Meditation

Group 1
What is Meditation?
• A mental exercise that benefits
body processes
• Has certain physical benefits
• Tradition grounded in Eastern
cultures- India, Tibet
• Popularized by Western cultures
What is Meditation?
• Not a worship or prayer
• It is Awareness
• "Watching your breath" is
meditation; listening to the birds is
meditation
• As long as these activities are free
from any other distraction to the
mind, it is effective meditation.
• Mind is free of scattered thoughts
What is Meditation?
A Tibetan Lama was being monitored
on a brain scan machine by a scientist
wishing to test physiological functions
during deep meditation. The scientist
said - "Very good Sir. The machine
shows that you are able to go very deep
in brain relaxation, and that validates
your meditation". "No", said the Lama,
"This (pointing to his brain) validates
the machine!".
Meditation…
• Derived from two Latin words :
– Meditari(to think, to dwell upon, to exercise
the mind)
– Mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation
'medha' means wisdom.
• With regular practice of a balanced
series of techniques, the energy of the
body and mind can be liberated and the
quality of consciousness can be expanded
• Not a subjective claim but is now being
investigated by the scientists and being
shown by an empirical fact
History
 History of Mediation
Meditation is BOTH

Ancient spiritual practice Contemporary mind-

body technique
History of Mediation
• Originated from Asia- India,
China, Japan
• Primary Purpose
– Past: Religious Practice
– Present: Health benefits appeared
around 1970
History of Meditation
• Dr. Benson demonstrated that the
effects of meditation are essentially
the opposite of the fight-or-flight
response. Meditation Decreases:
– Heart Rate
– Respiratory Rate
– Blood Pressure
– Oxygen Consumption
– Muscle Tension
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
• Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
in 1957
• Practiced 15-20 minutes twice a day
• Sit comfortably, eyes closed
• Silent, mental repetition of a simple
sound or mantra
• Allow the repetition to spontaneously
become quieter and quieter until it
disappears and one is left conscious,
but without thoughts
Physiological Research
• TM technique gives rise to a
relaxed state marked by:
– Reductions in metabolic activity
– Increased cerebral blood flow
– Skin resistance changes
– Reductions in plasma cortisol
Mental Health
• TM more effective in reducing anxiety than other techniques
• TM has been found to reduce:
– depression
– hostility
– emotional instability
• TM is 3x more effective than other techniques in increasing:
– self-actualization
– emotional maturity
– a resilient sense of self
– a positive world outlook
• TM techniques have also been linked with:
– Reductions of major risk factors for disease
– Reductions in blood pressure
– Reductions in the use of alcohol and drugs
• Note: A meta-analysis in 1990 indicated that meditation
techniques involving explicit concentration produced the least
effect of all techniques studied
Types of Meditation
2 Approaches
• Concentrative- opening up of
attention
• Mindfulness- focusing of attention
Transcendental Meditation
• Mahest Prasod Varma
• 2 years of isolation in a
Himalayan cave
Chakra Yoga
• Originates from Samkhya
philosophy
• The chakra model is a map
of the Human Energy
System
• This system is made up of 7
points along a central
channel
Rinzai Zen
• Began in India and spread by a
Buddhist monk to Asia
• Meditation was practiced in hope
to discover one’s true nature while
rejecting the academic approaches
to Buddhism
• Uses koans which are
unanswerable,illogical riddles
Mudra yoga
• Hand and finger yoga positions
• Enhances health, relieves stress,
prevent illness and heals physically
and emotionally
• Madonna uses it in her
performances
Sufism
• Central concept or focus is love
• It is a tradition of Islam
Other forms of meditation
• Soto Zen focuses on external
objects
• Tibetan Buddhists use a mandala,
nadam and mantra
• Zazen focuses on a subjective state
of consciousness
• Hindu uses pranayama
• Zen uses anapanasati
Benefits of Meditation
Physiological Effects
• First discovered in 1946
• Found that meditation
could affect the heart
rates and respiration
rates of Indian yogis
and Zen masters
• More recently,
researchers found
meditation can decrease
muscle tension
Physiological Benefits cont’d

• Positive effects on blood

pressure
• Decreases heart rate
• Prevents hypertension
• Decreases blood lactate levels
and carbon dioxide production
• Increases peripheral blood flow
to arms and legs
Physiological Benefits cont’d

• Lowers baseline cortisol

• Can efficiently treat pain
• Reduces alcohol consumption
• Decreases oxygen consumption
• Decreases alpha brain-wave
emissions
• Increases skin resistance
Cnn.com article
• People who have been practicing
Buddhist insight meditation have a
thicker cortex in some parts of
their brain than people who do not
meditate

• The longer they had practiced for,

the thicker their cortex was
Cnn.article cont’d
• Other studies have
shown that
meditation:
– Can decrease
stress
– Can decrease
anxiety and
depression
– Has beneficial
effects for a variety
of other illnesses.
Relaxation Response
• This is the physiological state
achieved when one is relaxed and
has beneficial effects upon one’s
health
• Meditation specifically produces
this response
• Also termed the trophotropic
response
Psychological Benefits

• Can produce a general state of

positive mental health
• Decrease anxiety
• Reduced fears and phobias
• Headache relief
• Improvements in sleep
Psychological Benefits
• Shows potential for stress
management
• Associated with positive subjective
experiences
• Relates to an internal locus of
control, greater self-actualization
and more positive feelings after
encountering a stressor
Behavioral Effects
• Decreased cigarette smoking

• Decreased drug abuse

• Eating disorders have been

found to be positively affected
by mediation
Other Benefits

• Decrease in the use of health

services among meditators
• In effect, that saves companies
money on health insurance
premiums
Yoga Exercise
How to Meditate

• Meditate Regularly
• Until you have gained enough experience,
meditate at the same time and place every day.
• Find a quiet, comfortable, and clean location.
• Make sure no one disturbs you.
• Sit so comfortably that you forget your body.
• Be patient.
• Have fun.
• Be aware of yourself.
• BREATHE, RELAX, AND CONCENTRATE
DO NOT MEDITATE:

• In a dirty place
• Where there are dangerous wild
animals, potential for fire or flood,
or bad people.
• If you feel tired, sick, sorrowful, or
miserable.
Quick Meditation Technique

• Remind yourself that you exist

HERE and NOW
• Be aware of the activities going on
in and around you at moment.
• From now onwards, start doing
everything with AWARENESS.
Yoga Exercise
• Practice poses if your energy or mood is
low.
• Do different poses for five minutes at a
time throughout work or study.
• Get in the habit of taking frequent
breaks, if only to look out a window or
stand up.
• Yoga is a great way to relieve physical
and mental stress; it improves posture,
relieves eye stress and muscle stiffness,
sharpens mental focus, and helps to
calm and revitalize.
Yoga
The following are a few quick and easy
yoga techniques to practice at work or
in study.
• Balancing Breath
• Ocean Breath
• Breath of Fire
• Eye Exercises and Cupping
• Face Massage
• Warrior Breath
• Joints Alive
• Lion