DEEPAK CHOPRA: As a young physician in the 1970's, I was attracted to meditation for two reasons, one personal, the other professional. The professional reason was the large body of scientific research that established that meditation is 'real' - that is, it produces health tangible benefits, including relief from stress and anxiety.

The personal reason was the promise of inner growth, of reaching an expanded state of mental and spiritual development.

As more and more studies are finding, stress exacts an enormous toll on our mental and physical health, including high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, cancer, insomnia, depression, and autoimmune diseases. In our current society, where people are coping with increasing work pressures, reduced job security, and an accelerating pace of life, the health consequences of stress are evident in the growing rates of heart disease (in both men and women) and the skyrocketing number of prescriptions for sleeping pills, antidepressants, and medications for other chronic conditions.

While many claim to thrive under pressure, no one maintains health and well-being in the face of constant long-term stress. If put on the front lines of war long enough, every soldier will succumb to shell shock and battle fatigue.

Meditation: An Ancient Solution to Modern Stress
While it would be impractical for most of us to move to an island without phones, deadlines, or traffic jams, the practice of meditation offers us a powerful way to experience our own islands of inner silence and stillness.

Meditation is not about forcing your mind to be quiet; it is finding the quiet that is already there. The silence of pure awareness is extremely refreshing to the mind, which finds it increasingly easy not to cling to old thought-patterns; rigid habits of thinking and feeling begin to fall away of their own accord. When this happens, the mind is actually learning to heal itself. In fact, a large body of scientific research has established that having a regular meditation practice produces tangible benefits for mental and physical health, including:

~ lowered blood pressure and hypertension
~ slower heart rate
~ decreases cholesterol levels
~ reduced production of “stress hormones,” including cortisol and adrenaline
~ more efficient oxygen use by the body
~ increased production of the anti-aging hormone DHEA
~ improved immune function

Beyond these significant health benefits, the greatest gift of meditation is the sense of calm and inner peace it brings into your daily life. When you meditate, you go beyond the mind's noisy chatter

Jan 3, 2011 - 8:28 PM

Janice Chrysler -

I attended the Renewal Weekend in Toronto in 2009 and learned Primordial Sound Meditation. As a meditation leader myself, I can say this form of going within and finding the silence has been very beneficial on all levels of my personal well being and in turn has been reflected in my classes. I encourage everyone to take time daily to use some form of meditation -you deserve it!