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Meditation

UNTIL recently meditation used to be the preserve of yogis and practitioners of Eastern religions but now the medical world is beginning to wake up to the lasting benefits of the power of stillness.

At Salford's Hope Hospital psychiatrist Dr Mike Weir and cardiologist Peter Barnes are teaching a group of angina patients how to meditate and looking at their heart symptoms over six months in comparison to a group who do not meditate.

Already in the USA, heart specialist Dean Ornish has proved that it is possible to reverse some of the symptoms of cardio-vascular disease, simply through a process of deep relaxation and concentration.

The yogis and other religious mystics have known about the physical and mental benefits of meditation for centuries, and the powerful technique has become incorporated into a number of religions like Buddhism and even some branches of Christianity.

More medical research is needed, but so far it indicates that meditation lowers the metabolic and the heart rate, reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels, lowers the levels of the stress-associated blood chemical cortisol and improves air-flow.

Even more exciting are indications that regular practice of meditation can make you biologically younger.

On standard measures of ageing, people who had practised Transcendental Meditation (TM) for more than five years, measured 12 years younger on average than their non-meditating peers.

Bearing in mind that it requires no physical strength or special abilities and that it costs nothing, why not try it?

Principles of meditation

The effects of meditation may seem magical to some but there's nothing magic about the techniques, which are all aimed at helping the mind to quieten itself by transporting yourself to a peaceful place - like a field of spring daffodils.

Once you give the mind a rest, the body can start its process of self-repair.

Meditation itself is a skill, just like riding a bicycle or playing the piano - it comes with practice and needs regular repetition to do it as well as possible.

The best thing about meditation is that it is free. The essential ingredients, to allow you to explore the potential of the quietness of your mind, are simply a quiet place, a comfortable or poised posture, an object to dwell upon and a passive attitude.

The simple meditation

Choose a spot where you will not be disturbed by people or phones and sit comfortably in a chair.
Pick a specific length of time - say 15 minutes for beginners - and stick to it.
Choose a word or phrase that is linked in your mind with spiritual matters or peace. It could be just that - peace.
Close your eyes and begin to relax your muscles sequentially.
Start with your forehead, relax your jaw, consciously drop your shoulders and progress the relaxation down your body.
Focus on the tension in each part of the body as you breathe in and let go of it as you breathe out. Continue until you get to your toes.
Breathe in through your nose slowly and naturally, exhale through your mouth and with each exhalation repeat your focus word or phrase. If you find other thoughts creeping in, just gently push them aside.
Continue the process for the time you have decided. You can open your eyes to check the time but do not set an alarm.
Try to make time to meditate for about 15 minutes every day.

Meditation on the move

If you find it difficult to make the opportunity to sit down and retreat into your mind, it might come as a pleasant surprise to learn that you can do it and walk at the same time.

The director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts, Jon Kabat-Zinn, recommends this technique to bring awareness and relaxation into your life.

Focus the attention on each foot as it contacts the ground. You do not have to look at your feet, just be totally aware of your movement.

If your mind wanders from your feet and legs or the feeling of the body walking, refocus and deepen your concentration.

You'll have to do this away from crowds as this form of meditation requires you not to look around but to keep your gaze ahead.