Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to go beyond the "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation. It originated from Vedic Hinduism, which is the oldest religion that professes meditation as a spiritual and religious practice, and it has been practiced for thousands of years.
Evidence of the origins of meditation extends back to a time before recorded history. Archaeologists tell us the practice may have existed among the first Indian civilizations. Indian scriptures dating back 5000 years describe meditation techniques.
From its ancient beginnings and over thousands of years, meditation has developed into a structured practice used today by millions of people worldwide of differing nationalities and religious beliefs. Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual and/or psychophysical practices which may emphasize different goals from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.
Some people may think they cannot meditate because they cannot sit cross-legged for extended periods. The fact is that this can result in a range of ergonomic complaints called "meditator's knee". But many meditative traditions do not require sitting cross legged. On the other hand meditation has many advantages, and basically helps to break down automatic mental categories, regaining the primary nature of perceptions and events, focusing attention on the "here and now".
The medical community has often studied the physiological effects of meditation. Many concepts of meditation have been applied to clinical settings in order to measure its effect on somatic motor function as well as cardiovascular and respiratory function. Meditation has entered the mainstream of health care as a method of stress and pain reduction.
In 1976, the Australian psychiatrist Ainslie Meares reported in the Medical Journal of Australia the regression of cancer following intensive meditation. Meares wrote a number of books on the subject, including his best-seller Relief without Drugs. As a method of stress reduction, meditation is often used in hospitals in cases of chronic or terminal illness to reduce complications associated with increased stress including a depressed immune system.
There is a growing agreement in the medical community that mental factors such as stress significantly contribute to a lack of physical health, and there is a growing movement in mainstream science to fund research in this area (e.g. the establishment by the NIH in the U.S. of 5 research centres to investigate the mind-body aspects of disease).
Dr. James Austin, a neurophysiologist at the University of Colorado, reported that Zen meditation rewires the circuitry of the brain in his landmark book Zen and the Brain (Austin, 1999). This has been confirmed using functional MRI imaging which examines the activity of the brain. Dr. Herbert Benson of the Mind-Body Medical Institute, which is affiliated with Harvard and several Boston hospitals, reports that meditation induces a host of biochemical and physical changes in the body collectively referred to as the "relaxation response". The relaxation response includes changes in metabolism, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and brain chemistry.
Piera Altobello-King
meditation instructor at the Centro Terapéutico Mezquida
