What is meditation?

Indications and Procedures

One of the most popular techniques used in meditation is concentration, in which one focuses attention on a single object such as the function of breathing, a candle flame, or a visualized image. When attention wanders, the practitioner brings it gently back to the original focus. Sometimes a mantra, a chosen word or phrase given by a teacher or chosen by the practitioner (such as the om mantra of Tibetan Buddhism), is repeated silently or aloud.

Guided imagery utilizes listening to a voice, recorded or live, that guides the practitioner to visualize a beautiful and peaceful place, where one feels calm and secure. Walking meditation, tai chi, and qi gong focus on movement, breathing, and ritual, and the practice of yoga
incorporates breathing and movement or physical postures to help relax body and mind. Soothing music may also be used with any of the techniques. Prayer and silent reading of and reflection on inspirational texts are other common forms of meditation. Teachers recommend starting slowly with five-minute sessions, working up to twenty minutes once or twice a day.

Uses and Complications

Meditation techniques, which are thousands of years old, are being promoted as a benefit to health and well-being, primarily in stress-related conditions. Meditation traditionally has been and is used in a religious sense to deepen one’s understanding and involvement with the spiritual, mystical, and sacred aspects of life. It is also used as an exercise in self-discovery and revelation, helping the practitioner turn inward, temporarily shutting out worldly cares and strife to find inner peace and calm. Being religious, however, is not essential to meditation; in fact, most everyone can learn the techniques and reap the health benefits of this age-old practice. Physical limitations and preexisting mental health concerns should be taken into consideration before undertaking specific meditative practices, and practitioners should make their instructors aware of these conditions.

Numerous studies confirm that prolonged or interpersonal stress can produce such conditions as constriction of blood vessels, pain and swelling in joints, suppression of the immune system, decreases in white blood cells and changes in their function, and high cholesterol levels. Chemicals such as adrenaline, produced when the body is under stress, can raise blood pressure, increase heart rate, and cause other harmful physiological responses when stress is persistent or sustained. Stress is also linked to many diseases and conditions, including heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, allergies, and skin disorders.

Meditation, in helping the patient to relax, reduces muscle tension and decreases the release of these harmful chemicals. A number of stress-related conditions have been shown to benefit from meditation, including chronic pain, arthritis, infertility, psoriasis, respiratory conditions such as asthma and emphysema, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), tension headaches, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcers, insomnia, and fibromyalgia.

Bibliography

Benson, Herbert, and Miriam Z. Klipper. The Relaxation Response. 25th anniversary ed. New York: Avon Books, 2000.

Harmon, Robert, and Mary Ann Myers. “Prayer and Meditation as Medical Therapies.” Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 10, no. 3 (August, 1999): 651–662.

Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. 10th anniversary ed. New York: Hyperion, 2005.

"Meditation: A Simple, Fast Way to Reduce Stress." Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, April 21, 2011.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. "Meditation: An Introduction." National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, February 21, 2013.

"Relaxation Therapies." Health Library, September 17, 2012.

Scholten, Amy, and Brian Randall. "How to Meditate." Health Library, November 14, 2012.

Trivieri, Larry, Jr., and John W. Anderson, eds. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. 2d ed. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 2002.