The Science of Meditation

Meditation is a practice that is encouraged by a wealth of people, including medical doctors, holistic practitioners and spiritual leaders. While everyone has their own experience with the extensive and wide-ranging benefits of meditation, there is real science that gives weight and credibility to this practice. From calming down an anxious mind to lowering blood pressure, meditation can do wonders for your health and wellness. While benefits increase with the length of meditation, what is more important is the regularity of your meditation practice. Even 12 minutes a day is better than 40 minutes of meditation once a week.

The Scientific Benefits of Meditation

Boosts the Brain—Numerous studies have shown that regular meditation will improve your brain function. In fact, one study completed in 2005 showed that people who meditate 40 minutes a day had brains that age at a slower rate and had better decision making abilities, better attention spans and improved memory when compared to people who don’t meditate. This benefit is attributed to the fact that people who meditate have thicker cortical walls than people who don’t. Additionally, a dedicated meditation practice will help increase the mental elasticity of your brain so that you are able to better control your thoughts and shift perspectives.

Heals the Heart—A study in 2008 at Massachusetts General Hospital showed that a relaxation program based on meditation significantly lowered blood pressure to the point where patients were able to lower their doses of medication after only three months. In addition to the benefits to your heart, meditation has been shown to boost your immunity so that you can better fight off illness. As an added benefit, some studies have shown that a regular meditation practice can act as a pain reliever, in some cases it has been shown to be more effective at pain management than morphine.

Lengthens the Life—In an exciting new study from Elizabeth Blackburn at the University of California at Los Angeles, we learned that only 12 minutes of daily meditation increased telomerase by a significant amount. This doesn’t sound that exciting until you realize that telomerase is an enzyme that slows the cellular aging process and fights the many effects of stress-induced aging.

Strengthens Relationships—In addition to fighting the devastating effects of anxiety and depression, meditation has been proven to help strengthen your interpersonal skills to the benefit of your relationships. More than one study has shown that meditation increases your connection to others so that you may feel less lonely. It also increases your compassion and emotional intelligence so that you are able to get a better read on the people in your life.

Every day more and more studies are released that give powerful evidence to the quantifiable and scientific benefits of meditation. The encouraging news is that a meditation practice is within your reach. When you commit to a meditation practice, it is becoming more and more evident that you are committing to your health and well being in more ways than you would ever expect.