What is Meditation?

Meditation is one of the 5 Principles of Yoga. Meditation is a practice that facilitates the ability to be more aware and observant of the present. The diverse meditation techniques and methods have a common theme- controlling the mind, relaxing the body, and bringing a state of calmness and mental clarity.

Meditation follows three basic concepts:

1. Withdrawing from the distractions of the senses and bringing the mind to a place of concentration. Focus is directed onto one element like the repetition of breathing, the repetition of a word, the connection with a bodily sensation, or an image or single thought.
2. Meditation is done without judgment and conclusions are not drawn from irrelevant thoughts. Wandering thoughts are placed in the background without struggle. Meditation does not mean to suppress outside thoughts, but rather to keep these thoughts from taking you away from the present.
3. During meditation, you remain aware of sensations, distractions, surroundings, and irrelevant thoughts, but discovering that they do not agitate or bring on stress. You meditate to develop the ability to exist in the moment with contentment and acceptance.

Meditation is applied in the yoga practice to allow observation of the mind and bring heightened awareness to the Self. The discovery of the Self and revelation your oneness with the universe is through stilling the mind with an uninterrupted flow of concentration. With a dedicated, regular practice, the deep connection with the Self and universe leads to Samadhi, the ultimate goal of the Eight Limbs of Yoga (Raja Yoga). Samadhi is the state of enlightenment where complete peace and contentment are achieved, awareness to pure truth and knowledge are attained.

Health Benefits of Yoga

The yoga practice acts as a therapeutic tool to heal the body and the mind. When you practice regularly, the health benefits become apparent. The yoga poses (asanas), breathing (pranayama), and meditation come together to provide a large number of physiological and psychological changes:

Physiological Benefits of Yoga

* increases muscle flexibility and joint range of motion
* increases muscular strength, endurance, and joint stability
* improves posture, steadiness, coordination, and balance
* decreases joint and back pain
* increases immunity
* improves sleep and increases energy levels
* decreases heart rate and increase cardiovascular efficiency
* decreases respiratory rate and improves respiratory efficiency
* reduces high blood pressure
* improves digestion and normalizes gastrointestinal function
* improves excretory functions and reduces constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
* improves flow of lymphatic system, thus helps in removal of toxins
* normalizes endocrine (hormone) function
* normalizes weight and body composition
* increases bone density and decreases onset of osteoporosis
* decreases blood sugar levels
* decreases sodium
* decreases total cholesterol
* increases HDL (good) cholesterol /decreases LDL and VLDL (bad) cholesterol
* decreases triglycerides
* increases grip strength
* EEG - alpha brain waves increase leading to a restful mental state
* brings autonomic nervous system to stable equilibrium
* improves dexterity, reaction time, and depth perception
* increases Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)

Psychological Benefits of Yoga

* improves concentration and attention
* decreases anxiety, internal stress and depression
* improves mood and sense of well-being
* increases self-acceptance and self-actualization
* improves learning efficiency and memory
* increases somatic and kinesthetic awareness (body/mind connection)
* decreases aggression and hostility
* increases social skills
* improves depth perception