Meditation Fun & Fantastic Facts

Still wondering why people meditate, what can it do for you? This article is a collection of fascinating research facts about the effects of meditation and exactly how people from schoolroom to boardroom are benefiting from meditation

This is a brief snapshot of research findings cited at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, previously the Mind Body Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School.

Chronic pain patients reduce their physician visits by 36%.
The Clinical Journal of Pain, Volume 2, pages 305-310, 1991

There is approximately a 50% reduction in visits to a HMO after a relaxation-response based intervention which resulted in estimated significant cost savings.
Behavioral Medicine, Volume 16, pages 165-173, 1990

Eighty percent of hypertensive patients have lowered blood pressure and decreased medications – 16% are able to discontinue all of their medications. These results lasted at least three years.
Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, Volume 9, pages 316-324, 1989

Open heart surgery patients have fewer post-operative complications.
Behavioral Medicine, Volume 5, pages 111-117, 1989

One-hundred percent of insomnia patients reported improved sleep and 91% either eliminated or reduced sleeping medication use.
The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 100, pages 212-216, 1996

Infertile women have a 42% conception rate, a 38% take-home baby rate, and decreased levels of depression, anxiety, and anger.
Journal of American Medical Women’s Association. Volume 54, pages 196-8, 1999

Women with severe PMS have a 57% reduction in physical and psychological symptoms.
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Volume 75, pages 649-655, April, 1990

High school students exposed to a relaxation response-based curriculum had significantly increased their self-esteem.
The Journal of Research and Development in Education, Volume 27, pages 226-231, 1994

Inner city middle school students improved grade score, work habits and cooperation and decreased absences.
Journal of Research and Development in Education, Volume 33, pages 156-165, Spring 2000  

Areas of the brain which deal with attention and processing sensory input have been found to actually thicken. Sara Lazar, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School noted, "These increases are proportional to the time a person has been meditating during their lives". She went on to say, "This suggests that the thickness differences are acquired through extensive [meditation] practice and not simply due to differences between meditators and non-meditators." She presented preliminary results last November that showed that the gray matter of 20 men and women who meditated for just 40 minutes a day was thicker than that of people who did not. Unlike in previous studies focusing on Buddhist monks, the subjects were Boston-area workers practicing a Western-style of meditation called mindfulness or insight meditation. "We showed for the first time that you don’t have to do it all day for similar results," says Lazar. What’s more, her research suggests that meditation may slow the natural thinning of that section of the cortex that occurs with age.

Other fun facts about meditation benefits include

In the Dutch town of Lelystad there is an elementary school where the children Meditate twice a day for 10 minutes. The results are fantastic. The children get quieter and more stable, they achieve better in the national tests. Source: De Telegraaf, a Dutch daily, 22/01/04

Deepak Chopra estimates that people who Meditate for many years often have a biological age that is between 5 and 10 years lower than their chronological age.
When sleeping, your use of oxygen drops 8%, during a Meditation session, it drops 10 to 20%

Hormones with a calming effect like melatonin and serotin increase as a result of Meditating, whereas the stress hormone cortisol decreases.

Meditating has an immense positive effect on the three great indicators of ageing: our sense of hearing, our blood pressure and our eyesight.

People that Meditate recover more quickly from diseases and will not often experience situations as stressful. Time Magazine 27/10/03

According to the latest research Meditation can train our brains and even change its structure positively.

The University of Wisconsin discovered that employees that Meditated have a higher frustration tolerance, more joy in their work, a more cheerful and more optimistic attitude and higher energy levels. It is also clear that conflicts and unpleasant relationships among employees decrease when they start to Meditate.

The current buzzword in brain science is ‘neuroplasticity’. This means that the brain can actually change structure and function. What is new is the finding that meditation can do this, and does so in ways that are tremendously beneficial for health and well being.

Bruce O’Hara, associate professor of biology at the University of Kentucky had college students either meditate, sleep or watch TV. Then he tested them for what psychologists call psychomotor vigilance, asking them to hit a button when a light flashed on a screen. Those who had been taught to meditate performed 10% better—"a huge jump, statistically speaking," says O’Hara. Those who snoozed did significantly worse. "What it means," O’Hara theorizes, "is that meditation may restore synapses, much like sleep but without the initial grogginess."

A growing number of corporations—including Deutsche Bank, Google and Hughes Aircraft—offer meditation classes to their workers. Jeffrey Abramson, CEO of Tower Co., a Washington-based development firm, says 75% of his staff attend free classes in transcendental meditation. Making employees sharper is only one benefit; studies say meditation also improves productivity, in large part by preventing stress-related illness and reducing absenteeism.

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Meditation, Meditation Benefits, Mind Body

Benefits Of Meditation – Physical Health

Since the 1970s there has been a steady flow of research data on the effects and benefits of meditation. The results overwhelmingly show there are numerous benefits to meditation. In this article we are going to concentrate on the physiological and health benefits.

Nearly all forms of meditation have one thing in common, that is relaxing the body. When the body relaxes, the mind follows. Directly experiencing the inter-relationship of the body and mind, is then a significant benefit of meditation. This awareness is a doorway to increasing self awareness and self empowerment.

The relationship between body and mind is a parallel direction of scientific and medical study. That they do effect each other in positive and negative ways is now pretty much undisputed, and the complexity of ways and means continues to be  revealed. With this understanding has emerged the significant role that stress plays in the development of illness and dis-ease.

Combine then the positive benefits of regular, conscious relaxation and the development of self awareness, including the presence and causes of stress, and you have a winning formulae. It is this later point which indicates that there is a whole dimension of greater benefit from meditation beyond simple relaxation practices.

Let us now look at the relaxation component, in order to understand it’s health benefits. To do this justice we need to understand the autonomic nervous system, or ‘ANS’. The ‘ANS’ governs and regulates involuntary functions of the body, which means all the wonderful things your body does on autopilot. We do not have to tell our bodies to breath, or our heart to beat, or have our food digested, our our immune system to protect our biological environment, or our pupils to adjust as the light source changes. All of these things and more, are handled for our best interest and well being by the ‘ANS’. The purpose of all these functions of the ‘ANS’ is to maintain homeostasis – a stable constant condition.

There are two aspects to the ANS, the Parasympathetic and the Sympathetic systems, which we can view as two different survival functions that have the opposite effect on the ANS. Most people will know the Sympathetic system as ‘fight or flight’ which occurs when there is the perception of immanent danger. When this response is activated, all available energy is readied to fight or flee for survival. In this state the function of the immune, digestive, and reproductive systems decreases or stops. At the same time adrenalin is pumped into the body, heart rate and breathing speedup and blood moves to the exterior of the body to power the muscles. In addition the higher functions of the mind give way to the powerful emotional impulses that drive survival. This is more or less what happens when we are ‘stressed out’.

The Parasympathetic is then the opposite, it is the creation of homeostasis described earlier, in which each bodily system function to it’s best current capacity.

It is easy to see then how the regular and accumulative experience of stress, depletes the bodies ability to maintain healthy function of it’s systems. On the other hand we can also understand how conscious relaxation is a beneficial factor in maintaining health, both physically and mentally. But there is more….

Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex – brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.Several studies have demonstrated that subjects who meditated for a short time showed increased alpha waves (the relaxed brain waves) and decreased anxiety and depression.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, recorded the brain waves of stressed-out employees of a high-tech firm in Madison, Wisconsin. The subjects were split randomly into two groups, 25 people were asked to learn meditation over eight weeks, and the remaining 16 were left alone as a control group. All participants had their brain waves scanned three times during the study: at the beginning of the experiment, when meditation lessons were completed eight weeks later and four months after that. The researchers found that the meditators showed a pronounced shift in activity to the left frontal lobe, the brains happiness and joy center. Meditators then are rewiring their brain and nervous system to be more happy, more of the time.

Here then, as a list are the physiological and health benefits of meditating

    * It stabilises the autonomous nervous system.
    * It reduces the heart beat.
    * It reduces the speed of breathing.
    * Blood pressure drops.
    * The Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases.
    * EMG activity increases.
    * Cardiovascular effectivity goes up.
    * Breathing effectivity increases.
    * The skin receives more blood.
    * Stomach function and bowel function improve.
    * The endocrine function is heightened.
    * Muscle flexibility increases.
    * The intake of oxygen gets stronger.
    * Mobility and flexibility increase.
    * The hand-eye co-ordination increases.
    * Reaction-speed increases.
    * Body posture is improved.
    * Strength and resistance increase.
    * Stamina increases.
    * There is a heightened energy level and vitality.
    * People’s weight is stabilised at an ordinary level.
    * The ability to sleep increases and the time people need to fall asleep decreases.
    * Pain is weakened.
    * Stability is improved.
    * Depth perception increases.
    * There is a heightened degree of relaxation.
    * There is a lessened degree of muscle tension.
    * The production of serotenine increases.
    * Menstruation pains are softened.
    * Increases serotonin which influences moods and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression,       headaches and insomnia.
    * Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
    * Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.
    * Helps in post-operative healing.
    * Enhances the immune system.

 

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Health, Meditation, Meditation Benefits, Mind Body

Life Is A Spiritual Process

What is the meaning of life?

Humanity has struggled with this question across the ages. This question has birthed religions and philosophies in every race on earth. Libraries are full of the writings arising from this question. When realized, not intellectually, but directly, the answer beneath all the complexity is simply this.

In the great mystery of life only one thing is going on – the evolution and expansion of consciousness.

The evolution and expansion of consciousness is the very nature, the very essence of what is occurring in life, in manifest existence, regardless of apparent appearance, form and action. Expansion is movement, opening; their absence is resistance to, and denial of, life.The understanding of this one simple and all pervasive truth opens the perspective of life to a view of infinite proportions.

Atomic physics has provided the confirmation of the mystics knowing, that all forms in creation are essentially energy. The same basic sub-atomic energies appear, again and again, in slightly varying combinations, as the manifest universes of form. Quantum physics shows us that all energy is interconnected, and there is increasing evidence that this connection is a unified ‘field’.
As the New Physics has continued to explore deeper and deeper into the nature of energy it reveals the ever smaller and subtler components of what we perceive as solid matter, to exist as matter, because it is perceived as matter. As those in the fields of science continue to explore the nature of our universe the time is coming when our hard sciences will be advanced enough to reveal the deeper truth that all energy is the manifestation of consciousness. Form is the manifestation of a specific component combination of energies in consciousness.

There is only consciousness, vast and undivided. The divisions are merely our perception, or the limitations of our perception, and it is this perception of separation that is ‘the great illusion’. The process of liberation is the healing of what in us perpetuates and maintains our illusion of separation.
 

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: evolution of consciousness, spiritual, spiritual life, Spirituality

Surrender

~

I surrender
kicking and screaming
against the fate
that I choose
with open arms
and dive into
holding onto nothing
wanting nothing
to remain
The death throes
of the past
are not short
or sweet.

The light comes
like spiritual electricity
the nerves shake
all is disturbed
a shock wave
through the being
like an orgasm with
no release
Yes yes shake me
please
let me quake
as slowly
death ends.

~

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Spiritual Poetry

Holding

 

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Spiritual Poetry

Iyengar Yoga

The Iyengar method of yoga is named after its creator B.K.S. Iyengar. Like Pattabhi Jois, Iyengar studied with Krishnamacharya. In fact Krishnamacharya. was married to Iyengar’s sister. Iyengar studied with him for two years when he was 14 and 15 years old. During that time the teaching consisted of about 15 days, but despite this seemingly short time Iyengar revered Krishnamacharya as his guru. Mr. Iyengar has said that the few asanas that he learnt at that time were the seeds that grew and flourished through the evolution of his own dedication and investigation. In 1961 Krishnamacharya gave Iyengar a gold medal known as Yoga Shikshaka Chakravarti (Emperor of Yoga Teachers, Teacher of Teachers) and encouraged him to begin teaching publicly.

Iyengar has made some very specific contributions to yoga as we know and practice it today.   It was Mr Iyengar who introduced and developed the use of props, like blocks, belts, and blankets in yoga practice. Today it is quite common to see blankets, blocks, straps, pillows, chairs, and bolsters being used in yoga studios. The use of these props is comparatively new in the history of yoga and comes directly from Iyengar.
But probably the greatest contribution has been the thing that  makes Iyengar  yoga  distinct…

The primary focus of Iyengar’s method  of  asana  practice is the understanding, and perfecting of the physical alignment of the body in the poses. It is to this end that the props are used.  They allow those whose bodies are not yet sufficiently open to learn the correct alignment in the body without strain.
 unlike  the forms of vinyasa yoga that  flow posture to posture, Iyengars method  it is more static. The emphasis is developing conscious awareness within the posture, while working with the body to attune and perfect the alignment.  However this does not mean that an Iyengar  yoga class isn’t physically demanding,  as the postures can be held for much longer.

Iyengar in his philosophy of yoga, does not denote differences between the body, the mind, and the self. To him the body is the biggest self, the mind, a small self, and the self, the smallest self. So, in his view they are all interconnected. In his practice the objective is to unite them and to experience how they are all interwoven. He sees the body as a receptacle for the soul and the mind. Greater awareness of the physical body opens the way for better receptivity to the dormant spirituality within. Iyengar sees the practice of asana leading towards the focus of awareness evenly and without interruption throughout all the channels of the body. In this state of equilibrium and harmony consciousness rests in its natural state or in the body, mind, and soul, as one.
Iyengar has  has drawn throughout his life, practice, and development of his teaching, on the yoga Sutras of  Patanjali and the eight limbs of yoga.  indeed it is largely through his translation and interpretation  of the yoga Sutras,  that they became known outside India. Other books of Iyengar  have also become classic texts of modern   yoga, for example, " Light on Yoga"   and "Light on Pranayama".

 

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Iyengar Yoga, Patanjali, props

Love Inside All

~
Love
like an ocean
I become
one
all light;
then lost

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Spiritual Poetry

Monk With No Bowl

~

A monk with no bowl
no religion or robe,
it’s in the eyes, the heart
if you know how to look
it’s in the stillness
that moves like the wind
it’s in the light
that shines from within.

~

 

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Spiritual Poetry

Fire Trilogy

~

Fire Trilogy

In this flame that is love
in this love that is madness
in this madness is divine
I burn, and tear open my skin
to release the flame from within.

Even as I burn
I call to my beloved
to increase the heat
let only ash remain
to scatter at her feet.

In this madness of love
all that is known
is lost
in the churning of my island heart
the spinning of my mind,
equal share
of poison and nectar
produced and consumed,
existence becomes the finest
equipoise of joy and despair
weaving in cycles of flame
hope, reason, consumed,
by the finest balance
is life maintained.

In the growing twilight
my beloved reveals
her love in everything
each and every moment
and movement
as her perfection,
yet still illusion binds
for I know her
yet separate remain
and tears that I am not
my love
burns shadows in my face,
she enters and dances
each atom in me
she is the fire
she is the flame
she is completion
that words cannot name.

~
 

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Bhakti yoga, Spiritual Poetry

Ashtanga Yoga Of Pattabhi Jois

Ashtanga yoga as we commonly know it today, was made popular by K. Pattabhi Jois.  Pattabhi  Jois developed the practice based on the yoga lineage passed on to him by his own teacher Sri Krishnamacharya.  Krishnamacharya’s knowledge of yoga was so vast that later in life he taught each student differently.  Pattabhi Jois met hin 1927 and studeid with him until 1953
The three most well know students of Krishnamacharya are his son T.K.V. Desikachar, B K S Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois. Each developed their own approach to yoga practice, Pattabhi Jois continuing the series of asanas, or poses that Krishnmacharya taught earlier in his life. Pattabhi  Jois has said that the most important thing his guru ever said to him was "Make this yoga method the work of your life", and so he has.

Ashtanga means "eight limbs",referring to the eight limbs of yoga compiled by by the great Indian sage Patanjali.  When Pattabhi Jois named the style of yoga he developed, ashtanga, he meant it as

a reminder to practice all eight limbs and not just the asanas. When we refer to Ashtanga Yoga, it refers to the fluid style of asanas series of Pattabhi Jois. Asana is the third of yoga’s eight limbs limb.

This style of yoga is characterized by a focus on viṅyāsa, or a dynamic connecting posture, that creates a flow between the more static traditional yoga postures. Vinyasa also means breath-synchronized movement. The breath is the heart of this discipline and links asana to asana in a precise order. By synchronizing movement with breathing and practicing Mula and Uddiyana Bandhas (internal body locks 1), an intense internal heat is produced. This heat purifies muscles and organs, expelling unwanted toxins as well as releasing beneficial hormones and minerals, which can nourish the body when the sweat is massaged back into the skin. The breath regulates the vinyasa and ensures efficient circulation of blood. The result is a light, strong body.

The whole practice is defined by six series of interflowing postures, always done in the same order, combined with a specific breathing pattern (ujjāyī breathing 2). The Yoga Sutra says "Tasmin sati svasa prasvasayor gati vicchedah pranayama." Depending on the individual breathing rhythm, each one requires from 90 minutes to three hours to complete. Thus, the beginner and the advanced practitioner can find a demanding workout suited to his potential and challenging his personal physical and mental limitations.

There are three groups of sequences in the Ashtanga system. Each sequence typically begins with 10 Sun Salutations and the standing poses. This is referred to as the "opening sequence". The student then moves to either the Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A, B, C, or D, depending on his or her skill level, a back-bending sequence, finally closing with a set of inverted postures, referred to as the "finishing sequence".  The Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) detoxifies and aligns the body. The Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D (Sthira Bhaga) integrate the strength and grace of the practice, requiring higher levels of flexibility strength and inner development.

Pattabhi and Manju Jois (his oldest son and student) brought this form of yoga to the American west coast in 1975. In the past 30 years ashtanga yoga spread worldwide and found more and more enthusiastic students. 

Pattabhi Jois: Yoga is one. God is one. Yoga means sambandaha, which is atma manah samyogah, or knowing God inside you. But using it only for physical practice is no good, of no use—just a lot of sweating, pushing, and heavy breathing for nothing. The spiritual aspect, which is beyond the physical, is the purpose of yoga. When the nervous system is purified, when your mind rests in the atman [the Self], then you can experience the true greatness of yoga.

 

1: There are three bandhas which are considered our internal body locks, prescribed in the different postures. The bandha is a sustained contraction of a group of muscles that assists the practitioner not only in retaining a pose but also in moving in and out of it. The Mūla Bandha, or root lock, is performed by tightening the muscles around the pelvic and perineum area. The Uḍḍīyāna Bandha, often described as bringing the navel to the base of the spine, is a contraction of the muscles of the lower abdominal area – this bandha is considered the most important bandha as it supports our breathing and encourages the development of strong core muscles. Jālaṅdhara Bandha, throat lock, is achieved by lowering the chin slightly while raising the sternum and the palate bringing the gaze to the tip of the nose.

2: Ujjayi breathing is a breath technique sometimes called "the ocean breath" and is typically done in association with asana practice.
Inhalation and exhalation are both done through the nose. For beginners to yoga, the "ocean sound" is created by moving the glottis as air passes in and out. As the throat passage is narrowed so, too, is the airway, the passage of air through which creates a "rushing" sound. The length and speed of the breath is controlled by the diaphragm, the strengthening of which is, in part, the purpose of ujjayi.

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

Technorati Tags: Ashtanga Yoga, Pattabhi Jois, Vinyasa

« Previous Page — Next Page »