Yoga Meditation and Stress

Why meditate? The number one reason given by people taking a beginning class is stress. Many of our physical problems can be related to stress and tension. Headaches, back problems, sleep disorders and stomach benefit of meditation is that it reduces stress level. When it is practiced on a regular basis you get at the root of the stress. So if we can gain control over our mind, even some control, the benefit is tremendous. Former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, has this to say about it. "Meditation is a very effective stress management technique.

Meditation sounds exotic, but it is really just a way to learn to relax and settle the mind. A relaxed, settled mind is less anxious and copes better with stress. Anxious fears about the past or the future become less troubling.”In 1968 at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Herbert Benson conducted a well publicized study on the role of meditation in controlling blood pressure. Benson's test subjects uniformly showed lowered blood pressure, decreased rates in respiration and lowered blood lactate levels. Benson referred to his findings as "the relaxation response" and as a cardiologist, realized immediately its applicability to fighting off hypertension and heart disease.

The second benefit of meditation is that it allows you to open your mind to see things from a larger perspective. Many people go through life as though they have blinders on, neither looking left or right, and travel many years down one road until some event, such as divorce, a job loss, death of a loved one or depression force them to stop and look at where they are. They are often surprised, disappointed and bitter when they find they don't know where they are or where they want to go in the future. Those who use this period to evaluate their life and set off on a new or adjusted course with their eyes fully open are very fortunate indeed.

Meditation can allow us a certain amount of freedom to say "Lets take a look at this from a wider perspective.” With a broader perspective your stress level will gradually diminish, and you may make different choices about what you do with your time, or your energy or your focus. These are subtle kinds of change. The meditation allows you to slow down, to pull back, take a larger perspective and give you the energy and optimism to adjust your course.

Meditation is also an opening to possibilities. Meditation does not mean you have to embrace a particular belief system, it simply says, "open to possibilities."

The effect of meditation on the mind can be likened to the evolution of a diamond. When a diamond is first mined out of the ground it is all rough. The potential for the beauty and its ability to refract many colors is there, but the diamond has to be polished. If your mind is the diamond with the ability to refract these colors, then the meditation is the process of polishing. The more it is polished the more the light will shine through.

When to Meditate

Meditation is best done twice a day, before breakfast and before dinner in the evening. You can also meditate a third time before you go to sleep to calm your mind before bed. Wake up 20 minutes early and do it in the morning. You will find that the meditations will more than make up for the 20 minutes of lost sleep. It can also give you more energy for the evening. It is important to do it in a quiet place. Make the place pleasant, a place that is not cluttered and you may have flowers or decorate it to make that little area special.

If your back bothers you, sometimes sitting on a chair your legs crossed at the ankles can work fine. It is better on an empty stomach than a full stomach for if you have just eaten, then your stomach takes a certain amount of energy and can tend to make your meditation sleepier.