By Staff Writer - March, 17th 2014

Is meditation a means to improve health? Does meditation practice lead to good health? Meditation as a state of being does not necessarily bring good health, but tends toward it. It provides a fertile ground in which the seeds of good health can grow. Practices can lead directly to better health; but for that to happen, what is gained through practice must be applied in thinking and activity.

by Dr. K.J. McLaughlin

Many people suggest that meditation helps them decrease the symptoms of chronic stress and improves their level of relaxation. Meditation has been used for centuries to improve mental focus and concentration in people who are suffering from emotional trauma. Meditation has a calming influence upon people who regularly practice it and has been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate in research studies.

New research has also indicated that meditation may also be helpful for people who are suffering from anxiety, depression, and pain. The new research involved a systematic review of previous published work and a meta-analysis of the combined findings.

“I think people should be aware that the average person going through a mindfulness-based meditation program can expect small to moderate reductions of multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress, as well as of chronic pain,” said one of the study’s authors.

The researchers reviewed 47 randomized studies involving 3,515 participants …

Are there physical effects of meditation? Yes, and some of these have been well documented. There is a calming and slowing of the heartbeat and respiration. There is relaxation, so less tension and anxiety. There is an increased feeling of well-being, lessening depression. Better balance and harmony are reflected in better digestion. There is an increase in energy and vitality, the lessening of a tendency toward sickness, and quicker healing. There is a dropping away of self-destructive habits and addictive behavior as the positive unfolds through meditation – especially when it contains elements of the spirit. However, from a spiritual point of view, we do not seek these effects so much as to recognize them as part of the more inclusive goal of integration into and harmony with life.

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