How Meditation Affects Your Body

It turns out peaceful thoughts really can influence our bodies, right down to the instructions we receive from our DNA, according to a new study.

Researchers for the study, published in the Public Library of Science, took blood samples from a group of 19 people who habitually meditated or prayed for years, and 19 others who never meditated.

The researchers ran genomic analyses of the blood and found that the meditating group suppressed more than twice the number of stress-related genes -- about 1,000 of them -- than the nonmeditating group.

The more these stress-related genes are expressed, the more the body will have a stress response like high blood pressure or inflammation. Over long periods of time, these stress responses can worsen high blood pressure, pain syndromes and other conditions.

The nonmeditating group then spent 10 minutes a day for eight weeks training in relaxation techniques that involved repeating a prayer, thought, sound, phrase or movement.

"What this does is to break the train of everyday thought -- you no longer have stressful thoughts and because of that the body is able to return to a healthy state," said Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute Mind/Body Medicine and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

By the end of the training, the novice meditating group was also suppressing stress-related genes, although at lower levels than those of the long-term meditating people.

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Comments

[ciphoto]

You can meditate, while walking, doing the dishes, sweeping, mowing the grass.

The act of focus the mind on one task and that task alone is a meditation. For mowing I do a walking meditation.

Their are three good postures for meditating, standing, sitting, laying. The key is what the mind is focusing on in these and making sure the body is in a good position for breathing and pain etc won't become a distraction, for people just starting.

amitabha

[Billie]

For me, the practiced awareness of concentrating on my breathing in and out helped so much. I was going through a very transitional time a few years ago and I was filled with anxiety. But I didn't want to do prescrip drugs. So I started doing the Wayne Dyer cd on Japa meditation--wow! The stress headaches and stomach aches I'd endured for three months were gone within a week. Plus, my life got better on every level because I was more relaxed and less fearfully resistent to change. I think whatever form of meditation a person finds to do, it is a wonderful helpful daily habit to get into because you really begin deeply (with every breath) to realize the postive, creative power within your own body. And it just opens you up to so many insights as well as open one's mind to love of oneself, and others. It also very powerfully helps you understand how connected we all are.

[TimT]

I love how everyone's opinion defines what they believe regarding meditation. My aunt used to say her afternoon cocktail was as good as meditation. Some folks believe that sleeping is the same. Of course the science tells a different story.

In this study, the meditators did far better at avoiding stress related genetic breakdown than those use more typical forms of relaxation. That's not hard to understand. Other studies have measured the depth of rest and stress reduction during meditation against other relaxation approaches. And meditation can take a person's level of relaxation far deeper than even deep sleep.

There are also studies that show that different forms of meditation produce differing levels of relaxation and rest. Mediation techniques aren't all the same -- neither are diet techniques or exercise techniques. So although some people will tell you to just do whatever you want, you will get different results depending on the technique you use.

[DaOne]

I lie on my back to meditate....eight hours a night.

[InformedSources]

There are many different types of meditation, including both moving meditation and still meditation. Still meditation can be done in any posture. You needn't sit in full- or half-lotus position; you can sit cross-legged, or in a regular chair. If you can't sit upright, you can lean on the back of the chair or a pillow. If you can't sit at all, you can meditate lying down. You can even meditate while standing up!

Do not be discouraged by anyone who tells you there is only this way or that way to meditate. Meditation can be done by anyone, in any country, no matter what their physical condition, age, or religion or non-religion. It's wide open. Find a teacher that's suits your needs, get a little guidance, and practice every day, or as often as you can. If you miss a day, or a week, or a month, just start again. The more you practice, the more you'll benefit.

Here's a way to start: when you breathe in, simply be aware, "I am breathing in." When you breathe out, simply be aware, "I am breathing out." That simple meditation is enough to get you started, in this moment. To go deeper, find a teacher, or try several different ones, and learn more. The possibilities are endless. Trust your own senses, your own intelligence, your own curiosity, to guide you in your quest.

Have fun, and enjoy!

[wm1066]

In meditation you usually sit in lotus pose.
Sprawled out on the couch and thinking is not meditation.
Sitting in lotus balances the body and that can balance the mind, the right side and left side is in balance and harmony. The lotus pose can also bring down blood pressure. The lungs are in position to breath fuller, and not cramped by bad posture.

[Jonahson]

The lotus position comes naturally to people living in India especially of the poorer populace who don't own furnitures. People living in countries like Myanmar and her nearby neighbours also sits on the floor in a raised platform.
For Westerners to sit in a lotus position need training. But if you are nearing middle age sitting in that position would be torture.
If you can achieve that position much better as it also prevent you from topping over in case you fall asleep. However the important things to remember is to sit with your back straight (naturally straight)
either in a chair or leaning against a wall in case if you have a back problem. You can start of with the half lotus position and keep your back straight using an extra pillow on the edge of your buttocks to support your position. happy sitting.