A closer look at the benefits of meditation
Date: 25/02/2009
A closer look at the benefits of meditation
Over 500 scientific studies conducted in recent decades have shown that you can expect the following benefits as a result of a sustained practice of meditation.
Physiological Benefits:
Your body relaxes and releases tensions and stress.
Your heart rate slows (slows aging).
Your blood pressure normalizes.
Your breathing rate slows and you consume approx. 20% less oxygen (=less “free radicals”).
You use oxygen more efficiently (=less “free radicals”).
Your adrenal glands produce less adrenaline (“stress hormone”), less noradrenaline (neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system) and less cortisol (steroid hormone produced in response to stress with potentially severe side effects).
Your pituitary gland releases more growth hormones (an anti-aging hormone).
Your immune function improves.
Your skin becomes four times more resistant to electrical currents (important in today’s “electromagnetic smog” of computers and gadgets)
Your brain waves show increasing alpha patterns (8 to 12 cycles per second).
Generally speaking, all regenerative body functions improve during meditation and as result self-healing and self-rejuvenation are greatly enhanced.
People who meditate regularly report that they experience many psychological benefits:
You experience deep levels of relaxation and mental cleansing as thoughts, worries, anxieties etc. dissolve.
Your mind becomes peaceful in a state of “restful awareness” and releases mental tensions and stress. This peace of mind stays with you for some time after your practice session.
Your ability to concentrate improves.
Your memory improves.
You develop a sense of connectedness with all life around you, a sense of being in harmony with the world.
Your confidence increases.
Your relationships (with both self and others) improve.
You may experience moments of spontaneous and independent happiness, of a deep and joyful appreciation of being alive.
Michael Kaufmann 
