The Magic Bullet: Daily Meditation

How many times have you heard someone say, There’s no magic bullet?  It’s virtually always true.  True, that is, until you read about the effects of daily meditation practice on the mind and body.

If meditation were available in a pill, almost everyone in the United States of America would be taking it.  The evidence for its efficacy is overwhelming and, what’s more, overjoying.

Meditation is effective at:

· Reducing high blood pressure

·  Reducing stress

· Reducing pre-diabetes

· Reducing cortisol levels in the body

· Reducing pain

· Improving functional limitation

· Reducing back pain

· Relieving psychological distress

· Reducing anxiety

· Reducing depression

· Reducing anger and hostility

· Increasing coping ability

· Reducing the severity of irritable bowel syndrome

· Reducing insomnia

· Reducing the craving to smoke cigarettes

· Reducing smoking significantly

· Increasing better mental health

· Increasing quality of life

· Enhancing mood and self-esteem

· Reducing fatigue

Are you convinced yet?  No?  Well, there’s more:

· Reducing common menopausal symptoms, including the frequency and intensity of hot flashes, sleep and mood disturbances, stress, and    muscle and joint pain.

· Reducing the risk of acute respiratory infections. 

· Reduces sexual distress and increases sexual desire.

· Controlling weight and reducing the triggers which cause poor eating habits.

· Cultivates and promotes alertness of the mind.

· Improving cognitive functions

· Reducing psychological stress responses.

· Reducing forgetfulness, improving memory

· Helping manage chronic fatigue syndrome.

One particular meditation has been recognized as an effective prevention or inhibitor of Alzheimer’s disease.  The Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation has been proven to increase all aspects of cognitive functioning, including perception, thinking, reasoning, and remembering, and reducing stress levels while simultaneously improving short-term memory.  To review the studies and learn the meditation, go to https://agelessartsyoga.com/instructor-group-yoga/.

There is some evidence that meditation may have positive effects on the following condition, but more studies are needed:

· Reducing inflammation

· Regulation of the immune system

· Relieving the symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Upon review of this list, it’s easy to accept that meditation is indeed the magic health bullet.  Although I did not cite to all the sources, they are easily found, including www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-in-depth, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation, and  www.organicfacts.net.

Do you want your fair share of this magic bullet?  I don’t blame you!  Get a piece of paper and mark twenty-one consecutive circles.  Date them beginning today for the next three weeks.  Then learn the Sa Ta Na Ma meditation or find another meditation to do.  There are a number of popular apps you can use.  Try and do the mediation at the same time every day for three weeks.  It will become a free and effective health habit for your mind and body.