Discover the life-enhancing benefits of meditation

PRIME – April 2014 By Victor Acquista, MD Author Pathways to Health: An Integral Guidebook Several months ago, as reported in Bloomberg with the headline, "Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit," (available online at www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/harvard-yoga-scientists-find-proof-of-meditation-benefit.html), we got yet another report on why meditation can be a healthy practice to incorporate into your quest for better health. Whether it's to reduce stress, reduce inflammation, activate the "immortality gene," build resilience, or any number of other purported health benefits, it leads me to question: Is it really necessary to have scientific proof that something is good for you in order to convince people to try it? Or, better yet, to go ahead and do it? Whether it results in a calming and peaceful way to connect with the infinite, to still the chatter in your mind, to reduce the level of stress hormones and biologically active substances that raise your blood pressure, or any number of other effects, do we really need a bona fide scientific study to convince us to start to meditate? For those of you who need all this "proof," here is a link to a number of different articles on the subject: www.huffingtonpost.com/news/meditation-health-benefits/ . For those of you who are ready to move past the skepticism and begin to embark on this healthy practice, I offer the following advice. First, understand that it is somewhat artificial to separate the integrity of our being into different containers such as mind, body, and spirit. As I am fond of saying, "It's all in the stew." By that I mean we are complex beings in which our minds, bodies, and spirits are interacting and melding in ways which the sum impacts our health and well-being. Meditation is good for homo sapiens and has been practiced for many thousands of years. So how do you start? It does not require a yoga cushion or any special technique. You can meditate sitting, walking, standing, lying, or while you take a shower. You can use focusing techniques such as concentrating on the breath, somatic sensations, progressive muscle relaxation, using a mantra, or prayer rug, or mandala. Or you can use a non-focusing technique such as selecting no thought or sensation to concentrate on, to expand your senses past your immediate environment, to enter some rhythm or ride some wave of consciousness such that you are no longer thinking about anything in particular. Eckhart Tolle, present day spiritual teacher, describes this as being present or entering stillness. It does not really matter how you engage the meditative state. Centering prayer and deep contemplation are other methods. There are many books, CDs, and other readily available resources to help guide you. My personal favorite way of meditating is when I am walking; although, lying in bed staring at the ceiling is a close second. When we meditate, we are dissociated from the cares, worries, anxieties, tasks, hurts, confusion, pressures, etc. of our lives. This is not escapism. A meditative state is a place of direct experience with being and in many respects is more real than what consumes and distracts us. This place and space of being is a place of peace and joy. There are many distractions in our modern lives which can disrupt our sense of peace and joy. Meditation is a direct way to recapture what many teachers explain to be our natural state. And, meditation is available to all of us at any time for free, other than an investment in time and effort. If I had one and only one recommendation to give as a way to improve health, regular meditation would be at the top of my list, with regular exercise as a close second. A meditation practice is an excellent way to grow and develop to our fullest potential as human beings in addition to proven health benefits. Studies on accomplished meditators have demonstrated growth in areas of the brain associated with happiness. With practice at meditation you, too, can grow those same areas in your brain. You can increase your level of happiness by meditating regularly. Take advantage of the peace, joy, and enhanced well-being available to you by cultivating a meditative practice. If you do not believe me, try it and convince yourself that this is time and effort well spent. I am confident you will be glad you did. What are you waiting for? Like they say in the Nike commercial, "Just do it!" Stay healthy! – Victor Victor Acquista MD is author of "Pathways To Health: An Integral Guidebook." For more information on his book, visit http://pathstohealth.info/.