Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000176 EndHTML:0000007229 StartFragment:0000002590 EndFragment:0000007193 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/carmenhubbard/Desktop/meditation.docThe uncontrollable, twists and turns of the global economy, political strife and fallen heroes can take its toll on one’s mental health and dampen your optimistic mood. Fortunately, an ancient ritual known to calm nerves and center the mind has finally received the recognition it deserves that practitioners have been doing for centuries. Meditation has proven to have positive effects on psychological well-being, according to scientists.
A recent study from the Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging reported the result of mindfulness meditation helped reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders and chronic pain as well as improve a person’s quality of life.
“A large body of research has established the efficacy of these mindfulness-based
interventions in reducing symptoms of a number of disorders, including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and chronic pain, as well as improving well-being and quality of life,” the study stated.
A research team from Massachusetts General Hospital conducted the study in which they analyzed the brain scans, taken from an M.R.I., of 16 participants before and after an eight-week course in mindfulness meditation. The study cited the participants’ brains associated with compassion and self-awareness increased while their stress decreased.
According to Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, meditation is described as “mental stillness created by bringing the body, mind, senses into balance which, in turn, relaxes the nervous system.” The word meditate is Latin. Its root word meditat- means contemplated or consider. Meditation is typically associated with yoga that takes place at the beginning of practice. However, focusing the mind with the help of deep breathing for several minutes can take place off the mat and be implemented anywhere.
According to the study, mindfulness meditation includes compassion and nonjudgment during in-the-moment awareness usually seated quietly to prevent interruption and encourage concentration.
“The main idea is to use different objects to focus one’s attention, and it could be a focus on sensations of breathing, or emotions or thoughts, or observing any type of body sensations,” said Britta Hölzel, a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the study’s lead author. “But it’s about bringing the mind back to the here and now, as opposed to letting the mind drift.”
Mindfulness meditation has roots that trace back to ancient Buddhist techniques and was introduced in the United States during the late 1970s, Hölzel said.
So when your surroundings become too noisy and negative and interferes with your pleasant disposition, it might be time to unplug, get quiet, turn inward and meditate.
Carmen M. Hubbard - Carmen M. Hubbard is an award winning journalist turned freelance writer who lives in Cincinnati.
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