Why Meditation is Healing: The Science Behind It & a Guided Meditation

This blog is part of the podcast episode on why meditation is healing. If you would like to listen to a healing meditation head over to the podcast and listen.

So as you know, I am a massive advocate of meditation and most people know meditation is good for us; that chance for us to stop and pause, to take a moment to be present. But what about meditation is healing and how healing can it really be?

Webmd explains why meditation is healing. It has helped people heal chronic pain, anxiety, heart problems, mental health concerns and much more. And this isn’t just speculation or reported experiences; this is scientific fact.

Below are the top five scientifically proven reasons meditation is healing for our bodies and minds.

TOP FIVE FACTORS TO WHY MEDITATION HEALS

1. Lowers blood pressure

This is a big one. When our body is under any form of stress, physically or mentally, our sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive, meaning our heart rate is higher and our blood pressure is higher. When we practise meditation for healing we counter act this by applying opposite sensations and telling the body to respond differently. We activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

To understand this a little more, the sympathetic nervous system is there to help amp you up ready for fight or flight. It activates strong feelings in you to mobilise you. The parasympathetic, however, is there to counter act this, calm you and encourage rest. A great video to understand this more is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2825kDSo4M

2. Decreases inflammatory chemicals in the brain

Recent studies have shown that meditation heals our bodies and brains of all sorts of inflammatory based illnesses and disease. Chronic inflammation is considered the root of a whole host of health problems, including significant stress, depression and dementia. The study discussed in this article is a great example of how meditation is healing.

3. Develops more self-awareness

One key positive healing result of meditation, which I would say, most people appear to experience the quickest, is more awareness of their body and mind, and how the both are interlinked. This is an important element for why meditation is healing, because once we are aware we can target the issue; or choose not to. But awareness gives us the opportunity to make positive changes for our minds and bodies. It helps us understand the interplay of how one action can impact something else and form a better relationship with our mind and body.

4. Improves memory

Meditation activates the memory muscle in our brain. Research has shown that regular practise of meditation appears to improve activity in the cerebral cortex part of our brains by increasing blood flow to this area. This is the part that is responsible concentration and memory. Research also shows that the areas of the brain that store information appear to light up when practising meditation which indicates that both of these areas are being activated.

5. Calms the nervous system

There is no doubt about it, meditation helps us feel calmer. It alleviates tension and therefore helps us feel more relaxed. This in turn means we sleep better and wake up feeling re-charged and able to move through our days in a more restful state. This is because when we meditate we are activating the parasympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve. The Vagus nerve is one of the longest nerves. It runs all the way from our brain to our tummy. You know that feeling when your anxious and you feel butterflies in your belly? Well this is a real feeling and is in part because of this nerve linking our brains to our tummies. This nerve is a perfect example of how our bodies and minds are connected and send messages to one another. The parasympathetic nervous system (as mentioned in points above, is what helps us slow down and manage the impact of stress on the bodies organs). Science shows through using meditation for healing we activate the parasympathetic nervous system. So, we slow everything down, our thoughts, our breath, our heart rate. When this happens we the automatic body functions slow down. The body then sends this calm message through the nerves to our brain and the brain disseminates this information to any parts of us.

In the correlating podcast episode there is a simple healing meditation guide that you can start practising straight away. You may notice instant results in terms of feeling calmer, lift of mood, more clarity. But if you want to see more impactful and longer lasting results, it’s recommended you start by practising this for 21 days in a row. And of course the more you practise the better the results.

You can find the meditation here – http://www.valueyourmind.com/pod-cast/