Meditation

Meditation is a practice of sitting in silence and watching your thoughts as they arise and pass by.  Through this practice, you learn to become the observer of your thoughts and become less emotionally reactive.  It allows you to familiarize oneself with a deep state of inner peace that can only be accessed in silence once your monkey mind quiets down and you remain in that space between thoughts.  With practice, you can begin to access this state more easily and bring a less reactive, more focused and compassionate approach to your everyday life.  This page is dedicated to providing both scientific and expert perspectives on the benefits of mediation.

decreases cORTISOL levels

A 1990 study on 52 men practicing Dhammakaya Buddhist meditation showed that after just 3 weeks of meditation, serum cortisol levels were significantly reduced (12.33ug to 9.02, p <0.01) compared to a control group of non-meditators (11.39ug to 11.34, p value non-significant).

Lowers blood pressure

A meta-analysis of 19 RCTs examining BP responses to meditation interventions, showed that there was an average decrease in SBP of -5.57 mmHg (95% CI: -7.41, - 3.73) and an average decrease in DBP of -2.86 (95% CI: -4.27, -1.44). 

Decrease aging

Immune cell telomeres are protective DNA and protein complexes that stabilize the ends of chromosomes as they divide during cell division.  As we get older or during times of high physiologic stress, these telomeres shorten.  Short telomeres = older cells, more prone to mutation and cell death.  Meditation has been shown to function to increase telomerase activity, which is the enzyme that protects and maintains telomeres.  In this way, meditation can combat the effects of aging at the cellular level.