How To Meditate Like A Zen Monk For Overall Health and Well Being

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Mediation has enormous benefits.  Studies of meditation have proven to greatly reduce stress, improve health as well as control negative thoughts.

In a report by “Psychology Today“  Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex-brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, recorded the brain waves of stressed-out employees of a high-tech firm in Madison, Wisconsin. The subjects were split randomly into two groups, 25 people were asked to learn meditation over eight weeks, and the remaining 16 were left alone as a control group.

All participants had their brain waves scanned three times during the study: at the beginning of the experiment, when meditation lessons were completed eight weeks later and four months after that. The researchers found that the meditators showed a pronounced shift in activity to the left frontal lobe. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before. The study will be published in the next issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

Meditation has been found to produce “pleasurable brain chemicals”, the ones that you feel on those REALLY good days says Bill Harris of Centerpointe Research.  So why not have REALLY good days most of the time?

Here is only a partial list of benefits that one can receive from meditation:

• Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.
• It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behavior. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
• It lowers oxygen consumption.
• Leads to a deeper level of relaxation.
• It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
• Can help people with high blood pressure.
• Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc.
• Enhances energy, strength and vigor.
• Helps with weight loss.
• Decreases the aging process.
• Helps in alleviating headaches & migraines.
• Drop in cholesterol levels, lowers risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Also reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress.
• Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing.
• Significant relief from asthma.
• Increases serotonin level, influences mood and behavior.
• Helps control own thoughts.
• Helps with focus & concentration.
• Increased emotional stability.
• Mind ages at slower rate.
• Decreased tendency to worry.
• Develops intuition.
• Brings body, mind, and spirit in harmony.

There are many more physical, psychological and spiritual benefits that are not listed here.

The bottom line is meditation can help improve your overall health and well being.  You don’t need to spend hours meditating everyday.  20 minutes a day several times a week will bring noticeable changes.

The secret to rapid results in your health and well being is being able to get into a deep meditation. If you don’t have the right mindset or surroundings this can be difficult to achieve.  Bill Harris of Centerpointe Research is a pioneer in getting the mind in a deep Zen-like meditation.  To learn more about Bill’s methods of getting into deep meditations, click here.