked with:

Reductions of major risk factors for disease Reductions in blood pressure Reductions in the use of alcohol and drugs

Note: A meta-analysis in 1990 indicated that meditation techniques involving explicit concentration produced the least effect of all techniques studied

Types of Meditation

2 Approaches
Concentrative- opening up of attention Mindfulness- focusing of attention

Transcendental Meditation
Mahest Prasod Varma 2 years of isolation in a Himalayan cave

Chakra Yoga
Originates from Samkhya philosophy The chakra model is a map of the Human Energy System This system is made up of 7 points along a central channel

Rinzai Zen
Began in India and spread by a Buddhist monk to Asia Meditation was practiced in hope to discover ones true nature while rejecting the academic approaches to Buddhism Uses koans which are unanswerable,illogical riddles

Mudra yoga
Hand and finger yoga positions Enhances health, relieves stress, prevent illness and heals physically and emotionally Madonna uses it in her performances

Sufism
Central concept or focus is love It is a tradition of Islam

Other forms of meditation

Soto Zen focuses on external objects Tibetan Buddhists use a mandala, nadam and mantra Zazen focuses on a subjective state of consciousness Hindu uses pranayama Zen uses anapanasati

Benefits of Meditation

Physiological Effects
First discovered in 1946 Found that meditation could affect the heart rates and respiration rates of Indian yogis and Zen masters More recently, researchers found meditation can decrease muscle tension

Physiological Benefits contd

Positive effects on blood pressure Decreases heart rate Prevents hypertension Decreases blood lactate levels and carbon dioxide production Increases peripheral blood flow to arms and legs

Physiological Benefits contd

Lowers baseline cortisol Can efficiently treat pain Reduces alcohol consumption Decreases oxygen consumption Decreases alpha brain-wave emissions Increases skin resistance

Cnn.com article
People who have been practicing Buddhist insight meditation have a thicker cortex in some parts of their brain than people who do not meditate The longer they had practiced for, the thicker their cortex was

Cnn.article contd
Other studies have shown that meditation: Can decrease stress Can decrease anxiety and depression Has beneficial effects for a variety of other illnesses.

Relaxation Response
This is the physiological state achieved when one is relaxed and has beneficial effects upon ones health Meditation specifically produces this response Also termed the trophotropic response

Psychological Benefits
Can produce a general state of positive mental health Decrease anxiety Reduced fears and phobias Headache relief Improvements in sleep

Psychological Benefits
Shows potential for stress management Associated with positive subjective experiences Relates to an internal locus of control, greater self-actualization and more positive feelings after encountering a stressor

Behavioral Effects
Decreased cigarette smoking Decreased drug abuse Eating disorders have been found to be positively affected by mediation

Other Benefits
Decrease in the use of health services among meditators In effect, that saves companies money on health insurance premiums

Yoga Exercise

How to Meditate
Meditate Regularly Until you have gained enough experience, meditate at the same time and place every day. Find a quiet, comfortable, and clean location. Make sure no one disturbs you. Sit so comfortably that you forget your body. Be patient. Have fun. Be aware of yourself. BREATHE, RELAX, AND CONCENTRATE

DO NOT MEDITATE:
In a dirty place Where there are dangerous wild animals, potential for fire or flood, or bad people. If you feel tired, sick, sorrowful, or miserable.

Quick Meditation Technique

Remind yourself that you exist HERE and NOW Be aware of the activities going on in and around you at moment. From now onwards, start doing everything with AWARENESS.

Yoga Exercise
Practice poses if your energy or mood is low. Do different poses for five minutes at a time throughout work or study. Get in the habit of taking frequent breaks, if only to look out a window or stand up. Yoga is a great way to relieve physical and mental stress; it improves posture, relieves eye stress and muscle stiffness, sharpens mental focus, and helps to calm and revitalize.

Yoga
The following are a few quick and easy yoga techniques to practice at work or in study. Balancing Breath Ocean Breath Breath of Fire Eye Exercises and Cupping Face Massage Warrior Breath Joints Alive Lion