You Don't Have to Be a Yogi...

…to meditate. Many people are surprised to learn that meditation merely augments natural, positive body processes that occur many times during one’s waking hours.  During meditation, alpha brain waves, typically 7 to 14 cycles per second, are prominent.  Everyone, whether formally meditating or not, enters this state many times each day, based on the brain’s need to rest (as with the muscles or any other part of the body).  A typical cycle of prominent alpha wave brain activity occurs naturally every 1 ½  to 2 hours.  For 10 to 20 minutes at regular intervals, the cognitive brain shuts down.  During sleep, this brief (but potent) interval manifests as dreaming.  During waking hours, this interval causes lapses in attention that range from barely perceptible to overtly obvious.  This lack of focus is often commonly called daydreaming.

Especially with people who push themselves without accommodating the brain’s normal physiological cycles, even one correctly performed daily meditation session helps the brain de-stress and provides needed rest.

In Western culture, we have become so out of balance emotionally, mentally and physically, that a daily meditation session may not be a luxury, but a necessity. The main components of meditation are a quiet environment, comfortable position, receptive attitude and an auditory or visual cue.  Some people meditate as part of their spiritual practice while others do it to simply relax.  I will address the physical, mental and emotional clarity and leave the spiritual component to personal choice.

One of the most widely known meditation techniques is Transcendental Meditation programs or TM for short.  The TM technique utilizes a silently voiced mantra, consisting of a one or two syllable Sanskrit word.  TM is promoted as inducing a settle, peaceful mind and imparting physical benefits that include decreased heart beat rate, increased skin resistance to electrical current, decreased blood pressure, an increase in alpha brain waves and decreased blood lactase levels.  Over time, people enjoy faster reflexes, increased perceptual ability, better motor coordination, a need for less sleep and generally improved health.

During the past few decades, considerable research has been conducted on TM.  The official TM website is packed with dozens of citations of articles from such respected publications as Scientific American, American Journal of Physiology, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology and International Journal of Neuroscience.  The authors publishing in these journals have PhD and MD degrees and some of them work in prestigious universities. I read a number of studies on the web.  One study reported on the medical effects of TM on two thousand people across the United States who practiced regular meditation and the more advanced TM Sidhi programs found a marked decrease in the number of medical services required over the course of five years.  Their rate of overall hospitalization was an astounding 56% lower than average.

When sorted into specific conditions, the meditators, compared to the control group were impressive.  The meditators rate of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease was 87% lower, for cancer, 55% lower, for conditions of the nervous system, 87% lower and for noses, throat, and lung problems 73% lower.  No one could possibly rationalize these figures as statistical accidents! Meditation can also profoundly affect pain levels.  In a 2006 study, using imaging techniques of the brain that highlighted its structure, function and pharmacology scientists found a 40 – 50% lower brain response to pain in long term meditators.

The most basic form of meditation is giving your full attention to whatever you are doing, be it preparing a meal, driving a car, or simply talking to another person. Another word for this focus of being in the present is mindfulness. Our culture does not encourage us to slow down and be mindful.  If we were so focused, we would naturally gravitate towards holism.

Whatever definition of meditation you prefer, distressing and becoming more mindful are imperative in order to function in today’s world.

Here is a link to the TM website. http://www.tm.org/ Here you will find easy meditation sessions that you can download. You can even ready Oprah’s article on the benefits of TM meditation.  If you are an iPhone user, there is an app for that.  iPhone has applications for mediations that you can do anywhere – while waiting for an appointment, 10 minutes on your lunch break or on an airplane.

Remember it’s no longer a luxury to meditate; it’s truly a necessity.