Meditation is a way to eliminate lack of balance caused by mental stress and keep calm in the midst of turmoil, explains Sant Rajinder Singh
Meditation helps reduce stress, which is a normal part of life that helps the body protect itself from danger. A physical threat causes our body to release the hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, to provide us with the strength for fight or flight. Throughout history, stress enabled people to run from an attack to stand up to an attacker. The difficulty stress poses in modern times is that while we are seldom in physical danger from wild animals, even in minor situations are perceived as mortal threats. We become stressed by events in life that we feel as earth shattering. For example, when our baby cries, we are concerned over what is wrong with him or her. If our child gets bad grades, we worry how he or she is going to get into college. When we bring our car into a repair shop, we worry. Multi-tasking stresses us. The result is that cortisol levels flowing through our body are elevated. Cortisol might have a short-term benefit, protecting us from true physical danger, but when everything is perceived by our mind and body as a danger, we respond by releasing higher levels of cortisol than we need. Besides its benefits, there are dangerous side effects even when cortisone is prescribed as medicine. For example, cortisone can cause breakdown of body tissue, resulting in weakened bones and muscle tears. Thus, increased level of cortisol and adrenaline take their toll on the body.
Medical researchers have linked certain illnesses to our state of mind and emotional condition. When we undergo mental stress, emotional pain, or depression, our physical resistance to disease drops. We become more susceptible to contracting a disease because our ability to keep our immune system in top working order decreases. Science has pinpointed heart disease, digestive problems, circulation and breathing problems, and migraine headaches to be sometimes stress-related.
Spending regular, accurate time in meditation has been shown to reduce stress. One meditation study, by Dr John l Craven published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, states: “Controlled studies have found consistent reductions in anxiety in meditators. Several stress-related conditions have demonstrated improvement during clinical trials of meditation including hypertension, insomnia, asthma, chronic pain, cardiac tachyarrhythmias, phobic anxiety.”
In another study, Dr Ilan Kutz states: “As the ability to meditate develops, a hierarchy of sensation develops, ranging from deep relaxation to marked emotional and cognitive alterations. Many of these peripheral changes are compatible with decreased arousal of the sympathetic nervous system..The peripheral physiological changes have proven to be of value as a primary or adjunctive treatment for variety of medical disorders such as hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias, as well as in relieving anxiety states and pain.”
Meditation is a way to eliminate the lack of balance caused by mental stresses. Through it, we create a calm haven and restore our equilibrium. Researchers have recorded brain activity in people. They found that our brain waves measure from 13-20 Hz when we are involved with stressful situations at work, driving in traffic, or in a flight-or-fight mode. Those who spend time in meditation register brain waves at 5-8 Hz, a state of deep relaxation. Their mind becomes calm, which in turn, calms the body. If we could spend some time each day in meditation, we can reduce our stress levels. Besides reducing stress during meditation, there is a carryover effect. We can have more inner peace of mind. As we perfect our meditation, we can maintain a calm state of mind in the midst of turmoil and strife. We can have control of our reactions and maintain an even keel.
In hospitals around the world, doctors suggest meditation to their patients both before and after surgery to improve their healing. With illnesses, there is pain, discomfort, and worry. When patients meditate, they can reduce the cortisol levels and aid in their recovery process. Medical centres and hospitals routinely offer classes in meditation.
By becoming absorbed within, we can divert our attention away from the effects of illness. We come in contact with a stream of bliss and joy that takes our attention away from our pains. We enter a refuge of bliss and peace, safe from the ravages of physical pain. Mediation helps us rise above discomfort. It lifts our attention to a higher level of consciousness so that we are calm and peaceful.
Meditation helps reduce emotional pain in several ways. By rising above the body, we see our lives from a clearer angle of vision. We begin to recognise the roots of our pains. Many people are not even aware of why they feel the way they do. By raising our consciousness, we become aware of the causes of our feelings.
In meditation, we come in contact with the source of all love. The current of light and sound is made of the same essence as our soul and the oversoul. That essence is love, consciousness, and bliss. As we come in contact with it, we experience divine love. We connect with the love of God latent within us. It is said, “God is love, the soul is love, and the way back to God is through love.” We may not have had love as a child and we may still be suffering from those wounds, but contact with godly love fills that hole with more love than we can ever imagine. We can get an idea of that love by reading about the near-death experiences that people had. They describe coming in the presence of a being of light, who radiated more love to them than they ever felt in their entire lives. The love was so profound and fulfilling, many did not want to return to their body. Yet, a near-death experience just touches the border of the higher regions. Those saints and religious founders, who travelled higher through meditation, have described in their writings the overwhelming love they experienced. St Catherine of Siena speaks of it as a mystic marriage with God. Mystics and saints from the East speak of the union with God as an eternal marriage with their beloved. Being drenched in that love fills the void in the heart. Thus, meditation can be an effective process for healing emotional pain.
The writer is a spiritual leader