7 Fascinating Facts about Meditation

Take a deep breath and relax this is a simple, yet powerful piece of advice that has been
given by yogis for centuries! Meditation is indeed one of the healthiest mind and body
exercises that you should incorporate in your daily life. Both anecdotal and scientific evidences can
attest to its amazing health effects. If youre lacking reasons to spare just several minutes of your
time to meditate, here are the fascinating facts that will sure get you learning more about this
ancient practice:
1. It Changes Your Brain (for the better!)
For centuries, scientists believed that our brain stops evolving once we reached
adulthood. Well, meditation disproves this! Using fMRI scanners, researchers found that people
who regularly meditate develop Neuro plasticity a condition wherein the brain literally
changes and develops its structure and functions!
2. It Sharpens Your Mind!
Have problems concentrating? Then this is the time that you consider meditating. A study conducted
in 2006 found that people who meditate are more alert than those who took a nap and watched TV.
3. It Lengthens Your Life
You may not know when you are going to die. But, you can definitely do something to live a
longer life! Research shows that meditating helps protect our telomeres the protective caps at the
end of our chromosomes. According to experts, longer and stronger telomeres are linked to longer
life as they help counter the negative consequences of ageing.
4. It Takes Your Pain Away
Whether its a headache, migraine, or back pain you are having meditation can give you
comfort more than pharmaceutical drugs could give you! Thats what the researchers from
Wake Forest Baptist University discovered in their study. They found that meditation reduces pain
intensity by 40% and unpleasantness by 57%, whereas morphine only reduces pain by 25%.
And take note meditation doesnt have side effects!

5. It Lowers Your Blood Pressure
In his study, Dr Randy Zusman from Massachusetts General Hospital found that three months of
regular meditation could result to significant reduction in blood pressure. According to Dr
Zusman, relaxation stimulates the production of nitric oxide a compound that opens up our
blood vessels.
6. It Slows Down the Progression of HIV
The development of HIV drugs has been quite slow for the past years, which resulted to the increase
in the number of people suffering from HIV-related diseases. However, scientists found that an
ancient therapy, which is no other than meditation, could slow down the progression of HIV in
the human body. In a 2008 study, researchers found that patients who meditated for eight
weeks did not reduce their lymphocyte levels for such period of time as compared to those who
did not meditate. Lymphocytes are crucial to maintaining a strong immune system.
7. It Increases Your Gray Matter
The gray matter is the area in the brain that is responsible for most of our major cognitive
functions such as our intellect and decision-making skills. In a study carried out in 2005, scientists
found that people who meditated for 40 minutes a day had thicker cortical walls than those who
didnt. Thick Cortical walls are linked to better memory, attention and intelligence