Meditation Changed My Numbers
Before I even had my coffee on Sunday, I decided to sit quietly and mediate for a few minutes. But, first I took a reading of my blood pressure. I wanted a baseline so I could see if I could affect it. Then I used a method to relax myself called visualization or guided imagery. For me, a nature scene with a body of water always works well. This time, I used an image of being in a friend’s swimming pool. Of course, this isn’t just any old backyard swimming pool. The view is beautiful. High on a hill, it has two levels and overlooks the surrounding hill country of west Austin.
So, in my visualization, the sun is still shining but getting lower as it approaches early evening. The sky is blue and scattered with fluffy clouds. I’m partially emerged in the top level of the terraced pool, resting my arms and leaning on the edge that allows the water to spill over like a gentle waterfall to the lap pool below. I hear the constant splashing of the water over the edge, and I hear birds chirping as they flit around in the trees that surround the pool area. Inhale – I notice my breathing. The air is dry and warm. I notice that I’m smiling. I notice that the water cools me as the sun bathes my face. A light breeze moves my hair slightly. I stay there in that imaginary moment suspended in joy, breathing in and smiling. I am not thinking of anything except the elements of sunshine, water, breeze, birds and my breathing. This is what carefree means, and I’ve attained the state of “carefree” in my mind’s eye as I sit on my living room floor.
Then, at some point soon, who knows how much time has passed… 10 minutes maybe?… I open my eyes. A final, strong exhale.
Taking my blood pressure reading again, I noticed that the top and bottom numbers have each dropped by 5 and 7 points respectively. Fascinating! It looks like meditation actually works. I’m looking forward to giving my doctor a good report, so I’ll keep doing this meditation practice daily. And I also love that it’s cheap, easy, efficient, and (best of all) a joyful experience.
Did you know that studies have specifically proven the positive effects of meditation on stress (and hypertension)? The studies that I read about tend to focus on the mantra meditation technique called “transcendental” meditation. According to Wikipedia, this form of meditation uses sound as “a thought in the meditation process, and as a vehicle that allows the individual’s attention to travel naturally to a less active, quieter style of mental functioning.”
WebMD’s article, “Treating Hypertension ‘Naturally’,” cites Robert Schneider, MD, who is the dean of the College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, and director of the university’s government-sponsored Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention, one of 16 such centers in the country. “Schneider has been researching the positive effects of the ancient medical science of maharishi vedic medicine — of which transcendental meditation (TM) is key –for the past 15 years.” The article also says, “In the past 30 years, says Schneider, approximately 600 studies have been conducted worldwide on the effects of transcendental meditation on blood pressure.”
Of course, there are so many types of meditation. Going back to Wikipedia: “Meditation refers to any of a family of practices in which the practitioner trains his or her mind or self-induces a mode of consciousness in order to realize some benefit.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation)
In addition to transcendental and guided imagery, there’s walking meditation and mindfulness meditation. There’s meditation which requires you to focus on your breath and another kind which requires you to empty your mind.
For some people, meditation can be deeply spiritual, incorporating specific prayerful intention and, perhaps, with use of prayer beads such as a Rosary, Misbaha or Japa Mala. For others, it is a ritual of centering the heart and mind before doing something significant, such as preparing to give a speech in front of an audience or visualizing a sporting event’s outcome. Or maybe it’s a ritual to start or end each day.
It appears that meditation is becoming increasingly popular. A 2007 study done by the U.S. Government found that nearly 9.4% of U.S. adults (over 20 million) had practiced meditation within the past 12 months. That’s a definite upsurge in numbers because a similar study in 2002 reported that 7.6% or over 15 million people were meditating.
There are some other interesting statistics out there showing that the benefits of meditation go beyond stress reduction. According to an article on project-meditation.org, “Business owners have reported that among employees, who meditate, absenteeism is lower, production is higher, and the quality of their work is better thus proving the statistics on people who meditate are right.” The article goes on to give the following statistics:
A Detroit based chemical plant posted the following results three years after implementing meditation:
• Absenteeism fell by 85%
• Productivity rose 120%
• Injuries dropped 70%
• Profits increased 520%
Of course, it could be that simply having less stress can make you more motivated to show up to work, be more productive and become more alert.
Hey, I bet that company’s employees had better blood pressure numbers too!
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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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