Meditation Good for You
According to a 1983 Harvard study of Transcendental Meditation, TM increases longevity; cognitive, perceptual, and behavioral flexibility; and learning ability in older adults.
In a more recent study( reported in NRTA Live & Learn, Winter 2007) University of Kentucky researchers tested a group of students before and after 40 minutes of meditation, napping, exercise, or consuming caffeine.
The researchers found that the subjects had improved reaction time after meditating. In addition, those who had gone without sleep the prior evening and then meditated in the morning performed better than others who also hadn’t slept but skipped the meditation.
Meditation can improve physical health, too. “It can boost your immune system, improving influenza immunity and response to the [flu] vaccine.Moving meditation can boost shingles immunity,”says Michael R. Irwin, MD, a professor at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.
According to Irwin, when you’re excited or upset you experience an increase in the outflow from the sympathetic nervous system, elevating your blood pressure and heart rate. Meditation produces a counteracting increase in the outflow of the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows the heart, constricts the pupils, and dilates blood vessels.
“Chanting a mantra alters brain waves because you’re focusing on the same sound,” he says. “Like when you sing ‘Ave Maria.’ It regulates the breathing and increases the parasympathetic outflow from the brain.”
Meditation doesn’t take special equipment: anything will do in a pinch such as concentrating on your breath while saying “Om,” or counting from 1 to 10 over and over. “A mantra is not confined to Hinduism. The Rosary is a mantra; ‘Amen,’ that’s a mantra.”
After settling on a mantra, sit down and close your eyes. Gently focus your attention on the mantra, your breath. If your attention wanders, to bills, changing your car’s oil, or Dancing with the Stars, just gently bring it back; a wandering mind is a natural part of meditation.”
