MEDITATION MEDICINE
The Benefits of Daily Practice
HOW YOU CAN BENEFIT
Vedic Meditation is effortless, natural, and integrates into a demanding, fast-paced life. Regular practice diminishes stress, reduces distracting thoughts, and delivers numerous health benefits.
Meditation is shown to:
Relieve stress
Increase energy levels
Relieve depression and anxiety
Relieve insomnia
Reduce addictive behaviors
Improve relationships and parenting
Reverse biological aging
Increase self-esteem and confidence
Increase creativity and innovation
Improve decision making
Improve memory and concentration
Reduce risk of heart disease
Relieve migraines, headaches, and asthma
Improve sports performance
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MEDITATION
There are so many neurological benefits from regular meditation. Reduced stress, anxiety, depression, attention disorders, and anti-aging are a few of them.
The restful state meditation brings is significantly deeper than sleep (up to 5X!). This deep rest helps reset brain waves so you can think clearly and make good decisions.
The most obvious effect of meditation is when your brain comes out of the 'Fight or Flight' stress response and into the 'Rest & Digest' state. In fancy neuroscience language, this is when the autonomic nervous system transitions from the sympathetic state to the parasympathetic state.
When you’re in the 'Fight or Flight' stress state, the breath shortens, heart rate speeds up, and blood pressure increases. Beta brain waves dominate causing brain fog, scattered thinking, and difficulty with memory recall.
During meditation, you'll notice your breathing relax, heart rate slow down, and high blood pressure drop as the brain begins to 'Rest & Digest.' Alpha brain waves activate, which are associated with deep relaxation and creativity. Your memory, cognition, and mental focus also increase.
Post-meditation, your brain is elevated in a blissful state of 'Stay & Play.' Peak performance gamma brain waves arise, making you focused, connected, grateful, and in a productive flow.
Science of Meditation
Meditation Brain Wave Study
What happens when you don’t take care of stress?
How Stress Affects Your Brain
How Stress Affects Your Body
Meditation Helps Athletes
How Meditation Won the Super Bowl
Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll encourages his athletes to meditate
“The zone is how an NBA star can score a series of three-point shots that seem humanly impossible. Or how an Olympic sprinter can break a world record that was previously thought to have been unbeatable. It's a state of consciousness where one isn't concerned about winning or losing. Instead a person is fully engaged in an activity without mental commentary.
The zone also characterizes a state that long-time meditators reach on a consistent basis. Unlike professional athletes, they don't have to be engaged in any physical activity to reach the so-called zone.”
Source: Psychology Today
SOURCE: ESPN
“Meditation is as important as lifting weights and being out here on the field fo practice. It’s about quieting your mind and getting into certain states where everything outside of you doesn’t matter in that moment. There are so many things telling you that you can’t do something, but you take those thoughts captive, take power over them, and change them.”
“And those in the meditation group, if they had practiced often, showed considerable mental resilience, with higher scores than the other athletes in either group on the measures of both attention and mood.”
SOURCE: NY Times
Meditation benefits for Athletes include:
Improved memory
Improved cognition
Improved motor skills
Faster responses
Increased happiness
Increased satisfaction with life