A Revival Of The Ancient Art Of Meditation

As the pace of life gets faster and we lead busier and busier lives so we tend to forget about both our physical and mental health so that today we are all suffering from varying degrees of stress. It is not surprising therefore that we are turning increasingly to time honored practice of meditation.

As a consequence of its proven record of effectiveness, meditation today is being practiced not merely to calm the mind and lower stress levels but also to treat a widening range of physical complaints.

There are numerous physical benefits to meditation which lowers the heart rate and therefore the strain on the heart, lowers levels of the 'stress' hormone cortisol and other chemicals in the body that are linked to stress and reduces free radicals in the body thereby further helping to lower blood pressure. Meditation also improves the flow of air through the lungs to help with breathing and can even increasing levels of DHEA which helps to slow down aging.

As far as its psychological benefits, meditation lowers anxiety and irritability and improves memory and therefore your ability to learn. As a consequence, it also results in a positive outlook on life providing you with a feeling of youthfulness and rejuvenation.

Some other significant benefits of meditation exercises include:

* Producing a complete relaxation of not only the mind and body but also of your very soul.

* Helping with the treatment of several physical conditions for which there is a connection between the physical condition and the emotional state of the patient.

* Affecting an opening into the 'inner self' thereby releasing our natural creativity.

* Producing an enhancement to our innate self-confidence resulting in a more dominant and stronger sense of will power.

* Creating an increase in energy levels that make it easier to tackle the stresses of daily life.

* Generating an increased ability to tackle several vices and addictions ranging from alcohol and tobacco to tranquilizers and narcotics.

And this list goes on.

Just like everything else however meditation can be a powerful force for good when it is used correctly but it can also be detrimental to your health if it is not used properly. The key therefore is to know precisely what guided meditation can do and to learn the art of meditation before you add daily meditation into your normal pattern of life.