There are a multitude of benefits from practicing meditation. There are also many ways we can meditate. Meditation helps us to have awareness and compassion, which lead to positive emotion. This can eventually create long lasting changes for us, resulting in physiological changes that help us. Meditation has been linked to immune functioning. Specifically, it can affect immune cell stability, inflammation that occurs as a result of stress and increased kindness and compassion, towards ourselves and others. Loving-kindness affects our immune system in a positive fashion. It may also have an effect on our telomerase, which is the end cap protective part of our DNA. Telomerase fosters genetic stability and higher levels of it are linked to better health. Studies are just starting to reveal this.
Another area that benefits from meditation practice is that we can learn to control our automatic thoughts and behaviors. This means that we learn to observe positive and negative thoughts as they are happening, without judgment, leading to better self-regulatory behavior, which goes along with better responses to stress.
Meditative practices have also been associated with better outcomes for cardiovascular disease. One study revealed that after a 3 month meditation training, individuals had significant decreases in blood pressure, nurtured an open minded, non-judgmental attitude, an increase in cardiac vagal tone (which is good for us) and decreases our emotional reactivity, which is good for our heart.
In regard to our psyche and emotional stability, meditative practice can help us to react better to negative events and allow for quicker recovery from stressful events. Studies have compared emotional reactivity between a group who practiced meditation and one who did not, who looked at unpleasant pictures. The results showed that the group who practice meditation fared much better. Positive emotional experiences, which are fostered by a meditative practice promote social closeness and guards against cardiovascular disease. Meditative practice may decrease rumination; going over something over and over in our minds.
Kindness and compassion based meditation can also help people coping with chronic pain. Patients monitored in a study were found to have less back discomfort on days they practiced meditation. Meditative practices may also help with acute pain.
Consider meditation for your health. If you can’t start a formal practice think about other ways of meditative breathing and relaxation. Things such as yoga, tai-chi and swimming all have some meditative quality. There is focus on breathing and being in the present moment. Be kind to yourself and engage in activities that promote a healthy loving-kindness towards yourself.
References:
https://www.bensonhenryinstitute.org/
Kok, Waugh & Fredrickson 2013. Meditation for Health