Introduction to Mindful Meditation
The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditari, which means to concentrate. We can define meditation as directed concentration or a focusing of our attention. This we do in our everyday lives to some extent – when we watch a movie, practice playing a musical instrument, playing sport and so on. However with sport & playing a musical instrument, we must practice to improve, so that we can do better.
Meditation practice is not about performance, we are not trying to improve or to get to another level, we are not forcing ourselves to be non judgmental, calm or even relaxed, we are simply inviting ourselves to be in this moment in full awareness with the intention to embody as best we can a sense of calmness, mindfulness and equanimity right here and now.
Concentration is the basic technique that is integrally involved with the practice of meditation. It has been shown to have many positive effects on the body. It is believed that around 80% of all health problems are either negatively affected by stress, or that stress had a hand in their creation. Meditation is a well-known antidote to stress and so has a positive effect on many health complaints.
Since the widespread of use of MRI scanners, scientists have been able to explore the effects of meditation on the growth of the brain. In one recent study ‘Neurobiology of Ageing’), scientists Giuseppe Pagoni and Milos Cekic, from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Emory University in Atlanta, looked at the grey matter volume of the brain to measure the effects of Zen meditation.
Cerebral grey matter volume usually decreases with age, so the study compared the grey matter volume of 13 people performing Zen meditations against that of 13 control people who weren’t meditators.
What they found was that grey matter volume decreased as expected in the control group but not so with the meditators. In other words, meditation had a ‘neuroprotective’ effect: It slowed down the rate of ageing.
Many studies have shown similar anti ageing effects. It has been found also, for instance, that meditation can slow down the decline in levels of the hormone DHEA, which also usually declines with age.
An abundance evidence on the benefits of all forms of meditation can be found on the Internet or watch Dr David Hamilton at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOiizr2FvAw
Practitioners that offer this therapy: