Posts Tagged ‘meditation’

Meditation Methods to Cope With Stress

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Posted 31 Jan 2012 — by admin
Category Alternative Medicine, Keeping Healthy

By: Evelyn B. Trinidad

Meditation is a by word in the health profession but most people do not give attention to stress or want to cope with stress. This is simply because they do not know the effects of stress on their health and even if they do, how to cope with stress is foreign to them.  In a study conducted, 60-90% of the reasons why people visit the doctors are stress related.

The study further revealed that stress is related to immune system weakness, skin disorders, cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, insomnia, chronic pain, asthma. It has something to do with headache, backache and depression that may lead to accidents and suicide. It also decreases the number and function of white blood cells. It has been pronounced that meditation is one way to cope with stress.

Deep Breathing or body-scan meditation

Deep breathing meditation is a very good method to cope with stress. It’s an uncomplicated method that requires little effort. It’s done by sitting upright with eyes closed. Then you inhale deeply then exhale. Focus on your breathing. Then shift your attention to your toes and how it feels against the floor.  Stay with that feeling for a while then move to your legs. Do the same with the other parts of your body until your head.

Mantra or focused or transcendental meditation

The primary consideration here is clearing your mind and focusing on an object, mantra or a single thought. A soft music can be helpful during the meditation. Let your attention focus on your body, you will feel where the tension is and let it relax. Begin to say a word.  Doing this helps you cope with stress and you will feel re energized afterwards.

Metta meditation

Is an excellent way to cope with stress. Many negative thoughts about yourself and about others are all that are occupying your mind and these could stress you. Clear your thoughts of negative ones and think positively. Sit upright comfortably and remember a time when you were loved, how you felt about it and stay with the feeling for 15 minutes. In doing so, you are changing the negative thoughts with positive ones.

Mindfulness or depression meditation

This type of meditation helps you to cope with stress or depression as your mind is allowed to wander and not focusing on one thing. This is also the most common technique. It is done by sitting down in one place and watch people come and go. You just watch. The point is, your mind has a lot in it, and just let the thoughts come and go. Don’t dwell on them. The more you are exposed to negative thoughts the lesser the effect it will have on you.

Movement or walking meditation

Sit and close your eyes then rotate your head, the movement relieves and helps you cope with stress. You can also run, walk, and pace while meditating. As you run focus your attention on your movements especially as your feet touches the ground and you can feel the release of tension there. Continue focusing on your feet as you keep experiencing the feeling of your feet hitting the ground.

Empty mind meditation

As the term connotes mean, this is a meditation technique that makes you discard all thoughts from your mind or keep your mind blank let it rest. Find a quiet place where you can relax. Sit down with your legs crossed and start to remove all thoughts from your mind. Stay that way for 15 minutes. You will feel refreshed afterwards.

Visualization meditation

Imagine a peaceful scene with you in it using your mind. If the scene you imagined is the ocean, then you smell, see it through your mind, touch it and listen to the sound of the ocean and feel the breeze of the sea on your skin. Enjoy the moment as you savor the beauty and serenity of the place. This will relax your mind and help you to cope with stress

Meditation techniques have been used for centuries now to help people cope with stress and to promote a healthy body and mind. It has evolved from the simple to the more complex methods as combinations and new techniques were discovered.  Even if there are numerous methods, it does not mean you have to use them all simultaneously. You can use two or just one depending on your needs.

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Meditation and Its Healing Value

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Posted 19 Feb 2011 — by admin
Category Alternative Medicine, Keeping Healthy

Meditation- Yoga

Image Credit: topnews.net.nz

Meditation is fast becoming a healthy activity not only in the East where it originated from but also in the Western World and other countries, which were skeptical of the method at first. Yoga is one type of meditation that most people prefer.

It was only in the 20th century; however,  that the rest of the world became truly aware of the healing values of meditation and Yoga, and adapted this as one of their alternative healing treatment.

Researches have proven that meditation is useful if done properly under the supervision of an expert or able guide. Its healing value should not be disregarded and should be researched on continuously.

But first what is meditation? What are the types of meditation?

Meditation is a mind-body intervention that has the purpose of creating a restful state in the person thereby allowing his body to heal and enhancing the proper occurrence of biochemical processes in his body. This would relieve the person of stress and contributes to his well being. There are four general methods of meditation:

1. Transcendental meditation (TM)

This is usually done with the appropriate mantra for the person. The common position for this and the other three methods is a lotus position, but you can adapt any position that you feel most comfortable with, as long as the back is straight and you could maintain a good posture. The eyes should be closed to attain more focus and concentration.

2. Respiratory One Method (ROM) by Herbert Benson

This concentrates on the word “one” as you go on with the breathing exercise.

A word can be combined to act as the mantra.

3. Clinically Standardized Meditation (CSM)

This is considered the easiest by beginners to perform because the person is allowed leeway to select the mantra and not to follow the structured ones.

4. Mindfulness Meditation (MM)

This method does not encourage the person to maintain the “blank-out” state of the mind but allows “thoughts” instead.

What exactly are the beneficial effects of meditation?

1. Although meditation is not for everyone, Dr. Robert H. Schneider, Dean College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine, Iowa who leads the research on transcendental meditation’s effect on hypertension and cardiovascular diseases said that: “those individuals who practiced TM had regression of left ventricular mass and improvements in the function of their heart or essentially a reversal of the damage to the heart caused by hypertension. ” (From: Mosby’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine by: Freeman Lawlis). He went on to say that health care professionals could work in collaboration with a TM class for patients who have elevated blood pressures and those with heart diseases.

2. The level of anxiety is significantly reduced and thereby there is decreased heart rate, respiration rates (RR), cortisol and lactate concentrations (substances which are elevated during stress).

3. Meditation, (because of the state of relaxation that you undergo) also desensitizes the mind of anxious thoughts and fears and therefore promotes balance in the body and the subsequent proper functioning of the vital organs.

4. The regular rhythm obtained from the meditation creates a balance between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. It is believed that when the left brain’s workload is lessened, negative thoughts are also decreased.

5. It reduces health care cost because meditation decreases the propensity to diseases caused by a stressful lifestyle; like late nights out, improper diet, and lack of exercise.

6. When undertaken on a regular basis, it could also be utilized to treat mood disorders. The patient should be receptive; however, to the concentration technique needed in the procedure so that the beneficial calming effects would be maximized.

7. It is also effective in decreasing the attacks for asthma, psoriasis and menopausal syndromes.

8. It is useful as a complementary treatment for addictive behaviors. Persons who undergo meditation had decreased drug cravings, less propensity for drug usage, due to the calming effects of meditation.

Up to this day, researches and controlled trials are still being conducted to determine the healing effects of meditation on humans. It would be wise to realize that meditation is a procedure that should be utilized according to each individual’s needs and preferences. As always, an expert or doctor should be consulted before initiating treatment with meditation.

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Meditation and Its Healing Powers

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Posted 07 Nov 2010 — by admin
Category Alternative Medicine, Diseases and Conditions

Meditation and its healing powers cannot be discounted. It is a powerful tool for therapeutic purposes. It was only in the 20th century that the rest of the world became truly aware of the healing values of meditation and adapted this as one of their alternative healing treatment. Researches have proven that meditation is useful if done properly under the supervision of an expert or able guide. Its healing value should not be disregarded and should be researched on continuously.

But first what is meditation? What are the types of meditation?

Meditation is a mind-body intervention that has the purpose of creating a restful state in the person thereby allowing his body to heal and enhancing the proper occurrence of biochemical processes in his body. This would relieve the person of stress and contributes to his well being.

There are four general methods of meditation:

1. Transcendental meditation (TM). This is usually done with the appropriate mantra for the person. The common position for this and the other three methods is a lotus position, but you can adapt any position that you feel most comfortable with, as long as the back is straight and you could maintain a good posture. The eyes should be closed to attain more focus and concentration.

2. Respiratory One Method (ROM) by Herbert Benson This concentrates on the word “one” as you go on with the breathing exercise. A word can be combined to act as the mantra.

3. Clinically Standardized Meditation (CSM) This is considered the easiest by beginners to perform because the person is allowed leeway to select the mantra and not to follow the structured ones.

4. Mindfulness Meditation (MM) This method does not encourage the person to maintain the “blank-out” state of the mind but allows “thoughts” instead.

What exactly are the beneficial effects of meditation?

1. Although meditation is not for everyone, Dr. Robert H. Schneider, Dean College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine, Iowa who leads the research on transcendental meditation’s effect on hypertension and cardiovascular diseases said that: “those individuals who practiced TM had regression of left ventricular mass and improvements in the function of their heart or essentially a reversal of the damage to the heart caused by hypertension. ” (From: Mosby’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine by: Freeman Lawlis). He went on to say that health care professionals could work in collaboration with a TM class for patients who have elevated blood pressures and those with heart diseases.

2. The level of anxiety is significantly reduced and thereby there is decreased heart rate, respiration rates (RR), cortisol and lactate concentrations (substances which are elevated during stress).

3. Meditation, (because of the state of relaxation that you undergo) also desensitizes the mind of anxious thoughts and fears and therefore promotes balance in the body and the subsequent proper functioning of the vital organs.

4. The regular rhythm obtained from the meditation creates a balance between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. It is believed that when the left brain’s workload is lessened, negative thoughts are also decreased.

5. It reduces health care cost because meditation decreases the propensity to diseases caused by a stressful lifestyle; like late nights out, improper diet, and lack of exercise.

6. When undertaken on a regular basis, it could also be utilized to treat mood disorders. The patient should be receptive; however, to the concentration technique needed in the procedure so that the beneficial calming effects would be maximized.

7. It is also effective in decreasing the attacks for asthma, psoriasis and menopausal syndromes.

8. It is useful as a complementary treatment for addictive behaviors. Persons who undergo meditation had decreased drug cravings, less propensity for drug usage, due to the calming effects of meditation.

Up to this day, researches and controlled trials are still being conducted to determine the healing effects of meditation on humans. It would be wise to realize that meditation is a procedure that should be utilized according to each individual’s needs and preferences. As always, an expert or doctor should be consulted before initiating treatment with meditation.

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