Meditation has been practiced in the East even in ancient times. Ancient seals excavated from Harappa, which was part of what is now known as the Indus Valley Civilization, show a male figure in a classic meditation pose.
For centuries, the benefits of meditation have been known in Eastern societies. As meditation has come to the West along with Eastern traditions like Yoga, there has been increasing attention from the scientific community on the potential health and lifestyle benefits of meditation.
The physiological effects of meditation
A wide range of physiological benefits have been reported in scientific studies on the benefits of meditation:
- lower pulse rate
- lower blood pressure
- increase in alpha rhythms
- theta activity
- hemispheric synchronization
- decreased cortisol and andrenal hormones
- decrease in serum cholesterol levels
- reduced muscular tension
- reduced oxygen and energy consumption
The psychological and behavioral effects of meditation
Scientific studies on meditation benefits also show a wide range of psychological and behavioral effects of meditation :
- improved visual perception
- improved memory and recall
- improvements in learning ability and intelligence
- reduction in acute and chronic anxiety
- relief from addictions, neurosis, obesity, claustrophobia, headache, and other forms of distress
Other effects of meditation
Various scientific studies are showing a spectrum of other effects that go beyond the physiological and psychological benefits reported above. These include:
- equanimity
- ineffability
- detachment
- bliss
- higher levels of energy and excitement
- altered body image and ego boundaries
- dreams
- extrasensory experiences etc.
Kinds of meditation studied
Many types of meditation have been studied already, and uniformly, they all seem to show a range of benefits.
Transcendental meditation or TM is one of the widely researched meditation techniques. One of the most widely researched meditation techniques in Transcendental Meditation, or TM, as it is widely known. Over 200 scientific published studies show that this technique reduces stress, boosts learning ability and creativity, and improves brain functioning.
Zen meditation has also be the subject of various scientific studies. Beyond cataloging the benefits of mindfulness that comes from meditation, some of these studies explore questions such as whether the brain is hardwired for mystical experiences that are often reported from meditation practices.
Vipassana meditation, a technique that emerged in India 2500 years ago, has also been studied closely. Some of these studies from reputed research institutions like Harvard, Yale and MIT have reported on how meditation can actually alter the structure of our brains.
Tibetan meditation is now increasingly studied by scientists through the ongoing work of the Dalai Lama with the scientific community. The Mind and Life Institute catalogs these studies and their results.
A plethora of meditation techniques exist such as Osho Active Meditation, Sahaja Meditation, and various kinds of Buddhist Meditation. All of these are also subject of various research studies, each showing something promising about the role and value of meditation in our lives.
Summary of Meditation Benefits
Science is only at the very early stage of examining meditation, but these early research studies are incredibly promising already.
Today, we are all exposed to tremendous levels of physical, mental and emotional stress due to the kind of life we live and the kind of world we live in. It seems wonderful that meditation can bring us relief from stress and take us to a state of relaxation. What is even more fascinating is that these early research studies on meditation have shown that meditation can result in improved physiological functioning, can positively impact the development of mental potential, improve our academic performance, enable us to in remaining healthy and contribute to prevention of disease, reverse the aging process, reduce our fears and anxiety, reduce drug and alcohol dependency and use, enhance our job performance and increase our job satisfaction, and even result in decreased urban crime and help create world peace.
Given the growing scientific proof of the spectrum of benefits of meditation, It may be time that meditation is more widely taught and embraced in various settings.
