Mantra Meditation ... It Works

A proven method to improve the quality of your life

Try it for three weeks and see if there isn't a noticeable difference
 

This page includes a few studies showing the effectiveness of meditation

Meditation: Good heart medicine

While its no surprise that mantra meditation reduces stress, researchers now show that using mantra meditation to reach a higher state of consciousness may help unclog arteries. African Americans with high blood pressure who practiced meditation for six months saw a .098mm decrease in fatty buildup in arterial wall, compared with an increase of .054mm among folks who simply tried to change their diet and lifestyle. Getting results takes some effort. First you need to learn to meditate, which can take hours and then you should do it for 20 minutes each morning and evening. Time Magazine March 13, 2000.

Meditation Reduces high blood pressure damage

Meditation not only mellows your mind, it may also help your heart.
Preliminary results from a recent study demonstrate that meditation may decrease the risk of heart disease. In the study, participants with high blood pressure were randomly assigned to complete a meditation program or to participate in a health education group. The people who meditated for 20 minutes 2 times per day over the 7-month study period experienced a reduction in artery wall thickening. The participants in the health education group showed an increase in artery wall plaque buildup.
Researchers hypothesize that stress-relieving meditation triggered self-repair mechanisms that reversed the fatty buildup on artery walls.

RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge 8 to 16 years younger.

Meditation Has Enormous Mental And Physical Benefits
Lorin Roche, PhD & meditation teacher

Do you meditate? If not, you’re missing out on a safe, effective way to boost your mental and physical health. As countless studies have shown, as little as 20 minutes of daily meditation can have profound effects on the body.

Consider this evidence ... Chronic pain. When chronic pain patients began practicing a simple form of meditation known as the relaxation response, the number of times they visited a pain clinic in the the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School in Boston.) Depression and anxiety. People who completed an eight-week course in a form of meditation known as mindfulness experienced a sharp decline in depression, anxiety and other psychological problems. They also reported having a greater sense of control over their lives. (From the University of California at Irvine.) Meditation has also shown at least some effectiveness against high blood pressure, heart disease, backache, headaches and digestive problems.

Despite its myriad benefits, meditation is practiced on a  regular basis by less than 10% of the US population. Why don’t more Americans meditate? Most people’s excuses are based on misconceptions about the process... Excuse: I don’t know how to get started. The basic elements of meditation are actually quite straightforward... Sit comfortably. Pick something to pay attention to. It might be your breathing... or a silent syllable or phrase. Some people use their name for God -- Jesus, Jahweh, Elohim, Allah, etc. When your mind wanders -- as it inevitably will -- simply return to this focus. Don’t exert any effort at "mind control." 

One easy way to start is simply to sit on the sofa, let out a deep breath and say, "Whew." When you resume breathing normally, pay close attention to the air as it flows into and out of your nostrils... your belly rising and falling... and any other physical sensations that you become aware of.

Replying to Reasons Not to Meditate

Excuse: I can’t sit cross-legged. There’s nothing magical about this position. It just happens to be the way people sat in Asia when meditation techniques were evolving.
Most Americans do better sitting on a chair or sofa, with a pillow to support the lower back and feet on the ground. That’s perfectly acceptable.

Excuse: Meditation is too hard. Not true. In fact, if you’ve ever been swept away by beautiful music, a tranquil nature scene, etc., you already know how to meditate.

Ultimately, meditation is really nothing more than just restful alertness. Meditating on a daily basis helps you reach this condition more quickly and stay there longer -- and thus reap bigger health benefits.

Go easy on yourself. Approach meditation not as a long list of rules to follow but as a favor you’re doing for your mind and body.

That way it won’t seem like a chore.

Excuse: I can’t empty my mind. Often while meditating, you’ll find yourself planning, rehearsing, reviewing and otherwise being caught up in thoughts and worries. This does not mean that you have failed. The brain does this kind of processing whenever you rest. The trick is to accept your thoughts, then gently return to your focus. Do not resist this mental "housecleaning."

Excuse: I don’t have time to meditate. You can get a lot out of meditation even if you can spare only a few minutes a day. And most people find that the more time they spend meditating, the more they like it ... and the more time they’re willing to set aside to practice it.

These "mini-meditations" take only a minute or so to do...

Take a conscious nap. Sit with eyes closed for five minutes. Let your mind drift. Do the slump. Periodically, as you’re seated, let your head droop slowly toward your chest. Notice the weight of your shoulders and the gentle stretch through your spine. Take a few breaths. Slowly return to an erect posture.

Excuse: I don’t have a quiet place in which to meditate. Most people can meditate even in the midst of loud noises and bustling activity.
Have you ever become engrossed in a book while waiting in a crowded airport? Ever fallen into a deep slumber in front of a blaring television or radio? If so, you can certainly learn how to meditate in less-than-perfect circumstances. Treat noise during meditation the same way you deal with your own thoughts. Notice the distraction, then return to your focus.

If noise is still a barrier, try meditating...
... at the office. Close your office door for 10 minutes and ask not to be disturbed.
... in your car. Meditate in your driveway before getting out of your car and walking inside.
... at bedtime. Sit up in bed while your partner reads quietly beside you.

Excuse: I keep falling asleep. Fine! Most busy people have a huge sleep debt. Nodding off may be exactly what you need. When you wake up, don’t try to return to your focus right away. Give your brain a few moments to come back to consciousness ... slowly. Then continue meditating.

 

Meditation speeds healing

Psoriasis suffers who listened to meditation tapes whole receiving UV light treatments recovered nearly four times faster than those patients who received UV treatments alone, according to a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine.
reported in Natural Health magazine, 3/99

Another Study Shows how Meditation May Help the Heart

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The rhythmic chanting used when saying the rosary prayer or performing a yoga mantra seems to have a calming effect on the heart, study findings suggest. ``The rosary might be viewed as a health practice as well as a religious practice,'' according to study lead author Dr. Luciano Bernardi, of the University of Pavia in Italy and his colleagues.

To investigate, the researchers measured the breathing rates of 23 adults while they either prayed the rosary in the original Latin or recited a yoga mantra. The rosary is a repetition 50 times of the Ave Maria, or the Hail Mary prayer, with the whole 50 repeated three times. For comparison, the researchers also measured the study participants' respiration during free talking, and during spontaneous and controlled slow breathing exercises. When the participants breathed spontaneously, their respiratory rate was about 14 breaths per minute, which slowed down to almost 8 breaths per minute when they engaged in regular conversation, the investigators report in the December 22/29th issue of the British Medical Journal. During recitation of the Ave Maria or the yoga mantra, however, their respiratory rate was about 6 breaths per minute.

A slow respiration rate of 6 breaths per minute "has generally favorable effects on cardiovascular and respiratory function,'' the researchers note.  Furthermore, breathing rate was irregularly reduced during free talking, but was significantly more regular during recitation of the Ave Maria and the yoga mantra, similar to during the 6 minutes of controlled respiration, Bernardi's team reports. This indicates ``that these methods could stabilize the respiratory rate as effectively as precisely timed control,'' the authors write. What's more, recitation of both the Ave Maria and the yoga mantra similarly synchronized all the heart rhythms, the investigators found.

The similar effects produced by the two seemingly different cultural practices may not be merely coincidental. In fact, Bernardi and colleagues suggest, the two practices may have similar origins. It is known that the rosary is related to the Christian religion, but it was actually introduced by the crusaders ``who learnt a similar technique from the Arabs who in turn learned it from the Indian and Tibetan masters of yoga,'' Bernardi told Reuters Health.

``So it may be that recitation of Mantras, which originally was conceived as a health practice, and the Rosary, which is essentially a religious practice in Europe, could have the same background,'' he explained.
"Classically, in the West, the rosary is the technique that is most readily recognized as a way of evoking this response," said Dr. Herbert Benson, president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2001;323:1446-1449.

 

Meditating Away Hospital Bills

as reported in Natural Health October 1997

A recent study, which appeared in the American Journal of Managed Care found that individuals who practiced Mantra Meditation combining diet, exercise and Mantra meditation used less medical care.
How? Meditation is the key says co-author Robert Herron." Mantra Meditation creates more orderly brain function, allowing it to communicate better with the rest of the body," Herron explains. "when you have a heart attack, you can't fix the heart and think you're finished. The heart cells will communicate with the rest of the body's cells to tell them something isn't right. With Mantra Meditation the brain and body calm down enough to work together."

 

Meditation Lowers Blood Pressure

A new study indicates that people with hypertension who practice mantra meditation can experience substantial decreases in blood pressure. The findings are promising enough that the National Institute of Health have allocated $3 million to further study the possible link.

The recently completed project, conducted at California's West Oakland Health Center, involved 100 people aged 55 and older. Those who learned and performed mantra meditation everyday for three months had and overall drop in systolic pressure that was 11 points greater that the drop in people who were counseled on lifestyle changes such and cutting back on salt, exercising more and drinking less alcohol. The meditators' diastolic pressure dropped by six point more that in the advice-only group's did.

The lower blood pressures occurred in all hypertensive people-not just those show scored high on tests for psychosocial stress. It also occurred in people who were overweight, ate large amounts of salt or drank a lot of alcohol; all of which are risk factors for high blood pressure. It seems that, stressed of not, you can lower high blood pressure by meditation.

The researchers are not sure what the mechanism of lowered blood pressure from meditation is. However, it works, by reducing stress, meditation could also help people curb unhealthful behavior, such as overeating or drinking too much alcohol. Indeed, people in the study who were counseled to make lifestyle changed did not make any appreciable alterations in their day-to-day habits, but meditation group went from roughly 11 drinks a week to five, indicating that meditation may make it easier for people to implement other healthy changes. "The synergistic effect of mantra meditation combined with improved diet and exercise habits could potentially produce much greater benefits than either one alone." says head researcher Charles Alexander, Ph.D.

Reductions in blood pressure similar to those experienced in the subjects performing mantra meditation that were brought about by drugs have led to 35-40% reduction in stroke risk and 20-45% reductions in risk of congestive heart failure. But, meditation had no side effects, as so many drugs do. Conventional therapies such as diuretics, calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors can lead to a rise in blood cholesterol, impotence, fatigue, dry mouth, nasal congestion, diarrhea, nausea, headaches, and dizziness. reported in April 1997 Energy Times