Meditating toward stress-free lifestyle
According to many a sage, birth is but a sleep and forgetting. And the most fruitful way of spending a lifetime is to try and wake up in the hope of bringing higher consciousness back to memory. One way of doing this is to practice meditation.
Today, it is not just passive priests who meditate but the practice is becoming popular with people from all walks of life.
The rich and famous, the movers and shakers of the world, are among those who have taken up meditation to keep themselves on an even keel.
It is their way to find an inner peace while those all around them falter and fluster. They can take time out from a stress- filled day to find themselves once more.
Some even argue that the gains from meditation are of both mind and body. They not only find greater peace, putting aside petty slights and sarcasm from frustrated coworkers, but tend to look better in the bargain.
Those who swear by the value of meditation say they are clearer eyed, with lustrous hair and dewy, youthful skin.
It is all a case of healthy mind, healthy body, as the saying goes.
Even companies encourage their employees to meditate for a few minutes during working hours. The belief gaining ground is that the benefits of meditations improve the performance at work of employees.
Scientific studies demonstrate that meditating twice a day for 20 minutes lowers stress, cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
And people who meditate have been able to reduce the amount of medication they take, or stop using it altogether.
A chemical manufacturing company that had 52 out of its 70 workers meditating found within three years that absenteeism fell by 85 percent, productivity rose 120 percent, quality control rose 240 percent, injuries dropped 70 percent, sick days fell by 76 percent and profit soared 520 percent.
The improvements were attributed entirely to the meditation exercise which relieved stress and made the company's employees more relaxed. As a result, people enjoyed their work, they were more creative and more productive.
Transcendental Meditation was introduced to the world nearly 40 years ago by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Hindu teacher, and refers to the intense concentration achieved by repeating a meaningless sound.
Meditation is not like napping. In a nap, one is completely knocked out but here, the mind is wide awake and experiences a level of clarity much greater than before or after a nap.
Transcendental meditation has been practiced by Hindus for hundreds of years to relieve stress and increase awareness but it is not part of the religion and is embraced by people of different faiths as well.
Other studies show that the effect of meditation involves a decline in the production of a body chemical called cortisol that helps to protect the body's cells and tissues from inflammation.
However, too much cortisol can, in fact, be bad for you. When too much is produced under stress, it weakens the immune system and promotes diabetes and hypertension.
The act of meditating also allows an increase in blood flow into the muscles and skin, invigorating mind and body when practiced regularly. (Mehru Jaffer)