12 Health Benefits of Meditation

Meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, particularly in Eastern philosophies and religions. In the past few decades, as Western culture has been exposed more and more to meditation through the martial arts and some popular Eastern philosophies, it has also been found to have many health benefits. Westerners are also discovering that meditation is not as mysterious or difficult to do as many of us may have thought. And given the long list of benefits that a little meditation can produce, it may be worth it for you to look in to this ancient practice.

Some health benefits of meditation may include:

Lowering oxygen consumption.

Decreasing respiratory rate.

Increasing blood flow and slowing the heart rate.

Increasing exercise tolerance in heart patients.

Leads to a deeper level of relaxation.

Good for people with high blood pressure because it helps bring the B.P. down.

Reducing anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.

Decreasing muscle tension ( and any pain due to tension) and headaches.

Building self-confidence.

Helping in chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis, etc.

Reducing pre- menstrual Syndrome.

Enhancing the immune system.

How to Meditate:

You don't have to sit in some pretzel like position in a secluded monastary to do good meditation. Meditation involves sitting in a relaxed position and clearing your mind. You can do this on the floor or on a bench, or in a chair. Just don't use a chair that is too comfortable or you may fall asleep. You may focus on a repetitive sound, or by counting your own breaths, or by concentrating on nothing at all. It's necessary to have 5-20 distraction-free minutes to spend. It is helpful to have silence and privacy.

If you haven't tried meditation before you might find it useful. Give it a try and see what you think. Or, in the case of meditation, it's actually what you don't think that counts.