Why Meditation?

 

Meditation has been the subject of many scientific studies. Scientists are becoming more interested in the role of meditation in human health.

Why meditation? Positive thinking can bring about health and wellness. But what has that to do with meditation?

We all know that positive thinking brings health and wellness in life. Unfortunately, often times, we simply cannot stay positive, even though we very much want to, because our minds seem to be out of control. That is, our minds seem to be controlling us, instead of we controlling our minds.

Why does the human mind run rampant?

It is because we subconsciously give reins to our thoughts, and our thoughts affect our bodies, which produce biological and chemical changes that, in turn, affect our minds -- and thus creating a vicious cycle of ill-health meditation positions for bad backs.

Why do we give reins to our thoughts? Why do we let our thoughts control our minds? Why can't we have positive thinking all the time?

The truth of the matter is that we do not consciously let our thoughts do that. Simply, there are too many things happening around us. Subconsciously, our minds just jump back and forth between events and happenings. As a result, our minds become chaotic. A chaotic mind creates internal chaos and disharmony -- a setting for biological and chemical changes within the human body. These changes may adversely affect the body's functions, making them incoherent and dysfunctional.

Why meditation?

Meditation helps to stabilize a chaotic mind. When you meditate, your mind focuses only on the present moment to the exclusion of everything else in the past or in the future. Meditation is single-minded focus that brings calmness to a chaotic mind.

Meditation is an antidote to stress, which is an important agent in premature aging. Your body begins to age due to deterioration in your endocrine system (which is responsible for manufacturing hormones). Your human growth hormone (HGH) keeps you healthy through repeated rejuvenation of your cells. In particular, your DHEA (dehydroeplandrosterone) is instrumental in delaying aging through controlling emotional and mental stress. Meditation gives your mind a meaningful break, just as restful sleep gives your body an opportunity to relax and to recover.

That meditation can contribute to anti-aging has been validated in a scientific study in which participants who regularly meditated had a significant increase of DHEA; in another study, those who meditated for more than 5 years were physiologically younger by more than 10 years than their chronological age; in yet another study published in "Neurobiology of Aging" meditation had "neuroprotective" benefits on the brain by increasing the brain's gray matters.