Over the years, I've been introduced to meditation and relaxation techniques as a way to help me accomplish specific goals.
Every time I've tried to dig deeper, I would run into books on religion or spirituality that would make claims without any evidence other than personal experiences. In many cases, the lack of evidence is emphasized as part of the process!
While this method may work for some people, for me it is deeply frustrating. As a result, I've compiled a lot of information that is backed up by either peer reviewed research, or years of meticulous and well documented study.
There are many benefits to meditation. Both the mind and the body can benefit, and a benefit for one usually ends up helping the other.
The biggest impact from meditation derives from measured breathing. By breathing in and out at the same rate, you can improve your Heart Rate Variability, or HRV.
Measured breathing may sound really simple but it's a lot harder than you think. Web apps like http://xhalr.com/ can help you maintain regular breathing for the duration of your meditation (or meditation-like) exercise. Give it a try for five minutes and see how easily it comes to you.
Measured breathing can improve your HRV. Scientists have discovered many links between HRV and overall health. A National Institute of Health report shows that improved HRV decreases anxiety and sleep disturbances in patients recovering from strokes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4725573/
Athletes also use HRV as a tool to measure the effectiveness of their training regimen. https://hrvcourse.com/hrv-demographics-fitness-level/
Muscle tension is also notably improved by meditation. Throughout the course of the day, tension builds up in our bodies as a result of regular activities and stressors. Dramatic and immediate results can be realized by taking a few minutes to consciously examine your body to find excess tightness. For example, most of the people reading this article are clenching their jaw. When walking or engaged in physical activity, clenching the jaw protects it from harm. But when you sit down, it's just unnecessary tension. Take a moment and unclench your teeth. Wiggle your jaw back and forth a few times to ensure it's loose and comfortable. While you're at it, drop your shoulders. Now return to reading, but pay attention to the tension in your head and neck. If you were clenching your jaw then your head and neck should relax.
HRV and muscle tension are the two most pronounced positive effects that come from meditation. They are not dependent on the style or school of meditation, and appear to be primarily influenced by the concentration on regular, controlled breathing, and the conscious review of tension. What this means is that you can choose from any of the large variety of meditation techniques, and the one you like the most will probably work best for you. It would be wise, however, to try several different styles. Exploration of new territory can sometimes bring pleasant surprises.
But wait, there's more
While HRV and muscle tension are big, there are still more benefits from meditation, although they are more complicated and harder to study.
Meditation can induce the production of cortical theta waves in the brain. These emissions are also seen in hypnotic trances and in young children, leading researchers to believe that meditation can improve the cognitive function of students and patients in therapy for PTSD or other mental health related conditions.
In future posts I will discuss the connections between meditation and deprogramming your mind of unhelpful or pathological traits.