Meditation as we know has many benefits. If it did not have many benefits then all the practitioners would not bother with it; so much attention would not be drawn to it and volumes of literature would not be dedicated to it. As you read this article, you will discover the real benefits of meditation and the effects of meditation on blood pressure. You shall also see how meditation helps with peace of mind once you reduce stress. This will all help you see meditation in a whole new light.
Are There Really Benefits to Meditation?
The benefits of meditation are many and they can be generally grouped into three areas. The spiritual benefits, psychological or mental benefits and physiological or health benefits.
Spiritually, meditation helps us understand our place in the universe. Primarily it helps you to have a deeper relationship with God. With this relationship comes peace of mind, happiness and a heart filled with love for your fellow man. You will also discover your purpose which helps you to live in the present all of the time.
Psychologically, meditation helps to increase serotonin levels which influence mood and behavior. You will also build self confidence with the ability to control your own thoughts. It helps you build emotional stability as you make more accurate judgments with more listening skills and empathy. Apart from these benefits, you will also resolve fears and phobias; remove bad habits and develop intuition. These are only a few of the psychological benefits of meditation.
When it comes to health benefits, meditation is also a great help. It increases blood flow and slows down the heart rate which automatically leads to deeper level of physical relaxation. It also helps in various kinds of chronic diseases and lowers the perception of pain. Such diseases include allergies, arthritis and cardiovascular problems. By bringing greater orderliness to brain functioning, it produces lasting beneficial changes in brain electrical activity which helps to relax the nervous system. By also harmonizing the endocrine system, meditation reduces our need for medical care. There are also scientifically proven facts about meditation on health; such as the effects of meditation on blood pressure.
What are the Effects of Meditation on Blood Pressure?
Meditation is safe, free, and has no negative side effects. When used for the treatment of high blood pressure, the results were impressive. A study conducted at the University of Kentucky involving nine randomly selected hypertensive patients proved that apart from having no side effects, the effects of meditation on blood pressure lasted four months after the test.
The kind of meditation used to achieve these results was transcendental meditation. It resulted in an approximate reductions of 4.7 mm systolic blood pressure and 3.2 mm diastolic blood pressure. This statistically significant reduction in high blood pressure was not found with other forms of relaxation, meditation, biofeedback or stress management. This shows that by meditating, you will not have to worry about the side effects of hypertensive drugs or ailments associated with high blood pressure and hypertension such as cardiovascular diseases.
If You Reduce Stress Does That Help With Peace of Mind?
Meditation helps to reduce stress by teaching us to switch off from the worries that can plague us through the day. When your mind is not occupied with worry, it is clearly being occupied by peace. The best way to continue enjoying this peace is to keep meditating everyday and to maintain the routine. Spending 15 minutes twice daily in quieting the mind and focusing on the present moment, makes you more relaxed and an effective decision makers. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy peace and be effective in their day-to-day activities?
You’ve seen that meditation has many benefits. You have also seen how effective it is in controlling blood pressure and enjoying peace of mind after reducing stress. You can enjoy all the benefits of meditation and save money on medical care by taking meditation more seriously.