Meditation, although practiced for centuries around the world, is relatively new to the Western societies. To some, it’s just a buzz word. “Hippy woo woo nonsense.” However, with advances in science over the last several decades have allowed multiple fields of research to ‘dig in’ to just what meditation does to the mind and body.
Originally meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life, it was discovered that practicing meditation comes with all kinds of benefits. These days, meditation is most-commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.
Understanding meditation
So…what is it, exactly?
Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine.
During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress.
With practice, meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind, and often results in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.
Kinds of meditation
There are many kinds of meditations available in today’s world. New ‘types’ of meditation are being created every year. They often will be categorized by what their specific end goal is. Some examples are:
- Mindfulness
- Body Scan
- Visualization or Guided meditation
- Transcendental meditation
- Yoga
- Walking meditation
- Qi gong / Tai Chi
- Mantra medtation
- Affirmations
- And more
But does it actually work?
While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, 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 people manage symptoms of conditions such as:
- Anxiety
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Depression
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Sleep problems
- Tension headaches
Be sure to talk to your health care provider about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these conditions or other health problems. In some rare cases, meditation might worsen symptoms associated with certain mental health conditions.
Meditation isn’t a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it may be a useful addition to your other treatment.
