Meditation Guide

1. Meditation:

Meditation is a mental exercise that involves relaxation, focus, and awareness. Meditation is to the mind what physical exercise is to the body. The practice is usually done individually, in a still seated position, and with eyes closed.

2. Psychology Meditation:

In Psychology, meditation is defined as “a family of mental training practices that are designed to familiarize the practitioner with specific types of mental processes”.

Meditation is practiced in one of three modes:

• Concentration: focusing attention on a single object, internal or external (focused attention meditation)

• Observation: paying attention to whatever is predominant in your experience in the present moment, without allowing the attention to get stuck on any particular thing (open monitoring meditation)

• Awareness: allowing awareness to remain present, undistracted and not engaged with either focusing or observing

Other characteristics of meditation include:

• Meditation is an individual practice, even if done in groups (such as in a meditation retreat).

• Meditation is often done with eyes closed, but not always (Zazen and Trataka, for example, are open-eye styles of meditation)

• Meditation usually involves bodily stillness. But there are also ways to do walking meditation, and to integrate mindfulness in other activities.

Originally, the word “meditate” actually means to think deeply about something. However, when eastern contemplative practices were “imported” to Western culture, this is the term that was used to define them, for lack of a better word. Nowadays meditation has more the meaning of this exercise of focusing attention than to reflect deeply.

Here are some other definitions of meditation.

In Christianity, meditation is a type of contemplative prayer that creates a sense of union with God, or the contemplation of religious themes.

In Buddhism, meditation is one of the three core practices for the purification of mind and attainment of Nirvana.

(Learn more about the history of meditation here.)

Besides focus of attention, meditation also involves mental calmness and introspection (“looking within”). Meditation is, thus, somewhat different than other personal development or spiritual exercises, such as:

• Affirmation, self-hypnosis, or guided visualization—where the objective is more to imprint a specific message on the mind

• Pure relaxation—where the goal is only to release bodily tensions

• Prayer—where there is a conscious flow of thinking and feeling, directed towards a Deity

• Contemplation—where the thought processes is actively engaged in order to deepen the understanding of a subject or concept.

• Trance dancing—where the main goal is usually to produce visions or an altered state of consciousness

• Breathing exercises like pranayama and (most types of) qigong— where the focus is on producing a certain pattern of breathing and purify the body.

All these practices are also good and helpful, but they are different than meditation.

3. How to Meditate:

There are dozens of meditation techniques, so it can take some time until you find the one that works best for you.

The approach I recommend is to experiment with different meditation techniques for a short period of time each (say one week), and to journal your experiences. After some time, you will be better able to choose the meditation technique that suits you the most.

4. Meditation Tips:

Here are some general guidelines on the practice:

• Posture: you can meditate seated on a cushion or on a chair. The essential thing about posture is that the spine is absolutely erect, from the lower back to the neck, and ideally not leaning on anything. (See full posture guide here.)

• Time: the best time to meditate is first thing in the morning, so you don’t skip it, and the impact on your day is stronger—but any time that works for you is fine!

• Place: a spot where you can sit uninterrupted. Ideally a place that is quiet, clean and tidy, in order to create a better influence on the mind.

• Length: you can start with as little as 5minutes, and increase 1 or 2 minutes per week, until you arrive 20min sessions and beyond.

Here are six other tips to make sure your practice is optimal. They are not mandatory, but they make your meditation go easier:

• Your body should not be exhausted. So ideally not right after heavy exercise.

• Your mind should be awake. So not good when you are sleepy or tired.

• Your belly should not be full. Wait 2~3 hours after heavy meals.

• Put your phone on airplane mode during your practice.

• Relax your body with deep breathing exercises before meditation.

• If you are meditating at home, wear clothes that are comfortable and loose.

5. Tips for Daily Meditation Practice:

Meditation needs to be practiced daily, if you want to really benefit from it. Otherwise, the effects will be more short-lived and superficial

However, building a meditation habit, especially if your motivation for the practice is not so strong yet, can be challenging. It requires a dose of self-discipline.

This process can be greatly facilitated by following this seven steps system:

1. Discover your true values

2. Link meditation to your values (how will it help them?)

3. Commit to a time, place and practice

4. Setup a trigger and a reward

5. Be accountable to others or to yourself (with a journal)

6. Have the right attitude (no expectations + a Never Zero commitment)

7. Hang out with meditators, online or offline (optional).

6. Types of Meditations:

Meditation may be an ancient tradition, but it’s still practiced in cultures all over the world to create a sense of calm and inner harmony.

Although the practice has ties to many different religious teachings, meditation is less about faith and more about altering consciousness, finding awareness, and achieving peace.

These days, with the greater need to reduce stress in the midst of our busy schedules and demanding lives, meditation is increasing in popularity.

Although there isn’t a right or wrong way to meditate, it’s important to find a practice that meets your needs and complements your personality.

There are nine popular types of meditation practice:

• mindfulness meditation

• spiritual meditation

• focused meditation

• movement meditation

• mantra meditation

• transcendental meditation

• progressive relaxation

• loving-kindness meditation

• visualization meditation

Mindfulness meditation:

Mindfulness meditation originates from Buddhist teachings and is the most popular meditation technique in the West.

In mindfulness meditation, you pay attention to your thoughts as they pass through your mind. You don’t judge the thoughts or become involved with them. You simply observe and take note of any patterns.

This practice combines concentration with awareness. You may find it helpful to focus on an object or your breath while you observe any bodily sensations, thoughts, or feelings.

This type of meditation is good for people who don’t have a teacher to guide them, as it can be easily practiced alone.

Spiritual meditation:

Spiritual meditation is used in Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Daoism, and in Christian faith.

It’s similar to prayer in that you reflect on the silence around you and seek a deeper connection with your God or Universe.

Essential oils are commonly used to heighten the spiritual experience. Popular options include:

• frankincense

• myrrh

• sage

• cedar

• sandalwood

• palo santo

Spiritual meditation can be practiced at home or in a place of worship. This practice is beneficial for those who thrive in silence and seek spiritual growth.

Focused meditation:

Focused meditation involves concentration using any of the five senses.

For example, you can focus on something internal, like your breath, or you can bring in external influences to help focus your attention.

Try counting mala beads, listening to a gong, or staring at a candle flame.

This practice may be simple in theory, but it can be difficult for beginners to hold their focus for longer than a few minutes at first.

If your mind does wander, it’s important to come back to the practice and refocus.

As the name suggests, this practice is ideal for anyone who requires additional focus in their life.

Movement meditation:

Although most people think of yoga when they hear movement meditation, this practice may include walking through the woods, gardening, qigong, and other gentle forms of motion.

It’s an active form of meditation where the movement guides you.

Movement meditation is good for people who find peace in action and prefer to let their minds wander.

Mantra meditation:

Mantra meditation is prominent in many teachings, including Hindu and Buddhist traditions. This type of meditation uses a repetitive sound to clear the mind. It can be a word, phrase, or sound, such as the popular “Om.”

It doesn’t matter if your mantra is spoken loudly or quietly. After chanting the mantra for some time, you’ll be more alert and in tune with your environment. This allows you to experience deeper levels of awareness.

Some people enjoy mantra meditation because they find it easier to focus on a word than on their breath. This is also a good practice for people who don’t like silence and enjoy repetition.

Transcendental Meditation:

Transcendental Meditation is a popular type of meditation. This practice has been the subject of numerous studies in the scientific community.

It is more customizable than mantra meditation, using a mantra or series of words that are specific to each practitioner.

This practice is for those who like structure and are serious about maintaining a meditation practice.

Progressive relaxation:

Also known as body scan meditation, progressive relaxation is a practice aimed at reducing tension in the body and promoting relaxation.

Oftentimes, this form of meditation involves slowly tightening and relaxing one muscle group at a time throughout the body.

In some cases, it may also encourage you to imagine a gentle wave flowing through your body to help release any tension.

This form of meditation is often used to relieve stress and unwind before bedtime.

Loving-kindness meditation:

Loving-kindness meditation is used to strengthen feelings of compassion, kindness, and acceptance toward oneself and others.

It typically involves opening the mind to receive love from others and then sending a series of well wishes to loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and all living beings.

Because this type of meditation is intended to promote compassion and kindness, it may be ideal for those holding feelings of anger or resentment.

Visualization meditation:

Visualization meditation is a technique focused on enhancing feelings of relaxation, peace, and calmness by visualizing positive scenes or images.

With this practice, it’s important to imagine the scene vividly and use all five senses to add as much detail as possible.

Another form of visualization meditation involves imagining yourself succeeding at specific goals, which is intended to increase focus and motivation.

Many people use visualization meditation to boost their mood, reduce stress levels, and promote inner peace.

7. Advantages of Meditation :

There are various benefits of the meditation:

Meditation reduces stress:

Are you feeling the burden of the biosphere on your shoulders? Reflection is fantastically powerful at diminishing pressure and nervousness. One examination found that care and zen type reflections essentially lessen pressure when rehearsed over a time of a quarter of a year. Another investigation uncovered that contemplation decreases the thickness of mind tissue related to tension and stress. If you need your feelings of anxiety to dive, reflection might be the appropriate response.

Meditation increases your sense of well-being:

Need to fill your existence with energy and happiness? Care contemplation builds your mental working and in the process improves your feeling of prosperity. Yoga and kendo have been found to do this likewise – as per examines, they have critical restorative impacts and increment personal satisfaction when polished routinely.

Meditation increases your sense of empathy and connectedness:

Feeling somewhat disengaged from people around you? Attempt empathy contemplation. Lovingkindness reflection (now and then called Metta) is a sympathy based contemplation that upgrades cerebrum regions related to mental preparing and compassion. It additionally expands your feeling of social connectedness. Not an embracing individual? You might conceivably end up one in the wake of attempting metta!

Meditation improves focus:

Okay, love to add a razor-edge centre to your life? Research demonstrates that reflection improves discernment and expands your capacity to perform errands requiring centre.

Meditation improves relationships:

Need to fortify your connections? Contemplation has appeared better your capacity to identify with others. How? It improves your capacity to understand; it sharpens your capacity to get on signs showing how others are feeling.

Meditation makes you more creative:

Ever feel like you could utilize some more motivation? Reflection builds your inventiveness, as indicated by different investigations. It’s no big surprise that popular creatives like Yoko Ono, David Lynch, and Marina Abramović make reflection a unique piece of their life.

Meditation improves memory:

Regardless of whether you need to turn into a memory champion or you need to recollect the name of that person who works a few doors down, contemplation can help. Research has demonstrated that it improves your capacity to retain things and to store and combine new data.

8. Disadvantages of Meditation :

Short meditation practice makes little sense:

It is a great idea to contemplate for 5 to 15 minutes every day. You feel progressively loose and positive and can manage misfortune all the more effectively. If you contrast it as well as running, you comprehend what I mean. Jogging for 5 to 15 minutes is fun. However, you experience positive impacts after thirty minutes of activity.

Meditation remains throughout the day as well as takes lots of time:

If you practice the minutes at your contemplation site and are surged, occupied and animated for the remainder of the day, you come up short. In each contemplation custom, there are rules to keep the soul between the formal practice minutes quiet and in the present. This implies you are cautious with what you take into account mental improvements, for example, TV, news, and web-based life.

The recreation of the profits of meditation will respond to your process:

Meditation is mindfulness. The most significant thing in the contemplation procedure is giving up. You let go of the lot that you are not, for example, your body, musings, feelings, sentiments, recollections, and convictions. This gives you a profound understanding of how everything goes back and forth throughout everyday life, and you become mindful of whom you truly are your soul. This additionally applies to yoga that deciphered solidarity implies.

9. Music Meditation:

Music is a powerful art form that has the ability to boost our mood, relieve stress, ease depression, provide pain relief, and even help us feel a range of emotions from excited and animated to calm and relaxed. It should come as no surprise, then, that combining music with relaxing meditation techniques can be an effective and influential remedy for chronic sleep issues. Let’s look into a selection of the best meditation music for sleep and relaxation.

Both music and meditation have restorative qualities for body and mind. The two art forms work together to rejuvenate and clear your mind, relax your muscles, and soothe away the stresses and anxieties of your day. If silent meditation or guided sleep meditations haven’t been the trick to put you to sleep, it’s time to give meditation music a try. The relaxing sounds of meditation music can help you take your mind off of the silence of your bedroom as well as your partner’s incessant snoring (we won’t tell!), but it’s even more than that: music can actually help your body to relax by physically syncing your heart rate to the music and preparing your body for sleep.

Choosing the best deep meditation music for sleep is going to be a personal decision that fits your unique needs and personality. First, you’ll need to enjoy the music being played. So make sure you go through the music on this list with that in mind. Just because something is rated as “the best meditation music ever!” doesn’t mean it will jive with your individual taste. If you don’t like the music, don’t force yourself to listen to it. This could create tension and add stress instead of relieving it.

10. Instructions for Music Mediation:

1. Choose meditation music that can help you relax. This means finding music that you enjoy listening to—if you don’t enjoy classical music, for example, don’t choose it. You should also look for music that has a slower tempo, and preferably without lyrics, which can be distracting and can engage your conscious mind—the part of your mind that we hope to slow down.

2. Get into a comfortable position and relax. Many people think they need to sit with their legs crossed a certain way or use a meditation cushion, but really, whatever position you feel is comfortable is the position you should try. Some people avoid lying down because they fall asleep this way if they're tired; you can experiment and decide what's right for you. Once you've found your position, close your eyes, relax your muscles, and breathe through your diaphragm. Let your shoulders, your belly, and even the muscles in your face relax. Breathe in deeply through your nose, gently expanding your belly rather than your chest, then exhale through your mouth.

3. Stay focused on the music. If you find yourself thinking about other things (or even thinking thoughts about the music), gently redirect your attention to the present moment, the sound of the music, and the feelings in your body that the music evokes. Try to really feel the music.

4. Continue this practice for several minutes, until your time runs out. As thoughts come into your head, gently let them go and redirect your attention to the sound of the music, the present moment, and the physical sensations you feel. The goal of this practice is to quiet your inner voice and just ‘be’. So just ‘be’ with the music, and fully immerse yourself, and you’ll feel more relaxed fairly quickly.

11. Tips for Daily Music Listening Practice:

1. You may want to start out with just a few songs and work your way up to longer practice.

2. If you find the music brings lots of thoughts, memories, and internal dialogue, switch to a different type of music. Instrumental music can come in many forms, including classical, jazz, new age, and more, and it can be less distracting than other types of music.

3. You can time your practice with the number of songs you choose so you don’t have to worry if you are taking more time than you have.

4. If you find yourself ‘thinking too much’, don’t beat yourself up over it; this is natural for those beginning meditation practice. Instead, congratulate yourself on noticing the internal dialogue, and redirecting your attention to the present moment.

12. Deep meditation music for sleep:

Nature sounds:

Listening to the sounds of nature, like that of the ocean waves, birds in the jungle, or the pounding of raindrops, are some of the most common types of deep meditation “music” that people use to fall asleep. Nature sounds have been found to help ease the body’s fight or flight response to stress and can help the brain make the transition from the business of daytime to a more resting mindset. Check out these relaxing nature sounds from all over the world, taken directly from the Netflix series Night On Earth.

Classical music:

Classical music is commonly thought of as somnolent music, that which makes us feel drowsy, sleepy and peaceful. When it comes to relaxing meditation music for sleep, try “Canzonetta Sul-aria” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Nocturne No.2, Op.9 by Frédéric Chopin or this 8-hour mix of Classical Music for Sleeping.

Binaural beats:

While not exactly music in and of itself, binaural beats are a combination of two different sound frequencies –one in each ear– in order to create the sense of a single new frequency which your body then “tunes” itself to. These special soundwaves have been shown to help slow down brain activity, helping you to relax and fall asleep more quickly. Try this youtube mix of binaural beats by Sleep Tube for your sleep meditation music, and make sure to use headphones to get the full effects!

Ambient music:

Following closely in the footsteps of nature sounds is another form of relaxing music known as ambient music. Not music in the traditional sense, as ambient music generally lacks a tune or even a discernable beat, but the tone of which is excellent for relaxation and meditation. This “Deep, Relaxing Ambient Music Mix” is a compilation perfectly suited for your sleep music meditations.

Modern music:

Perhaps classical music doesn’t do the trick, and rainforest style sounds just don’t do it for you either. There are plenty of more contemporary musical stylings to choose from that can help you shut off your brain and help put you into a more sleep-inducing headspace, as long as the words don't distract you too much. Here are a few suggestions to get you started building your perfect sleepy slumber playlist:

• Simon & Garfunkel - ‘The Boxer’

• Coldplay - ‘Shiver’

• Radiohead - ‘How To Disappear Completely’

• Arctic Monkeys - ‘Cornerstone’

• The Doors - ‘Riders On The Storm’

• R.E.M. - ‘Day sleeper’

• The Velvet Underground - ‘Pale Blue Eyes’

The great thing about meditation music for sleep beyond its relaxation and stress management capabilities is that it is easily accessible and that it can be helpful for anyone from the very young all the way to the elderly. Use this list of the best meditation music for sleep the next time you're struggling to catch some Z’s. Whether you prefer soothing jungle sounds, classical symphonies or even something a little more contemporary, there is something for everyone to fall asleep to. For even more sleep-inducing benefits, try our OSTRICHPILLOW Loop eye mask pillow while you listen to your sleep music meditations!

13. Science Based Benefits:

The popularity of meditation is increasing as more people discover its benefits.

Meditation is a habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts.

You can use it to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Many people think of it as a way to reduce stress and develop concentration.

People also use the practice to develop other beneficial habits and feelings, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns and even increased pain tolerance.

Reduces Stress:

Stress reduction is one of the most common reasons people try meditation.

One study including over 3,500 adults showed that it lives up to its reputation for stress reduction.

Normally, mental and physical stress cause increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This produces many of the harmful effects of stress, such as the release of inflammation-promoting chemicals called cytokines.

These effects can disrupt sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure and contribute to fatigue and cloudy thinking.

In an eight-week study, a meditation style called “mindfulness meditation” reduced the inflammation response caused by stress.

Another study in nearly 1,300 adults demonstrated that meditation may decrease stress. Notably, this effect was strongest in individuals with the highest levels of stress.

Research has shown that meditation may also improve symptoms of stress-related conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder and fibromyalgia.

Controls Anxiety:

Less stress translates to less anxiety.

For example, an eight-week study of mindfulness meditation helped participants reduce their anxiety.

It also reduced symptoms of anxiety disorders, such as phobias, social anxiety, paranoid thoughts, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and panic attacks.

Another study followed up with 18 volunteers three years after they had completed an eight-week meditation program. Most volunteers had continued practicing regular meditation and maintained lower anxiety levels over the long term.

A larger study in 2,466 participants also showed that a variety of different meditation strategies may reduce anxiety levels.

For example, yoga has been shown to help people reduce anxiety. This is likely due to benefits from both meditative practice and physical activity.

Meditation may also help control job-related anxiety in high-pressure work environments. One study found that a meditation program reduced anxiety in a group of nurses.

Promotes Emotional Health:

Some forms of meditation can also lead to an improved self-image and more positive outlook on life.

Two studies of mindfulness meditation found decreased depression in over 4,600 adults.

One study followed 18 volunteers as they practiced meditation over three years. The study found that participants experienced long-term decreases in depression.

Inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, which are released in response to stress, can affect mood, leading to depression. A review of several studies suggests meditation may reduce depression by decreasing these inflammatory chemicals.

Another controlled study compared electrical activity between the brains of people who practiced mindfulness meditation and the brains of others who did not.

Those who meditated showed measurable changes in activity in areas related to positive thinking and optimism.

Enhances Self-Awareness:

Some forms of meditation may help you develop a stronger understanding of yourself, helping you grow into your best self.

For example, self-inquiry meditation explicitly aims to help you develop a greater understanding of yourself and how you relate to those around you.

Other forms teach you to recognize thoughts that may be harmful or self-defeating. The idea is that as you gain greater awareness of your thought habits, you can steer them toward more constructive patterns.

A study of 21 women fighting breast cancer found that when they took part in a tai chi program, their self-esteem improved more than it did than in those who received social support sessions.

In another study, 40 senior men and women who took a mindfulness meditation program experienced reduced feelings of loneliness, compared to a control group that had been placed on a wait list for the program.

Also, experience in meditation may cultivate more creative problem solving.

Lengthens Attention Span:

Focused-attention meditation is like weight lifting for your attention span. It helps increase the strength and endurance of your attention.

For example, a study looked at the effects of an eight-week mindfulness meditation course and found it improved participants’ ability to reorient and maintain their attention.

A similar study showed that human resource workers who regularly practiced mindfulness meditation stayed focused on a task for longer.

These workers also remembered details of their tasks better than their peers who did not practice meditation.

Moreover, one review concluded that meditation may even reverse patterns in the brain that contribute to mind-wandering, worrying and poor attention.

Even meditating for a short period may benefit you. One study found that four days of practicing meditation may be enough to increase attention span.

May Reduce Age-Related Memory Loss:

Improvements in attention and clarity of thinking may help keep your mind young.

Kirtan Kriya is a method of meditation that combines a mantra or chant with repetitive motion of the fingers to focus thoughts. It improved participants’ ability to perform memory tasks in multiple studies of age-related memory loss.

Furthermore, a review of 12 studies found that multiple meditation styles increased attention, memory and mental quickness in older volunteers.

In addition to fighting normal age-related memory loss, meditation can at least partially improve memory in patients with dementia. It can also help control stress and improve coping in those caring for family members with dementia.

Can Generate Kindness:

Some types of meditation may particularly increase positive feelings and actions toward yourself and others.

Metta, a type of meditation also known as loving-kindness meditation, begins with developing kind thoughts and feelings toward yourself.

Through practice, people learn to extend this kindness and forgiveness externally, first to friends, then acquaintances and ultimately enemies.

Twenty-two studies of this form of meditation have demonstrated its ability to increase peoples’ compassion toward themselves and others.

One study of 100 adults randomly assigned to a program that included loving-kindness meditation found that these benefits were dose-dependent.

In other words, the more effort people put into Metta meditation, the more positive feelings they experienced.

Another group of studies showed the positive feelings people develop through Metta meditation can improve social anxiety, reduce marriage conflict and help anger management.

These benefits also appear to accumulate over time with the practice of loving-kindness meditation.

May Help Fight Addictions:

The mental discipline you can develop through meditation may help you break dependencies by increasing your self-control and awareness of triggers for addictive behaviors.

Research has shown that meditation may help people learn to redirect their attention, increase their willpower, control their emotions and impulses and increase their understanding of the causes behind their addictive behaviors.

One study that taught 19 recovering alcoholics how to meditate found that participants who received the training got better at controlling their cravings and craving-related stress.

Meditation may also help you control food cravings. A review of 14 studies found mindfulness meditation helped participants reduce emotional and binge eating.

Improves Sleep:

Nearly half the population will struggle with insomnia at some point.

One study compared two mindfulness-based meditation programs by randomly assigning participants to one of two groups. One group practiced meditation, while the other didn’t.

Participants who meditated fell asleep sooner and stayed asleep longer, compared to those who didn’t meditate.

Becoming skilled in meditation may help you control or redirect the racing or “runaway” thoughts that often lead to insomnia.

Additionally, it can help relax your body, releasing tension and placing you in a peaceful state in which you’re more likely to fall asleep.

Helps Control Pain:

Your perception of pain is connected to your state of mind, and it can be elevated in stressful conditions.

For example, one study used functional MRI techniques to observe brain activity as participants experienced a painful stimulus. Some participants had gone through four days of mindfulness meditation training, while others had not.

The meditating patients showed increased activity in the brain centers known to control pain. They also reported less sensitivity to pain.

One larger study looked at the effects of habitual meditation in 3,500 participants. It found that meditation was associated with decreased complaints of chronic or intermittent pain.

An additional study of meditation in patients with terminal diseases found meditation may help mitigate chronic pain at the end of life.

In each of these scenarios, meditators and non-meditators experienced the same causes of pain, but meditators showed a greater ability to cope with pain and even experienced a reduced sensation of pain.

Can Decrease Blood Pressure:

Meditation can also improve physical health by reducing strain on the heart.

Over time, high blood pressure makes the heart work harder to pump blood, which can lead to poor heart function.

High blood pressure also contributes to atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

A study of 996 volunteers found that when they meditated by concentrating on a “silent mantra” — a repeated, non-vocalized word — reduced blood pressure by about five points, on average.

This was more effective among older volunteers and those who had higher blood pressure prior to the study.

A review concluded that several types of meditation produced similar improvements in blood pressure.

In part, meditation appears to control blood pressure by relaxing the nerve signals that coordinate heart function, tension in blood vessels and the “fight-or-flight” response that increases alertness in stressful situations.

14. Conclusion:

Sleep should be as important as getting regular exercise and eating right. Edward Everett Hale said “Sleep, and enough of it, is the prime necessity. Enough exercise, and good food and enough, are other necessities. But sleep—good sleep, and enough of it—this is a necessity without which you cannot have the exercise of use, nor the food.”

Beginning March 6, 2016, the National Sleep Foundation will celebrate Sleep Awareness Week: its annual event to raise awareness regarding the health benefits of sleep and its importance to safety and productivity. Share this information with friends and family and help to improve the health of your loved ones.