{"id":819,"date":"2020-02-13T09:37:19","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T09:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diabetesasia.org\/magazine\/?p=819"},"modified":"2024-09-10T09:43:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T04:13:32","slug":"what-are-the-benefits-of-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diabetesasia.org\/magazine\/what-are-the-benefits-of-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the benefits of meditation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are the benefits of meditation<\/a><\/span><\/strong>?<\/h2>\n

Meditation can offer many benefits to people of all ages\u2014creative\u00a0Improved Focus. One of the key benefits of regular meditation is that it improves focus. By doing some meditation each day, anyone will be able to improve their concentration span and alertness. Meditating allows for an increase in creative thinking, practical intelligence, and IQ functions of the brain.<\/p>\n

Reduced Stress Levels<\/h2>\n

As a result of regular meditation, One can reduce their stress levels and develop greater alertness. They also have better resistance to the effects of stress during times of difficult situations. Meditation helps to develop the skills to calmly and peacefully confront and tackle stressful situations as they arise.<\/p>\n

Improved Brain<\/a><\/span><\/strong> Efficiency<\/h2>\n

By engaging in daily meditation, One can develop the ability to recall information and problem-solve more quickly and easily. Meditation also helps to improve decision-making abilities.<\/p>\n

Reduced Chances of Depression<\/a> <\/span><\/strong>and Anxiety<\/h2>\n

One who regularly encounters stressful situations which can predispose them to depression and anxiety. However, meditation can help and reduces the chance of depression.<\/p>\n

Improved Self-Confidence<\/h2>\n

Throughout their whole life, They will face situations in which they have to confront public speaking situations. For someone who lacks confidence, these situations can be nerve-wracking and cause anxiety. Yet meditation can support them to develop their self-confidence and help them develop a more optimistic and assured mindset when approaching new challenges or different ways of working.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Reduced Chances of Developing Addiction<\/h2>\n

One can find themselves on the wrong pathway or under the influence of poor company for many reasons. Meditation can provide them with the skills they need to develop the confidence to refuse and to resist bad habits with greater ease.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Improved Personal Transformation<\/h2>\n

Meditation can have a truly transformational effect on people. Among its many benefits, meditation helps improve One\u2019s self-esteem, which helps create one who is outspoken, confident, and happy in themselves. As a result, one finds that he can handle difficult situations and peer pressure more easily. One also learns to be more patient and develop better listening skills. Consequently, they are better equipped to create positive relationships with others and are better prepared to learn new things.<\/p>\n

Lowered Risk of Disease<\/h2>\n

Meditation equips each with the skills needed to abolish negative thoughts. In this way, meditation enables each to combat several diseases such as anxiety, depression, and stress (as mentioned above). The other disease states it can help lower the risk of include blood pressure, pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and ulcerative colitis.\u00a0 It also helps to improve one\u2019s overall wellness.<\/p>\n

Classifications<\/span><\/h3>\n

In the West, meditation techniques have sometimes been thought of in two broad categories: focused (or concentrative) meditation and open monitoring or mindfulness <\/a>meditation.<\/p>\n

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Direction of mental attention… A practitioner can focus intensively on one particular object (so-called\u00a0<\/i>concentrative meditation), on all mental events that enter the field of awareness (so-called\u00a0<\/i>mindfulness meditation), or both specific focal points and the field of awareness.<\/i><\/sup><\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Focused methods include paying attention to the breath<\/a>, to an idea or feeling (such as\u00a0mett\u0101 (loving-kindness)<\/a>), to a\u00a0k\u014dan<\/a>, or a mantra<\/a>\u00a0(such as in\u00a0transcendental meditation<\/a>), and single point meditation.<\/sup><\/sup> Open monitoring methods include\u00a0mindfulness<\/a>, Shikantaza<\/a>,\u00a0and other awareness states.<\/sup> Practices using both methods<\/sup><\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0include\u00a0vipassana<\/a>\u00a0(which uses\u00a0Anapanasati<\/a> as a preparation) and\u00a0Samatha<\/a>\u00a0(calm-abiding).<\/sup><\/sup> In “No thought” methods, “the practitioner is fully alert, aware, and in control of their faculties but does not experience any unwanted thought activity.<\/i>” <\/sup>This contrasts with the common meditative approaches of being detached from and non-judgmental of thoughts, but not of aiming for thoughts to cease.<\/sup>\u00a0In the\u00a0meditation practice of the Sahaja yoga spiritual movement<\/a>, the focus is on thoughts ceasing. <\/sup>Clear light yoga<\/a> also aims at a state of no mental content, as does the no-thought state taught by Huineng<\/a> and\u00a0Yaoshan Weiyan<\/a>. One proposal is that\u00a0transcendental meditation<\/a> and possibly other techniques be grouped as an “automatic self-transcending” set of techniques.\u00a0<\/sup>Other typologies include dividing meditation into concentrative, generative, receptive, and reflective practices.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Frequency<\/span><\/h3>\n

The\u00a0Transcendental Meditation technique<\/a> recommends the practice of 20 minutes twice per day.<\/sup> Some techniques suggest less time,\u00a0<\/sup>especially when starting meditation,<\/sup>\u00a0and\u00a0Richard Davidson<\/a>\u00a0has quoted research saying benefits can be achieved with a practice of only 8 minutes per day.<\/sup>\u00a0Some meditators practice for much longer,<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0particularly when on a course or\u00a0retreat<\/a>. <\/sup>Some meditators find practice best in\u00a0the hours before dawn<\/a>.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Posture<\/span><\/h3>\n
Asana<\/a><\/div>\n
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Young children practicing meditation in a\u00a0Peruvian<\/a>\u00a0school<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Asanas<\/a>\u00a0and positions such as the\u00a0full-lotus<\/a>,\u00a0half-lotus<\/a>,\u00a0Burmese<\/a>,\u00a0Seiza<\/a>, and\u00a0kneeling<\/a> positions are popular in Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. However,\u00a0other postures such as sitting, supine (lying), and standing are also used. Meditation is also sometimes done while walking, known as\u00a0kinhin<\/a>\u00a0while doing a simple task mindfully, known as\u00a0Samu<\/a>, or while lying down, known as\u00a0savasana<\/a>.<\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n

Use of prayer beads<\/span><\/h3>\n

Some religions have traditions of using\u00a0prayer beads<\/a>\u00a0as tools in devotional meditation.<\/sup><\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0Most prayer beads and Christian\u00a0rosaries<\/a> consist of pearls or beads linked together by a thread.\u00a0<\/sup><\/sup>The\u00a0Roman Catholic rosary<\/a>\u00a0is a string of beads containing five sets with ten small beads. The Hindu\u00a0Japa mala<\/a> has 108 beads (the figure 108 in itself having spiritual significance) and those used in\u00a0Gaudiya Vaishnavism<\/a>, the\u00a0Hare Krishna tradition<\/a>,\u00a0Jainism<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0Buddhist prayer beads<\/a>.<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0Each bead is counted once as a person recites a\u00a0mantra<\/a>\u00a0until the person has gone all the way around the mala.<\/sup>\u00a0The Muslim\u00a0misbaha<\/a>\u00a0has 99 beads.<\/p>\n

Striking the meditator<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Buddhist literature has many stories of\u00a0Enlightenment<\/a>\u00a0being attained through disciples being struck by their masters. According to T. Griffith Foulk, the\u00a0encouragement stick<\/a>\u00a0was an integral part of the Zen practice:<\/p>\n

Meditation<\/b> is when an individual uses a technique \u2013 such as\u00a0mindfulness<\/a>\u00a0or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity \u2013 to train\u00a0attention<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0awareness<\/a> and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. <\/sup>Scholars have found meditation difficult to define, as practices vary both between traditions and within them.<\/p>\n

Meditation has been practiced since 1500 BCE\u00a0antiquity<\/a>\u00a0in numerous religious traditions, often as part of the path towards\u00a0enlightenment<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0self-realization<\/a>. The earliest records of meditation (Dhyana<\/a>) come from the\u00a0Hindu<\/a>\u00a0traditions of\u00a0Vedantism<\/a>, and meditation has a long tradition of being a practice in\u00a0Hinduism. <\/a>\u00a0Since the 19th century, Asian meditative techniques have spread to other cultures where they have also found application in non-spiritual contexts, such as business and health.<\/p>\n

Meditation may be used to reduce stress<\/a>,\u00a0anxiety<\/a>,\u00a0depression<\/a>, and\u00a0pain<\/a> and increase peace, perception, <\/sup>\u00a0self-concept<\/a>, and\u00a0well-being<\/a>.<\/sup><\/sup><\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0Meditation is\u00a0under research<\/a>\u00a0to define its possible health (psychological<\/a>,\u00a0neurological<\/a>, and\u00a0cardiovascular<\/a>) and other effects.<\/p>\n

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Etymology<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The English\u00a0meditation<\/i>\u00a0is derived from\u00a0Old French<\/a>\u00a0meditation<\/i>, in turn from Latin\u00a0meditation<\/a><\/i>\u00a0from a verb\u00a0meditate<\/a><\/i>, meaning “to think, contemplate, devise, ponder.” <\/sup><\/sup>The use of the term\u00a0meditation<\/i> as part of a formal, stepwise meditation process goes back to the 12th-century monk Guigo II<\/a>.<\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n

Apart from its historical usage, the term meditation<\/i>\u00a0was introduced as a translation for Eastern spiritual practices, referred to as\u00a0dhy\u0101na<\/i>\u00a0in Hinduism<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Buddhism<\/a>. It\u00a0comes from the\u00a0Sanskrit<\/a>\u00a0root\u00a0dhyana<\/i>, meaning to contemplate or meditate. The term “meditation” in English may also refer to practices from Islamic Sufism<\/a>\u00a0or other traditions such as Jewish\u00a0Kabbalah<\/a>\u00a0and Christian\u00a0Hesychasm<\/a>.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Definitions<\/span><\/h2>\n

Meditation has proven difficult to define as it covers a wide range of dissimilar practices in different traditions. In popular usage, the word “meditation” and the phrase “meditative practice” are often used imprecisely to designate practices found across many cultures. <\/sup><\/sup>These can include almost anything that is claimed to train the mind’s attention or to teach calm or compassion. <\/sup>There remains no definition of necessary and sufficient meditation criteria that have achieved universal or widespread acceptance within the modern scientific community. In 1971, Claudio Naranjo<\/a>\u00a0noted that “The word ‘meditation’ has been used to designate a variety of practices that differ enough from one another so that we may find trouble in defining what\u00a0meditation<\/i>. A 2009 study noted a “persistent lack of consensus in the literature” and “seeming intractability of defining meditation.”<\/sup><\/p>\n

Dictionary definitions<\/span><\/h3>\n

Dictionaries give both the original Latin meaning of “think[ing] deeply about (something)”;<\/sup> as well as the popular usage of ” focusing one’s mind for a period of time,”<\/sup> “the act of giving your attention to only one thing, either as a religious activity or as a way of becoming calm and relaxed,”<\/sup> and “to engage in mental exercise (such as concentrating on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) to reach a heightened level of spiritual awareness.”<\/sup><\/p>\n

Scholarly definitions<\/span><\/h3>\n

In modern psychological research, meditation has been defined and characterized in a variety of ways. Many of these emphasize the role of\u00a0attention<\/a><\/sup><\/sup><\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0and characterize the practice of meditation as attempts to get beyond the reflexive, “discursive thinking”<\/sup>\u00a0or “logic”<\/sup>\u00a0mind<\/sup>\u00a0to achieve a deeper, more devout, or more relaxed state.<\/p>\n

Bond et al. (2009) identified criteria for defining practice as meditation “for use in a comprehensive systematic review of the therapeutic use of meditation,” using “a 5-round Delphi study<\/a> with a panel of 7 experts in meditation research” who were also trained in diverse but empirically highly studied (Eastern-derived or clinical) forms of meditation.<\/sup><\/p>\n

three main criteria […] as essential to any meditation practice: the use of a defined technique, logic relaxation,<\/sup>\u00a0and a self-induced state\/mode.<\/p>\n

Other criteria deemed important [but not essential] involve a state of psychophysical relaxation, the use of a self-focus skill or anchor, the presence of a state of suspension of logical thought processes, a religious\/spiritual\/philosophical context, or a state of mental silence.<\/sup><\/p>\n

[…] It is plausible that meditation is best thought of as a natural category of techniques best captured by ‘family resemblances<\/a>‘ […] or by the related\u00a0‘prototype’ model of concepts<\/a>.”<\/sup><\/sup><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Several other definitions of meditation have been used by influential modern reviews of research on meditation across multiple traditions:<\/sup><\/p>\n