Elizabeth Dehn - HER LIFE Magazine

more energy, clarified mental capabilities and more stableemotions.cnn.com cited a study that suggests meditation lessenspain. In the study of 15 men and women, researchers measuredthe participants’ reaction to painful stimulus both before andafter a 20-minute meditation training over the span of four days.During the second installment, when the participants wereinstructed to meditate, they rated the exact same pain stimulusas being 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intenseon average than the first time they were exposed to the painfulstimulus of 120-degree heat on their calves. “That’s prettydramatic,” said Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., the lead author of the studyand a postdoctoral researcher at the Wake Forest UniversitySchool of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Furthermore,the reported reduced pain reaction was substantiallygreater than those seen in similar studies involving placebo pills,hypnosis, morphine and other drugs.the most universal consensus is that consistent meditationreduces stress, which is a leading factor for a host of maladiesincluding poor health, foul mood and lack of sleep. CardiologistHerbert Benson, M.D., has spent three decades researching thehealth effects of meditation and is the founder of the Mind/BodyInstitute at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel DeaconessThe practice of meditation,which focuses on breath,a clearing of all thoughtsand repetitive sounds, isfairly easy to learn.Medical Center. He explains that “the relaxation response frommeditation helps decrease metabolism, lowers blood pressure,and improves heart rate, breathing, and brain waves.”the practice of meditation, which focuses on breath, aclearing of all thoughts and repetitive sounds, is fairly easy tolearn. But, like any discipline, takes dedication and practice totruly master. Developing a consistent practice rewards devoteeswith improved cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure,increased immunity and decreased anxiety. Various studies havereported more satisfying sexual relations, a decrease in PMSsymptoms and even an improvement in fertility.like any other physical activity, an individual's responseand acclimation to the practice will vary. If you find it hard toquiet your mind enough to reap the benefits, there are classesto enroll in that might help, as well as other activities that calmthe mind and offer some of the same health benefits. In fact,Dr. Benson says, “Any practice that can evoke the relaxationresponse is of benefit, be it meditation, yoga, breathing orrepetitive prayer. There is no reason to believe that one is betterthan the other. The key is repetition, but the repetition can be aword, sound, mantra, prayer, breathing or movement.”HERLIFEmagazine.com 11