When most people think of yoga, they think of the physical act of moving their body called asana. This is only 1 of the 8 limbs of yoga. Asana was actually used to prepare the body to sit for meditation. Meditation is associated with 4 out of the 8 limbs: pratyahara or sense withdrawal, dharana or focused concentration, dhyana or effortless concentration, and samadhi or Universal connection and bliss. Meditation is much older than asana.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is practicing a single point of focus for an extended period. It is used to cleanse and calm your mind and free yourself of the constant thoughts that come up in your mind called mind chatter. As you become still and clear your mind, you can become more aware and connect to a higher state of consciousness. In meditation, you can explore your inner self free of judgement, recognize and release negative thought loops and old patterns. It provides you with rest and a feeling of renewal. You can become the witness of your life and find answers to your problems.
How Meditation Works
In your normal day to day wakeful state, your brainwaves are in the beta state. You move to alpha waves when you fall asleep, then theta as you dream. Finally, you reach a state of dreamless sleep with delta brainwaves. In the final limb of yoga, samadhi or bliss, people can show delta brainwaves, but they are still awake.
Studies on Meditation
In a study about Transcendental Meditation, participants spent 20 minutes a day sitting quietly and repeating a mantra internally. They did not change their breathing patterns or dietary recommendations. A normal EEG shows the day-to-day brain with chaotic and random waves usually in beta. Both hemispheres of the brain generate different wave lengths and also, in the front, compared to the back brain. The EEG showed with meditation an immediate increase in alpha waves. Then after a few minutes the alpha waves escalated, and the front and back brain became synchronized as well as the right and left hemispheres. As this continued, there were many people that experienced theta waves, especially if they were experienced in meditation. The most advanced meditators had more alpha waves present in a waking state and more theta waves during meditation with some even occurring during wakeful periods.
Another study with Metta meditation (loving kindness meditation), showed improvement of daily mindfulness, self-acceptance, purpose in life, social support received, positive relations with others and illness symptoms after 6 weeks of meditation. The participants showed an increase in positive emotions that increased their ability to find ways to meet their goals. These improvements in self-efficacy predicted improvements in life satisfaction measures.
Benefits of Meditation
Mental and Emotional
By focusing on something repetitive like a sound, your breath, a mantra, or movement and attempting to let go of all your other thoughts, you elicit the relaxation response in your body. Meditation triggers the parasympathetic nervous system or “rest and digest” part of the nervous system. This relaxation response can bring feelings of inner peace, an improved mood, and an increase in overall well-being.
It is suggested that being in meditation and allowing the brain to rest allows you to be more alert when you are awake. Being more alert leads you to having a higher performance, an increase in job production and satisfaction, and being faster on tasks.
Other benefits of meditation include:
- Increase in energy
- Decreased anxiety and stress
- Decrease in depression
- Improved memory
- Reduction in psychological pain
- Decreased drug use (recreational and prescription)
In the Physical Body
Studies have shown heart rates decreased by 25%, blood pressure decreased, and an increase in oxygen by 16-18%. Also, meditation is believed to de-stimulate the cerebral cortex and the limbic system.
Normally with aging, gray brain matter thickness decreases, but with meditation, there is an increase in gray matter. Meditation and yoga improve telomerase activity and telomere length. This is important because telomerase protects and maintains telomere length. Shorter telomeres are linked to accelerated aging and related diseases. People that meditate long-term have a younger biological age compared to short-term meditators and people who do not meditate.
Other physiological benefits include:
- Reduction in lactate, cortisol, and epinephrine
- Increase in melatonin
- Increased blood flow to the brain which increases the brain’s executive function
- Reduced cholesterol
- Reduced smoking
- Decreased sympathetic (fight or flight response) overstimulation
Steps to Meditate
- Find a comfortable seat either in a chair with your feet on the floor or sitting with your legs crossed or in easy pose (sukhasana). If you are sitting on the floor, you can prop your hips up with a yoga block, cushion, pillow, or folded up blanket. You want to be able to have your breath flow easily.
- Rest your hands in your lap or on your thighs. Palms face down is more grounding and palms face up is more receiving of energy.
- Have a tall spine in whichever comfortable seat you have chosen.
- Close your eyes or have a soft gaze.
- Release your shoulders down your back to create space between your shoulders and your ears.
- From here, there are many different types of meditations and pranayama (breathing techniques) you can use.
- You can focus on your breathing-the sound, direction, frequency, and pressure.
- You can focus on an intention-a word, thought, or feeling.
- You can internally recite a mantra.
- You can focus on a color-for example if you were working with the chakra system, you can focus on yellow for chakra 3, Manipura, while you meditate.
- You can use an app like the Calm app for a guided meditation.
- You can listen to a visualization meditation or walk yourself through one yourself. Noticing your surroundings-the sounds, textures, smells, feeling of things on your skin, etc.
- You may want to use a mudra (specific hand positioning).
- You can also listen to calming music (I use instrumental yoga or meditation music).
- To come out of the meditation, you can take a few deep breaths. Slowly blink your eyes open. To wake up your body and ground you back into your space, you may like to rub your palms together, rub your hands back and forth on the top of your thighs, or wiggle your fingers and toes. Be mindful as you transition to standing and to move forward with your day.
Meditation is a Practice
If you are new to meditation, please know that thoughts will come up and that is totally normal. Meditation is a practice. Think about training your body to get in shape at the gym. Meditation is like taking your mind to the gym. Also, I recommend starting for 5 minutes or less and then gradually increasing the time as you become more comfortable. I set a timer on my watch for 20 minutes. Studies have found that you benefit from just the attempt to meditate. So, if you feel like it isn’t successful to clear your mind, that is ok. Keep at it! One day you will get lost in the meditation and become unaware of your thoughts, surroundings, and time.
Conclusion
Meditation has many benefits for your mind, body, and spirit. It helps to clear your mind, reduce stress which can lead to a higher risk of disease, learn more about yourself, and allows you to be in a state of stillness. In our modern world, many people are constantly doing. With meditation, you can just be.
Much love & health,
Carrie
Resources:
Sharma, H. (2015, Jul-Sep). Meditation: Process and Effects. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4895748/
Frederickson B.L. et al, (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95,5, 1045-1062.
Judith, A. (2011). Eastern body, Western Mind. Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony.
