Meditation. The word is used to describe a multitude of different actions, each aimed at a variety of different goals. But they all involve turning our focus inward to the mind itself, dissolving old thoughts and opening to new ones. Some do it for eternal peace, while others do it to become healthier and happier.
Research In Point: Dr. Herbert Benson of the Mind-Body Medical Institute, which is affiliated with Harvard and several Boston hospitals, and his team have done clinical studies at Buddhist monasteries in the Himalayan Mountains. He reports that meditation induces a host of biochemical and physical changes in the body collectively referred to as the "relaxation response." The relaxation response includes amazing changes in metabolism, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and brain chemistry.
HANDLES QUICK PAIN
Five months of daily meditation may help your brain stay calm during sudden pain. So says a study on transcendental meditation, published in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology.
CBS News, August 9, 2006
COMBAT ADHD
There’s a solution for treating your child’s attention problems that doesn’t involve drugs. A new study shows that meditation may be able to replace medication for treating ADHD.
ABC News, Washington, DC, March 06, 2006
MEDITATION FOR A HEALTHIER HEART
TM twice a day improves cardiovascular health.
PREVENTION Magazine, September 12, 2005
IMPROVES STUDENT FOCUS
New research appears to be strengthening the case for teaching transcendental meditation in U.S. schools, showing it to be a means to improve the concentration of students and a way to enhance their physical and mental well-being.
International Herald Tribune, February 15, 2005
MEDITATION IN HOLLYWOOD
Filmmaker David Lynch wants to share with schools the benefits he says he's reaped from Transcendental Meditation. He credits TM with enhancing his happiness, his health and — most importantly for his art — his creativity. Lynch has launched an organization — the ambitiously titled David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace — to provide the program to schools and any student who wants it.
The Orange County Register, August 10, 2005
MEDITATE TO A LONGER LIFE
A new study shows that transcendental meditation can reduce death rates by nearly a quarter.
The Guardian, May 2, 2005
IMPROVE GRADES W/ MEDITATING
What if the answer to better math grades was as simple as meditation? New research shows that kids who practice transcendental meditation may get a big bonus when they hit the books.
CBS 2 Chicago, March 10, 2004