MeditationMeditationGroup 1Group 1

What is Meditation?What is Meditation?

• A mental exercise that benefits body processes

• Has certain physical benefits

• Tradition grounded in Eastern cultures- India, Tibet

• Popularized by Western cultures

What is Meditation?What is Meditation?

• Not a worship or prayer• It is Awareness• "Watching your breath" is

meditation; listening to the birds is meditation

• As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation.

• Mind is free of scattered thoughts

What is Meditation?What is Meditation?

A Tibetan Lama was being monitored on a brain scan

machine by a scientist wishing to test physiological functions during deep meditation. The

scientist said - "Very good Sir. The machine shows that you are

able to go very deep in brain relaxation, and that validates

your meditation". "No", said the Lama, "This (pointing to his brain)

validates the machine!".

Meditation…Meditation…• Derived from two Latin words :

– Meditari(to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind)

– Mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation 'medha' means wisdom.

• With regular practice of a balanced series of techniques, the energy of the body and mind can be liberated and the quality of consciousness can be expanded

• Not a subjective claim but is now being investigated by the scientists and being shown by an empirical fact

HistoryHistory

History of MediationHistory of Mediation

Ancient spiritual practice

Contemporary mind-body technique

Meditation is BOTH

History of MediationHistory of Mediation

• Originated from Asia- India, China, Japan

• Primary Purpose– Past: Religious Practice– Present: Health benefits

appeared around 1970

History of MeditationHistory of Meditation

• Dr. Benson demonstrated that the effects of meditation are essentially the opposite of the fight-or-flight response. Meditation Decreases: – Heart Rate– Respiratory Rate– Blood Pressure– Oxygen Consumption– Muscle Tension

Transcendental Meditation Transcendental Meditation (TM)(TM)

• Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1957

• Practiced 15-20 minutes twice a day

• Sit comfortably, eyes closed •Silent, mental repetition of a simple sound or mantra

•Allow the repetition to spontaneously become quieter and quieter until it disappears and one is left conscious, but without thoughts

Physiological ResearchPhysiological Research

• TM technique gives rise to a relaxed state marked by: – Reductions in metabolic

activity– Increased cerebral blood flow– Skin resistance changes– Reductions in plasma cortisol

Mental HealthMental Health• TM more effective in reducing anxiety than

other techniques• TM has been found to reduce:

– depression– hostility– emotional instability

• TM is 3x more effective than other techniques in increasing: – self-actualization– emotional maturity– a resilient sense of self– a positive world outlook

• TM techniques have also been linked with: – Reductions of major risk factors for disease– Reductions in blood pressure– Reductions in the use of alcohol and drugs

• Note: A meta-analysis in 1990 indicated that meditation techniques involving explicit concentration produced the least effect of all techniques studied

Types of Types of MeditationMeditation

2 Approaches2 Approaches

• Concentrative- opening up of attention

• Mindfulness- focusing of attention

Transcendental Transcendental MeditationMeditation

•Mahest Prasod Varma•2 years of isolation in a

Himalayan cave

Chakra YogaChakra Yoga

• Originates from Samkhya philosophy

• The chakra model is a map of the Human Energy System

• This system is made up of 7 points along a central channel

Rinzai ZenRinzai Zen

• Began in India and spread by a Buddhist monk to Asia

• Meditation was practiced in hope to discover one’s true nature while rejecting the academic approaches to Buddhism

• Uses koans which are unanswerable,illogical riddles

Mudra yogaMudra yoga

• Hand and finger yoga positions

• Enhances health, relieves stress, prevent illness and heals physically and emotionally

• Madonna uses it in her performances

SufismSufism

• Central concept or focus is love

• It is a tradition of Islam

Other forms of Other forms of meditationmeditation

• Soto Zen focuses on external objects

• Tibetan Buddhists use a mandala, nadam and mantra

• Zazen focuses on a subjective state of consciousness

• Hindu uses pranayama• Zen uses anapanasati

Benefits of Benefits of MeditationMeditation

Physiological EffectsPhysiological Effects• First discovered in

1946 • Found that meditation

could affect the heart rates and respiration rates of Indian yogis and Zen masters

• More recently, researchers found meditation can decrease muscle tension

Physiological Benefits Physiological Benefits cont’dcont’d

•Positive effects on blood pressure

•Decreases heart rate •Prevents hypertension•Decreases blood lactate

levels and carbon dioxide production

• Increases peripheral blood flow to arms and legs

Physiological Benefits Physiological Benefits cont’dcont’d

• Lowers baseline cortisol • Can efficiently treat pain• Reduces alcohol consumption• Decreases oxygen

consumption• Decreases alpha brain-wave

emissions• Increases skin resistance

Cnn.com articleCnn.com article

• People who have been practicing Buddhist insight meditation have a thicker cortex in some parts of their brain than people who do not meditate

• The longer they had practiced for, the thicker their cortex was

Cnn.article cont’dCnn.article cont’d

• Other studies have shown that meditation:– Can decrease

stress– Can decrease

anxiety and depression

– Has beneficial effects for a variety of other illnesses.

Relaxation ResponseRelaxation Response

• This is the physiological state achieved when one is relaxed and has beneficial effects upon one’s health

• Meditation specifically produces this response

• Also termed the trophotropic response

Psychological BenefitsPsychological Benefits

•Can produce a general state of positive mental health

•Decrease anxiety•Reduced fears and

phobias•Headache relief• Improvements in sleep

Psychological BenefitsPsychological Benefits

• Shows potential for stress management

• Associated with positive subjective experiences

• Relates to an internal locus of control, greater self-actualization and more positive feelings after encountering a stressor

Behavioral EffectsBehavioral Effects

•Decreased cigarette smoking

•Decreased drug abuse

•Eating disorders have been found to be positively affected by mediation

Other BenefitsOther Benefits

• Decrease in the use of health services among meditators

• In effect, that saves companies money on health insurance premiums

Yoga ExerciseYoga Exercise

How to MeditateHow to Meditate

• Meditate Regularly• Until you have gained enough

experience, meditate at the same time and place every day.

• Find a quiet, comfortable, and clean location.

• Make sure no one disturbs you.• Sit so comfortably that you forget

your body. • Be patient.• Have fun.• Be aware of yourself.• BREATHE, RELAX, AND CONCENTRATE

DO NOT MEDITATE:DO NOT MEDITATE:

• In a dirty place• Where there are

dangerous wild animals, potential for fire or flood, or bad people.

• If you feel tired, sick, sorrowful, or miserable.

Quick Meditation Quick Meditation TechniqueTechnique

• Remind yourself that you exist HERE and NOW

• Be aware of the activities going on in and around you at moment.

• From now onwards, start doing everything with AWARENESS.

Yoga ExerciseYoga Exercise

• Practice poses if your energy or mood is low.

• Do different poses for five minutes at a time throughout work or study.

• Get in the habit of taking frequent breaks, if only to look out a window or stand up.

• Yoga is a great way to relieve physical and mental stress; it improves posture, relieves eye stress and muscle stiffness, sharpens mental focus, and helps to calm and revitalize.

YogaYogaThe following are a few quick

and easy yoga techniques to practice at work or in study.

• Balancing Breath• Ocean Breath• Breath of Fire• Eye Exercises and Cupping• Face Massage• Warrior Breath • Joints Alive• Lion