The basics of meditation and yoga: their myriad medical benefits

Yoga and meditation, the two unique gifts of Indian philosophy and Hinduism to the world--how one can reach a state of bliss and self-realization through the two pursuits.

 

“Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.”

 

Swami Sivananda—Indian monk, Founder of the “Divine Life Society (1887-1963)

 

In today’s age, constant physical and emotional stress has been affecting the human life with numerous challenges and obstacles every single day. Moreover, with all material glory, scientific and technological advancements over the ages notwithstanding, nobody can deny today that with all the mutual distress, doubts, disbelief and sense of loneliness, the entire humankind today is seated in the midst of a ravaging sea of inward mental and spiritual void. Amid such stressful and turbulent times, it is becoming more and more evident why, with each passing day, individuals are turning to the pristine recluse of the “spiritual” to delve into the deeper understanding of the human soul. A significantly increasing number of people in all parts of the globe are turning to the basic readings of Indian philosophy, especially the age-old practices of meditation and yoga in order to gain self-regulation of attention, and, above all, a unique perception of the reality around that helps them identify their true personal being. It is a pleasure to see today that the greatness of the Indian philosophy preached by the ancient Indian sages are no longer confined within narrow geographical boundaries of the orient, but have eventually touched the lives of those in the West.

 

Today, when we talk about the ancient practice of meditation, self-inquiry or self-regulation of the human soul, we actually refer to different techniques of the human mind or human consciousness being made to focus awareness on an object or process. The object or the process can be anything, ranging from the human breath, sound: a mantra, a riddle evoking questions; a visualization, or an exercise. Ancient sages in the orient have preached the practice of meditation since times immemorial as “the nature’s tranquilizer”. Whether used in religious and spiritual practices in the form of “concentration meditation”, or in most of today’s spiritual workshops as “mindfulness meditation”, this archaic practice derived from the most ancient Vedanta philosophy has proved time and again to provide a superb antidote to human stress. At the same time, the practice of meditation on a controlled and regular basis has been said to bring about some of the well-documented physiological changes that enable the meditator to achieve a state of “restful alertness”. The Indian philosophy, by its very nature, is based on the principles of reason and introspection, where the ultimate goal is the quest for the ultimate spiritual reality. The essence of Yoga, ‘Yogamudra’ (based on the study of the five elements of the human body namely Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Sky), meditation—emphasizes on the awakening of the various levels of human consciousness, thereby recognizing the transcendental consciousness and in the process, coordinating the three basic stages of human consciousness. Cumulatively, we can call meditation practices, yoga, speculation, theology and religious mysticism as some of the integral parts of Indian philosophy—which encourage us to interpret the totality of human experience from the standpoint of truth.

 

It has been proved by numerous health and wellness experts over the ages globally, that the stability of personality, equilibrium of consciousness, and harmony in all walks of life—which meditation and yoga practices emphasize on, have the effect to qualitatively transform the day-to-day existence of human life. In all this, there is basically one wholesome purpose—that of adjusting oneself with an environment which is entirely external. While the universe around works as a system of harmony, the practice of yoga and meditation ultimately works towards achieving a vital, organic relation of the human consciousness with this intrinsic system of harmony. Although still an abstruse subject for many, with the proper orientation, the cumulative benefits of yoga and meditation have been recognized by almost all medical practitioners, fitness experts, health and wellness practitioners around the world.

 

Whenever one speaks of the enrichment of the human soul that meditation aims to create in the end, he is actually referring to the natural outcome of yoga and the spiritual benefit of meditation which brings supreme bliss or enlightenment to the human mind. However, clinically speaking, there are also several benefits of practicing yoga and meditation that happens at the gross body or material level. What more, some of the yoga and meditation techniques today are even implemented in managing life-threatening diseases, in acute cases of mental illnesses, and even in the more complex, critical transformation of the human molecular and genetic structure.

 

Clinically speaking, certain yoga and meditation techniques and principles, when applied to daily activities, have been proven to keep an individual calm and focused, even when struggling with tremendous mental/psychological pressure. In turn, it has been proved to lead to a deeper level of relaxation, which not only provides one with self-confidence, better concentration and improved mental health, but also increases blood flow and slows the heart rate, decreases respiratory rate, increases blood flow and slows the heart rate, as well as reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.  Patients with a history of surgeries are often said to have experiencing post-operative healing with the help of yoga and meditation practices. The various yogashanas as well as meditation techniques practiced over a period of time have also proved clinically beneficial to patients suffering from a variety of physical and mental illness syndromes like depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches and also from chronic diseases like allergies and arthritis. Patients with a history of chronic hypertension and high blood pressure have been benefited, especially by meditation, as it has been clinically proved to increase serotonin production in the human brain, thereby influencing the mood and behavior in individuals, and bringing the blood pressure to normal in the process. In women, the practice of meditation is clinically proven to reduce pre-menstrual syndromes.

 

Another startling revelation regarding the clinical benefits of meditation is that some years back a research has proved that the practice of meditation increases the activity of 'natural-killer cells', which kill bacteria and cancer cells, enhancing the immune system in the process. Researchers have also discovered that long-term meditation practices have helped to decrease a person’s metabolic age, providing protection against many physical disorders. Today, an ever-increasing number of medical practitioners are recommending a period or two of daily meditation as an adjunct to treatments for acute heart conditions, high blood pressure, migraine headaches, various nervous system disorders as well as stomach and intestinal ulcers. One may wonder why. The best answer to this is—as meditation is nature’s own tranquilizer, unlike its chemical counterparts, various meditation techniques enable the human mind to probe deep within oneself to the very source of the disturbances: in order to identify them, become increasingly aware of them and eventually exercise more control over them.

 

At the end, however, it needs to be mentioned that in order to have any real and lasting value in human life; meditation and yoga practices have to be consistently repeated over time.  Meditation tunes and trains the human mind in the same way as an athlete tunes and trains his or her body. The end result always is—an increasing efficiency in everyday living. While practicing meditation, our ancient sages used to aim at achieving the highest state of blissfulness that came to them through exploring their center of consciousness--the Self, the Atman or Purusha, which is one and the same with the Absolute Reality. Even today, meditation, yoga, contemplation, mantra (prayer) are practiced in established schools as a unified force directed towards finding harmonious directions in the human life. The more we as individuals can master the art and science of systematically observing, accepting, understanding, and training each of the levels of our being, the more will it help us to integrate and strengthen our body and soul, making us serene and competent in the process.  

Author's Note

I wanted to share this essay with those who are eager to explore the ancient oriental practices of yoga and meditation as strong pursuits to identify their true, unique personal being. I am neither a spiritual Guru, nor an expert physician. I am only the believer of mediation and yoga as "nature's unique tranquilizers"; and delving into the history of these two age-old spiritual practices, I have found out some wonderful gems of the ancient Vedanta philosophy which I had to write down somewhere for the records. In this very note, I present this piece to the readers.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I believe in meditation. I learn the Native American way to clear the mind and open the door to sleep and calm. The mind had many doors we do not use. If we were allow to expand the mind. What great things we could. I enjoyed this information. You are always a pleasure to read. Thank you.
Coyote