EFFECT OF MEDITATION ON HEALTH

According to an Arabian proverb “Where there is a health there is hope and where there is hope there is everything “.Hence good health should be the highest priority but researches imply that health is pushed to a secondary position on several occasions. Good health is necessary for almost all human endeavors. Without even a mid level healthy state one can’t do physical, mental, intellectual and social tasks with some degree of excellence. A Sanskrit proverb considers health as the foundation of all happiness. There has been a tremendous progress in the field of medical science .Health is a resource which can be generated and maintained with the help of healthy life style or can be destroyed by an unhealthy life style .The knowledge and understanding about the various dimensions of health will help people in healthy living .WHO has defined health as a state of complete, physical, mental and social well being of a person and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity .Yet most people give importance to physical health alone neglecting the significance of mental and social health. The situation is more pitiable because physical health is generally misunderstood as another name for good outward physical appearance. Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the mind as to the body “said by a famous scientist Addison. Health is a level of functional and metabolic efficiency of a living being .In humans it is general condition of a person in mind, body and spirit usually meaning to being free from illness, injury and pain .The maintenance and promotion of health is achieved through different combination of physical, mental and social well being sometimes referred to as ‘health triangle’. The WHO’s 1986 Ottawa charter for health promotion furthered that health is not just a state, but also a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living .Health is a positive concept emphazing social and personal resources as well as physical capacities. Meditation is a mind-body practice in complementary and alternative medicine. There are many types of meditation, most of which originated in ancient religious and spiritual traditions. Generally a person who is meditating uses certain techniques such as specific posture, focused attention and an open attitude towards distractions. Meditation may be practiced for many reasons such as to increase calmness and physical relaxation to improve psychological balance to cope with illness or to enhance overall health and wellbeing. This background provides a general introduction to meditation and suggests some resources for more information. Meditation is one of the proven alternative therapies .It can be broadly classified under the mind body medicine. More and more doctors are prescribing meditation as a way to lower blood pressure, improve exercise performance in people with angina help people with asthma breathes easier, relieve Insomnia and generally relax the everyday stress of life. Meditation is safe and simply way to balance a persons physical, emotional and mental states. It is simple but can benefit everybody. The use of meditation for healing is not new. Meditation techniques are the product of diverse cultures and peoples around the world. It has been rooted in the traditions of the world’s great religions. Meditation is an intensely personal and spiritual experience. The desired purpose of each meditation technique is to channel normal waking consciousness into a more positive direction by totally. Meditation is neither an act of concentration nor the means to an end. It is a way of life, where one has to go beyond the act of experiencing and discover the silent life. Meditation provides alternative solutions for maintaining a holistic balance, complete with useful links on subjects from metaphysics to meditation techniques. A mind that is in the present moment is meditation. A mind that is calm, without hesitation and anticipation is meditation. Meditation offers innumerable benefits. The rest you gain in meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep. The deeper you rest the more dynamic your activity is. Meditation is not an action; it is an art of letting go without any effort. There are many different types of meditation. However they all train a person to focus their attention and awareness. Some types of meditation involve focusing attention on a silently repeated word or on the breath. Meditation is often done for spiritual or religious reasons; this is not always the case. Meditation may reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. Also mindfulness meditation might help a person to distance themselves from negative thoughts. Mental health is the basis of physical health and spiritual health is the basis of mental health. Spiritual health is the other name for spiritual intellect. When there is no mental health, there is no physical health. Where there is no spiritual intellect there is no mental health. A sound physical body depends primarily upon the existence of a sound mind. A sound mind means being happy always…..both on victory and in defeat….both in success and failure both in youth and old age. Meditation is the process of calming the mind and making still the body to create a feeling of inner peace and well being. Meditation is widely recognized in cultures throughout the world for its ability to connect the body. Numerous medical studies indicate that individuals who meditate are less prone to ill health. Meditation has also been useful in relieving the pains associated with migraine, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression. Meditation has been proven to foster emotional stability, relieve mild depression, reduce anxiety and relieve hostility.