Benefits of Yoga Meditation

Meditation is one of the five principles of yoga. It an important tool to achieve mental clarity and health. An overview of the different beginner and advanced meditation techniques will aid in choosing the right meditation exercise for you.

Meditation Background

Research has shown that Meditation can contribute to an individual's psychological and physiological well-being. This is accomplished as Meditation brings the brainwave pattern into an alpha state, which is a level of consciousness that promotes the healing state. As discussed in the section "How Meditation Work?", there is scientific evidence that Meditation can reduce blood pressure and relieve pain and stress. In the coming sections we have divided the health benefits of meditation in three parts: (1) physiological benefits; (2) psychological benefits' and (3) spiritual benefits.

Physiological Benefits of Meditation

Deep rest-as measured by decreased metabolic rate, lower heart rate, and reduced work load of the heart.
Lowered levels of cortisol and lactate-two chemicals associated with stress.
Reduction of free radicals- unstable oxygen molecules that can cause tissue damage.
Decreased high blood pressure.
Higher skin resistance. Low skin resistance is correlated with higher stress and anxiety levels.
Drop in cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular disease.
Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing. This has been very helpful to asthma patients.
Decreases the aging process.
Higher levels of DHEAS in the elderly. An additional sign of youthfulness.

Psychological Benefits of Meditation

Increased brain wave coherence.
Greater creativity.
Decreased anxiety.
Decreased depression
Decreased irritability and moodiness
Improved learning ability and memory.
Increased self-actualization.
Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
Increased happiness.
Increased emotional stability.

Spiritual Benefits of Meditation

The longer an individual practices meditation, the greater the likelihood that his or her goals and efforts will shift toward personal and spiritual growth. Many individuals who initially learn meditation for its self-regulatory aspects find that as their practice deepens they are drawn more and more into the realm of the "spiritual." In her work with many cancer and AIDS patients, Dr. Borysenko has observed that many are most interested in meditation as a way of becoming more attuned to the spiritual dimension of life. She reports that many die "healed," in a state of compassionate self-awareness and self-acceptance.