Professional Documents
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Group 1
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?
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?
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
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
History
History of Mediation
Meditation is BOTH Ancient spiritual practice Contemporary mindbody technique
History of Mediation
Originated from Asia- India, China, Japan Primary Purpose
Past: Religious Practice Present: Health benefits appeared around 1970
History 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
Physiological 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 Health
TM more effective in reducing anxiety than other techniques TM has been found to reduce:
depression hostility emotional instability
Note: A meta-analysis in 1990 indicated that meditation techniques involving explicit concentration produced the least effect of all techniques studied
Types of Meditation
2 Approaches
Concentrative- opening up of attention Mindfulness- focusing of attention
Transcendental Meditation
Mahest Prasod Varma 2 years of isolation in a Himalayan cave
Chakra 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 Zen
Began in India and spread by a Buddhist monk to Asia Meditation was practiced in hope to discover ones true nature while rejecting the academic approaches to Buddhism Uses koans which are unanswerable,illogical riddles
Mudra yoga
Hand and finger yoga positions Enhances health, relieves stress, prevent illness and heals physically and emotionally Madonna uses it in her performances
Sufism
Central concept or focus is love It is a tradition of Islam
Benefits of Meditation
Physiological 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
Cnn.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 contd
Other studies have shown that meditation: Can decrease stress Can decrease anxiety and depression Has beneficial effects for a variety of other illnesses.
Relaxation Response
This is the physiological state achieved when one is relaxed and has beneficial effects upon ones health Meditation specifically produces this response Also termed the trophotropic response
Psychological Benefits
Can produce a general state of positive mental health Decrease anxiety Reduced fears and phobias Headache relief Improvements in sleep
Psychological 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 Effects
Decreased cigarette smoking Decreased drug abuse Eating disorders have been found to be positively affected by mediation
Other Benefits
Decrease in the use of health services among meditators In effect, that saves companies money on health insurance premiums
Yoga Exercise
How 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:
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.
Yoga 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.
Yoga
The 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