We all take great care to ensure that our heart is healthy: eating the right diets, partaking in cardio classes, taking aspirin, and buying blood pressure monitors.
But did you know that meditation also holds the key to cardiovascular health?
Simple meditation practices can greatly support heart health and reduce risks of cardiovascular disease in the long run. This article will discuss the hearty results of adding meditation to your daily routine and provide a guide for getting started.
Hearty Results
Breakthrough studies over recent years have shown that meditating regularly (for as little as five to 10 minutes a day) can improve areas such as concentration, memory, decision-making, and emotional stability. The relationship between a healthy brain and a healthy heart is not new to us, but we may have been underestimating its power all along.
In a study done by the Harvard School of Public Health, it was found that a positive outlook can indeed keep heart disease at bay. Both young and old, wealthy and not-so-wealthy individuals that expressed optimism reduced their risks of heart disease significantly. Another study conducted in India explored the health benefits of meditation and yoga. After only 15 days, participants had significantly lowered resting pulse and blood pressure levels. This is especially remarkable since the study period was so brief. The benefits were nearly instantaneous.
Teens who practiced regular meditation in a study at the Georgia Health Sciences University were able to reduce left ventricle thickness in their hearts, a characteristic associated with high blood pressure. Essentially, when we calm the mind, everything else in our body relaxes, including the autonomic nervous system. As a result, fewer stress hormones are produced, heart rate slows, blood pressure is lowered, and other side effects of our stressful lifestyles are measurably reduced.
Ancient Keys to Healing
Shamatha, which means “calm abiding” in Sanskrit, is an ancient and simple form of meditation that is known to calm the mind and body. In this practice, focusing on a single object like a small pebble while meditating yields great results. As we place our attention on both the object and our breathing, we learn to let go of our surface distractions and neurotic patterns. Thus, paving the way to peace, clarity, and healing.
How to Get Started
Finding a quiet space, sit comfortably in it, and then place a small object in front of you. Concentrate on the object and your breathing. Initially, doing this may not be easy since your busy mind will distract you with other thoughts and a to-do list. However, this is a natural part of the process. Recognize the distractions and let them go without judgment. After that, gently bring your focus back to your breathing and the object. Over time, nurturing this inner calm will become easier to access, as it gradually infuses your entire being, and especially your heart. Ultimately, this could provide excellent support for lifelong healing.
