How would you like to reduce your stress, relieve pain, contribute to brain health and improve your overall well-being -all with one activity? You might suspect where I am going with this…but you might not. Many of you probably guessed I would say exercise (especially if you know me very well), but alas, not this time. The benefits I listed above can be achieved through exercise but also through meditation.
I had the privilege, along with my colleague Dr. Jim Concotelli, of recording a meditation and relaxation CD last week for our 2012 annual wellness theme entitled The Ageless Spirit. This campaign is designed to promote well-being in the Spiritual dimension of Optimum Life®, our culture of wellness at Brookdale.
Spirituality is a very personal thing. While the mention of spirituality often calls religion to mind, and rightfully so, our educational campaign is more about the practices that help support spiritual wellness and positive aging. While certainly not all inclusive, the list of practices we are focusing on includes gratitude, forgiveness, leaving a legacy of wisdom, and meditation. A person’s religious beliefs will influence how they engage in these practices, all of which are common in almost all religious traditions. And while religion is a prerequisite for some, it need not be-all of these things can be done in a secular way. We leave religion to the individual.
But I digress. Let’s get back to the benefits of meditation. Meditation can involve a number of different activities, but the basic idea is to get one’s mind away from the daily thoughts and concerns of life and into a state of mindfulness and relaxation. This relaxed state can trigger what is known as The Relaxation Response. When this occurs, it literally changes your physiology in measureable ways. Blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and stress hormones are all reduced. Your body increases the production of endorphins that make you feel happy and as a result anxiety is decreased. Even your brain changes with meditation. In one study scans showed that the "me" center in the brain was turned down-leading to less self focus (which believe it or not is a good thing).
Research also shows that meditation can help reduce chronic pain, improve the quality of sleep and improve cognitive function. In one study, done over a 5-year period, people who meditated had 50% less office visits, and 50% less hospital admissions (for all categories including benign and malignant tumors, heart disease, infectious disease, and nervous system disorders). Only childbirth rates were unchanged.
And, meditation just plain feels good.
So, how does one get started with meditation? There are many books and CDs available to help you get the basics, but you really don’t need them to get started. I happen to meditate with music on my iPod. I have never had a lesson-I just put on the music that conveys the message I want to focus on, enter in to some prayers and away I go. Once your body learns how to turn on the relaxation response-it becomes much easier to invoke it-and it can happen rather quickly. Some simple things you can do to start:
- Turn off phone ringers, text dingers and any other electronic message that you are programmed to attend to.
- Find a quiet place, get comfortable, close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
- Just notice your breath, feel the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen.
- Your body will naturally have you take a deep breath or two-then just settle in to the rhythm of your breathing.
- Thoughts will come to your mind. Don’t try to push them away-just notice them without comment and allow them to leave. You may notice a pattern that can lead to new insights.
- Continue to focus on your breath, be quiet and allow yourself to relax.
- If you have trouble just focusing on breathing, try some progressive muscle relaxation. Just imagine each muscle group in your body, beginning with your head and moving down. As you picture each area of the body, focus on relaxing the muscles and allowing tension to leave.
- This will take some practice-so be persistent. Try this for 5 minutes per day and gradually increase the time to get up to 15 minutes.