Meditation styles and Yoga practice

Yoga

Stress and Meditation
Humans in the 21st century live and breathe stress. We live in a rapidly changing world with the everyday stresses of work, school, parenting, household chores, care of senior family members, travel, and many times least of all health. Let's not forget overpopulation and pollution as well as other environmental stressors lessening our sense of physical and psychological well being. This chronic state of stress produces an ongoing stress response, and can be likened to an animal ready to pounce at the sign of danger, or flea from it. This stress response is called the fight-or-flight response. Physiologist Walter B. Cannon, in the early 20th century, first described this fight-or-flight phenomena. It is marked by physiological changes including increased heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, muscle tone, oxygen consumption, and perspiration (Collinge, 1996). These changes can lead to illness, whether it be heart disease, high blood pressure, or migraine headaches and back aches (Benson, 1998).

A simple and widely used way to counteract the effects of stress is the use of meditation--a form of mind/body medicine. According to Borysenko (1987), "Meditation is any activity that keeps the attention pleasantly anchored in the present moment (p. 36)." This healing technique has been scientifically shown to have a calming, healing effect on the body, and may even reverse the effects of chronic stress (Somerville, 1998).

Meditation may be thought of as a religious or spiritual undertaking, as it evolved as part of religious traditions such as the Vedic roots of Transcendental Meditation, the Judeo-Christian orientation of Edgar Cayce's method, or the Buddhist origin of various Tibetan, Chinese, or Japanese practices (Redwood 1995). Meditation does not have to have a religious undertone, however. The physical benefits of any practice of meditation are the same regardless of the way in which it is practiced.

Meditation is an accessible form of mind/body medicine in that it can literally be taken with the practitioner anywhere--in the bus on the way to the mall, during those quiet mornings in the home, during a break at work, while taking a stroll in a park, riding in the train home from work. Meditation is accessible because it requires only a focus of awareness. No special tools are required.

There are many different forms of meditation, however the concept and healing qualities are all similar. For example, the forms of meditation include sitting meditation, mindfulness meditation, or transcendental meditation (TM), among others. These three forms of meditation mentioned differ in distinct ways, however all are powerful ways to relax after a hectic day, cope with stress, pain, high blood pressure, panic disorders, respiratory illnesses and other chronic illness (Kabat-Zinn, 1993; Somerville, 1998). Each individual may experiment with the different types of meditation and find one that feels most natural to them. They may combines certain aspects of each type as it fits their lives.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought transcendental meditation (TM) to the United States in the 1960's. Transcendental meditation is a variation of the ancient act of yoga. There are two basic components of TM. The first is a mantra. A mantra is a word or phrase that has spiritual meaning to the individual who chooses it. For example, one might choose the word "God," "Love," or anything that holds meaning to the individual. The transcendental meditator silently speaks this word or phrase to him or herself. The mantra is used to help the meditator keep focus, and limit distracting thoughts. The second component of TM is the passive disregard of intruding thoughts. So, if in the process of TM a stray thought comes to mind--"I've got to remember to pick up the dry-cleaning tonight"--the meditator will peacefully dismiss the thought and return to the mantra. Inexperienced meditators must realize that this process takes time, patience, and practice to master.

Dr Kabat-Zinn (1993), associate professor of medicine and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre in Worcester refers to another type of meditation. Unlike other forms of meditation that involve focus on the breath, a phrase, mantra, or prayer to minimize distracting thoughts, mindfulness meditation involves intently focusing on the distracting thoughts. "Like other mind/body therapies, mindfulness meditation can induce deep state of relaxation, at times directly improve physical symptoms, and help patients lead full and satisfying lives," says Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn (1993, p. 259). This type of meditation, also known as Vipssana,has been in existence for roughly 2,500 years stemming primarily from the Buddhist tradition. It was developed "?as a means to cultivating greater awareness and wisdom, with the aim of helping people live each moment of their lives--even the painful ones--as fully as possible (Kabat-Zinn, 1993, p. 260)." Only recently has this method come to the west (Somerville, 1998).

The Practice of Meditation

The practice of meditation can be carried out in multiple ways. One of the most basic practices of meditation is outlined by Dr. Joan Borysenko (1987), co-founder and director of the Mind/Body Clinic at New England Deaconess Hospital, in eight steps:

Find a quiet spot at home or elsewhere where there will be no disruptions by people or telephones. This may be the hardest part for some because it entails making time for oneself.

Sit in a comfortable position--back straight, arms and legs crossed. A cushion may be used to sit on for increased comfort. It is important though not to get too comfortable or else one will fall asleep.

Close the eyes.

Begin relaxing all the muscles of the body beginning with the head on down to the feet. Relax on the out breath or exhalation. Let go and let gravity pull on the body to relax. Taking deep breaths will help the relaxation process.

Become aware of the breath without trying to control it in any way. The breathing will get slower and shallower during the meditation process. This is a normal physiological response to the relaxation that is occurring. The body is requiring less oxygen because the metabolism has slowed down

Repeat the mantra or focus word silently in time with the breath. Try one word for the inhalation--"Let"-- and another for the exhalation--"Go".

Do not worry about progress or how well the meditation is going. As soon as worry enters the picture, meditation has turned into anxiety--what we want to get rid of. Inevitably at first the mind will wander. Label the thought--thinking, anger, judging, etc. let it go, and return to the word, phrase, or breath

Practice meditation at least once a day for ten to twenty minutes. With practice, meditation will get easier and more deeply peaceful. Remember that meditation is not an end in itself, it is a process. The process is what heals. (pp. 42-46).

History of Meditation

Dr. Herbert Benson, founding President of the Mind/Body Institute and associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical school, and his research team spent several years investigating the secular and religious literatures of the world to find if there were any similarities to present day TM. They found that in virtually every culture studied that had a written history, the basic steps of present-day transcendental meditation were present. For example, Benson (1993) writes,

In Judaism, at the time of the Second Temple--roughly from the fourth and fifth centuries BC to the first century AD--followers of a philosophy called Merkabolism would squat in a fetal-like posture and focus on their breathing. They would repeat the name of a magic seal on each exhalation and disregard other thoughts when they came to mind (p. 239).

Within Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, and Confucianism similar practices were found (Benson, 1993).

Some Examples of Research on Meditation

Dr. Herbert Benson (1975), author of the best-selling book, The Relaxation Response, has studied meditation and its healing qualities. Benson's research has shown that meditation decreases heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure in people who have normal or mildly elevated blood pressure, and oxygen consumption (Redwood, 1995).

Meditation also has an effect on brain wave patterns. Studies have shown that meditation increases alpha rhythms--correlated to a state of relaxed alertness--and "enhanced synchronization of alpha rhythms among four regions of the brain, right, left, front, and back (Redwood, 1995, paragraph 10)."

Cost of Meditation

Meditation is one of the mind/body therapies that can be used everywhere for free. Meditation may take place in the confines of a group, which may include a small fee--around $15. There are tools that people may purchase to add to the meditation experience such as special cushions, musical meditation audiotapes, and the like. These extras are not necessary to arrive at the benefits of meditation.

Conclusion

Through thousands of research studies, meditation has shown its benefits clearly. However, according to Redwood (1995), "Meditation remains a tool drastically under utilized within the medical fields (p. 2)." Hopefully in the coming years, the medical establishment will try to break the taboo of using a type of medicine we can't see or touch and begin teaching patients to meditate in an attempt to help them lead healthier, happier lives.