Benefits of meditation.
Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits
both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits
don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more
calmly through your day and improve certain medical conditions.
Meditation and emotional well-being.
When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up
every day and contributes to your stress.
The emotional benefits of meditation include:
- Gaining a new perspective
on stressful situations
- Building skills to manage
your stress
- Increased self-awareness
- Focusing on the present
- Reducing negative emotions
Meditation and illness
Many healthy people use meditation as a way to relax the body and reduce
stress. But meditation also might be useful if you have a medical condition,
especially one that may be worsened by stress.
Meditation and illness
Many healthy people use meditation as a way to relax the body and reduce
stress. But meditation also might be useful if you have a medical condition,
especially one that may be worsened by stress.
A growing body of scientific research is supporting the health benefits of
meditation. But many of the studies aren't of high quality, and some
researchers believe it's not yet possible to draw conclusions about the
possible benefits of meditation.
With that in mind, some research suggests that meditation may help such
conditions as:
- Allergies
- Anxiety disorders
- Asthma
- Binge eating
- Cancer
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Pain
- Sleep problems
- Substance abuse
Autogenic training is a relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Schultz and first published in 1932.
Techniques in Autogenic training and in mindfulness meditation involve daily practice sessions that can last 15 minutes or more. These sessions can be in the morning, lunch time and in the evening. Each session involves visualisations and using techniques to alleviate many stress induced psychosomatic disorders. These techniques have been subject to many clinical studies which has shown its effectiveness in helping individuals overcome stress and illnesses.
Progressive relaxation, Yoga and many kinds of meditative techniques have developed into advanced sophisticated processes of intervention and learning. Biofeedback was also developed using basic elements of autgenic imagery and developed condensed simplified versions.
Modern
clinical psychology and psychiatry have developed therapeutic
mindfulness applications from ancient Buddhist Palisat or Sanscrit
smriti "mindfulness" techniques. Buddhist meditation experts have
integrated the healing aspects of Buddhist meditation practices with
the concept of psychological awareness and healing.
I follow no set school of thought on meditation and believe it is useful to learn a variety of techniques. These all add to the richness of materials available for our use. I have found at different times I like using different techniques often because I felt a situation, envirronment or trigger was different. It is a lifelong activity and will go on as long as I live. I have talked to those who have learnt only one method of meditation and they have found themselves blocked at very stressful times. It was when it was when they needed it most they could not use it. That is why I use a range of meditative techniques to help at different times of our lives.