Western science and medicine have made a point of studying the effects of yoga and meditation, and have invariably found that the practices are beneficial, not just to a practitioner’s state of mind, but to the physical health as well.
Reputable institutions like the famed Mayo Clinic have published research papers on the many health benefits of yoga and meditation, and the practices are fully accepted by western medical practitioners as beneficial forms of physical exercise, even for those who aren’t “sold” on the potential spiritual aspects of the practice.
Physiological
and Physical Benefits
According to western medical and scientific research, the physiological
benefits of yoga include a wide range of effects including the following: - Blood pressure decreases, not only during the yoga and meditation practice themselves, but as an overall measurement in people who practice regularly. Yoga and meditation are sometimes specifically prescribed for patients with chronic hypertension.
- Practitioners’ heart rate decreases significantly, and cardiovascular efficiency (the ability of your heart and blood vessels to circulate blood) improves dramatically.
- Regular practice of yoga and meditation--particularly with emphasis on pranayama, or breathing exercises--measurably increases respiratory efficiency, and lowers the practitioner’s overall respiratory rate.
- The stress response known in medical circles as Galvanic Skin Response, which a person experiences as a rush of sweatiness in response to stress, is significantly decreased in regular practitioners of yoga and meditation. In other words, your body doesn’t jump so easily to a physiological stress response when it has been trained by yoga and meditation.
- Digestive and gastrointestinal functions improve, as blood flow to the digestive organs increases and boost their ability to function in digestion.
- Hand-in-hand with digestive efficiency, excretory functions (excreting waste through urine, bowel movements, and sweat) also improve, as the excretory organs are also boosted in their ability to function properly. The boost in excretory function has a detoxifying effect, as the body is increasingly able to rid itself of wastes and toxins which would otherwise build up in the system.
- Hormonal balance improves, as blood flow to the endocrine glands (which produce and regulate hormones) increases and boosts their ability to function in regulating the body’s hormonal balance. These hormones range from sex hormones (which can improve sexual drive and function) to the hormones that regulate digestion and metabolism (making it easier to lose weight).
- Weight loss is boosted by the improved functionality of digestive and hormonal organs, as well as stabilizing and improving metabolism, and adding the activity of the yoga asanas, or poses.
- The musculoskeletal system (your basic frame of skeleton and muscles) is strengthened by the yoga asanas, and flexibility of both joints and muscles is improved. Core strength in the torso and core muscles is improved, leading to improved posture, while the range of motion of joints is measurably improved.
- Immunity is measurably boosted by yoga and meditation, making a practitioner less susceptible to illness.
- Measurable physical skills such as hand-eye coordination, grip strength, dexterity, depth perception, reaction time, physical endurance, steadiness, depth perception, dexterity, muscle tone, and balance all improve significantly with the regular practice of yoga and meditation.
- Regular practitioners of yoga find their energy levels noticeably improved, which contributes to additional factors such as the ability to lose weight, function better during the day, and foster a more positive mental outlook.
- Yoga and meditation have been clinically proven to improve sleep in regular practitioners. People suffering from insomnia often find a natural form of relief in this practice, and the improved sleep and rest also contribute to increasing energy levels and overall health.
- Yoga and meditation have also been clinically proven to assist in pain management. In many cases, such as people suffering from severe arthritis, the yoga practice can address the actual source of pain, diminishing the pain itself--and in other cases, the pranayamas (breathing exercises) and practice of meditation can aid a person in dealing with or lessening the impact of existing pain.
- The physiological measures of stress are measurably decreased in people who regularly practice yoga and meditation. Measurements of brain waves and other physiological measures have demonstrated significant changes in the body’s responses to stress stimuli, so even if you can’t eliminate sources of stress from your life, your practice of yoga and meditation can help your body to be less adversely affected by those stressors.
Western
medicine has a long-standing tradition of skepticism regarding “eastern”
practices, but yoga and meditation are clear exceptions to that tradition,
enjoying the full support of western medical practitioners, and backed by
extensive clinical research and scientific study. The physiological and
physical benefits of yoga and meditation are indisputably valuable, and the
practice is recommended by physicians as a solution to a wide range of medical
issues.
Biochemical
Benefits
Some
of the measurable benefits of yoga and meditation occur at the cellular level
of biochemistry--effects which you may not be able to see for yourself as
easily as issues like muscle tone or improved sleep habits, but which are
measurable in any basic blood-work panel which your physician might order up
from the lab. Because these biochemical benefits can answer specific
health issues you may experience, yoga and meditation can be an effective
answer to a number of medical conditions.
Biochemical
benefits which are measurable in regular practitioners of yoga and meditation
include the following:
- Glucose (blood sugar) levels decrease, due in part to the increased function of the endocrine glands, which regulate hormones like insulin, resulting in stabilized blood sugar levels. As such, yoga and meditation can be particularly beneficial for Diabetics, as well as for people looking to lose weight.
- Sodium decreases, resulting in lower blood pressure, making yoga and meditation particularly beneficial for people suffering from chronic hypertension.
- Cholesterol levels (both LDL and HDL) decrease, making yoga and meditation particularly beneficial for people with cardiovascular problems and chronically high cholesterol.
- Cholinesterase, an enzyme necessary for the proper function of neurotransmission of signals from the brain (the deficiency of which can contribute to conditions including glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease) increases significantly with the regular practice of yoga and meditation.
- Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels decrease, improving neurotransmitter function and decreasing risk of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
- Catecholamines (hormones which include epinephrine, commonly known as adrenaline) are decreased significantly, resulting in lower levels of physiological “stress response.” Adrenaline’s “fight or flight” function is intended as a short-term reaction to enable the body to be at the ready to deal with an urgent situation, but extended exposure to the adrenaline hormone actually causes serious damage to the system. The heightened state of adrenaline-induced readiness was never meant to be a long-term state, and a body remaining at high stress levels for long periods will suffer a long list of adverse effects. The regular practice of yoga and meditation reduces this hormone, and the physiological stress associated with it.
- ATPase (an enzyme which breaks down the ATP molecule to release energy at the cellular level) increases, resulting in improved function of cells and tissues in every organ, and an overall increase in a person’s perceived energy level.
- Hematocrit (red blood cell count) and hemoglobin (the component of red blood cells which transports oxygen through the bloodstream) both increase. Red blood cells, when loaded with hemoglobin, form a transport system to the body’s cells and tissues to deliver oxygen, which is a critical component of basic cell function. Increasing the red blood cell and hemoglobin count, and the oxygen delivery they facilitate, results in improved function of every type of tissue and organ system. This benefit makes the practice of yoga and meditation particularly beneficial for people suffering from chronic anemia.
- Lymphocytes (the white blood cells which form the basic component of the body’s immune system) increase, boosting the body’s immune system and making a person more resistant to germs and illness. White blood cells, or lymphocytes, are the “warriors” which attack bacteria and illness-causing invaders in the body.
- Thyroxin (a hormone which regulates metabolism, released by the thyroid gland) increases, resulting in improved metabolism. The boost to metabolism facilitates weight loss and can be felt as increased energy. This effect makes the practice of yoga and meditation particularly beneficial for people suffering from thyroid issues.
- Vitamin C levels increase, resulting in boosted immunity and antioxidant (or anti-aging) effects.
These biochemical benefits serve to explain some of the physical and physiological benefits listed above, and some of them represent health issues which can be effectively addressed by the regular practice of yoga and meditation, instead of (or as a supplement to) chemical treatments in the form of prescription medications.
Psychological
and Mental Benefits
The
mental or psychological benefits of yoga and meditation might be less easily
measured, but they are not disputed even by western medical practitioners. The
body and mind are intricately interconnected, after all--as the word “yoga”
itself (referring to the unification of mind and body) references. Many of
these effects have their basis in the biochemical and hormonal effects noted
above, and even seemingly subjective issues like “mood” have their basis in
biochemistry.
The
psychological and mental benefits enjoyed by practitioners of yoga and
meditation include the following:
·
- Overall mood and outlook improve with the regular practice of yoga and meditation. As such, the practice of yoga is often an effective “prescription” for depression, many times suggested in conjunction with an anti-depressant to help balance the brain’s “biochemistry of mood.”
- Anxiety decreases, which is partially a function of the biochemical decrease of the catecholamines including adrenaline, and is enhanced by the pranayama or breathing techniques of yoga.
- Concentration, memory, and attention span increase, along with learning efficiency.
- Feelings of overall well-being, self-actualization, and even social adjustment and interactions all improve as an indirect effect of practicing yoga and meditation.
- Awareness of mind and body improve, along with the ability to focus on the present moment rather than “living in the mind” and its anxieties.
- Relaxation and calmness, and even a reduction in feelings of anger and hostility, are lasting results which extend beyond the period of meditation itself.
- The concept of “inner peace” may seem abstract and immeasurable, but this is the descriptor which practitioners of yoga and meditation most often use to characterize their overall mental and emotional state.
- Increased confidence, relaxation, and physical awareness often lead to a boost in sexual interest and performance.
Thank you for reading the article about Benefits of Yoga and Meditation in blog Soft Meditation and if you found this article useful please bookmark this page in your web browser, by pressing Ctrl D on your keyboard.