meditation

Exercise combined with mindfulness best for mental health, researchers say

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A recent research review suggests that mindfulness combined with exercise may be best for improving mental wellness. Luis Herrera/Stocksy

  • Mental health is a critical component of well-being, and research is ongoing about how people can best support their mental wellness.
  • Data shows that practicing mindfulness and exercising regularly can benefit mental health.
  • Results from a recent review suggest that combining mindfulness with exercise may be most effective for improving psychological well-being.

The body and the mind impact each other, which means maintaining both physical and mental health is essential for a person’s overall well-being.

Researchers are still investigating the nuanced relationship between physical and mental health and interventions to help people optimize both.

A systematic review recently published in Mental Health and Physical Activity analyzed the results of 35 studies to look at the combined effects of mindfulness and exercise.

The results suggest that when combined, mindfulness and exercise might offer the most benefits for mental health.

However, more research is needed to understand the full effects of mindful exercise and what level of intervention is most effective.

How do mindfulness and exercise improve mental health?

EvidenceTrusted Source supports the idea that exercising can help improve mental health.

Exercising may help prevent mental illness and help people manage certain mental health conditions. For example, exercise offers certain benefitsTrusted Source for people who have anxiety or depression.

Practicing mindfulness may also have particular benefits for mental well-being.

Mindfulness is a broad term, and these days, a buzzword, but the practice is rooted in traditions that date back thousands of years.

Renowned meditation expert Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, defines mindfulness as “The awareness that emerges by way of paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.”

People can practice mindfulness using several methods, such as meditating or finding a specific time to focus on increasing their awareness.

EvidenceTrusted Source also supports the benefits of mindfulness for mental health. For example, mindfulness-based interventions may help with mental health conditions such as:

However, this does not mean practicing mindfulness will always be helpful for all individuals or populations. Some evidence even supports that mindfulness-based interventions could increase distress in some people, particularly those prone to anxiety.

How can mindfulness help with exercise?

Authors of the current review note that little research has focused on the combined intervention of exercise and mindfulness to improve mental well-being.

The authors used six databases to find clinical trials that met their inclusion criteria. They included studies written in English that were published in peer-reviewed journals and involved adult participants.

The study had to report longitudinal interventions for physical activity and mindfulness and have some component of mental well-being as an outcome.

Researchers excluded studies based on several components, such as when physical activity and mindfulness were not the primary interventions or when they could not determine if mindfulness teaching was part of the intervention.

The review ultimately included 35 trials in its analysis. There was great variation in the interventions and their intensity among the included trials. Some trials also included additional interventions.

Their analysis showed that combining physical activity with mindfulness training may improve psychological health.

They also found that in comparison to passive controls, combined physical activity and mindfulness training may help improve depression, anxiety, and stress.

However, the effect may be similar to physical activity intervention alone when considering active controls.

“Both physical activity and mindfulness practice have well established psychological benefits,” study author Masha Remskar, a behavioral scientist based at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, explained to Medical News Today.

“However, by reviewing existing research studies, our study is one of the first to show how the positive effects can be increased when the two are combined. Its findings suggest that mindfulness can help to unlock the benefits of exercise by ‘training up’ the psychological strengths required to exercise regularly (e.g., helping to motivate people to start in the first place whilst overcoming minor pain, discomfort, or feelings of failure when exercising gets hard).”

Non-study author Ryan Glatt, senior brain health coach and director of the FitBrain Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA, offered speculation as to the reasons why this combined intervention is particularly effective:

“There are likely various, and perhaps complex, mechanisms underlying the combined benefits of mindfulness and physical exercise. Many of the benefits between mindfulness and physical activity may overlap, such as potential improvements in biomarkers related to neuroinflammation, beneficial changes to regional brain activity, and improvements in mood states. It is also possible that there may be unique benefits from both mindfulness and physical activity, respectively.”

More research on the benefits of mindfulness and exercise needed

While promising, this review does have limitations. The sample sizes and nature of the studies indicate the need for more research in this area. Many of the studies analyzed included mostly female participants, which could mean the need for more balanced studies in the future.

All of the studies included in the review have at least some limitations, which is important to remember when researchers review such data.

Researchers also noted that it was difficult to determine what studies to include, meaning they could have excluded certain data that may have been helpful to include.

They also excluded studies that examined other mindfulness practices like yoga and tai chi when they couldn’t confirm that the intervention truly involved teaching mindfulness.

More research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of combining mindfulness with exercise and how these interventions can be most effective.

The group that conducted this review has received assistance from the Medito Foundation and will be assisting the Medito Foundation with developing components of a meditation app, which could introduce bias.

Remskar noted the following limitations to MNT:

“There is currently not enough evidence to determine which types and durations of exercise are most compatible with mindfulness, and how to best combine them for optimal effects (e.g., practicing them separately vs. together, delivered individually vs. in groups, offered digitally vs. in person). Our research group and others around the world are already conducting further research to get a better understanding of this promising combination.”

How to get started with mindfulness and exercise

The review points to the promising benefits of combining mindfulness and exercise.

People seeking to incorporate new exercise or mindfulness practices can do so in safe ways, consulting with professionals when appropriate.

Non-study author Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, noted to MNT:

“Both exercise and mindfulness separately have been shown to improve mental well-being, so it is no surprise that the combination of the two is effective. I often tell my patients, especially those with depression, to remember and care for their basic ‘animal needs,’ among these are always sleep, diet, exercise, meditation/mindfulness, time in nature, and time with friends and family.”

Dr. Dimitriu said that combining any of the aforementioned positive behaviors could improve mental health outcomes even more.

“For exercise, a personal trainer or coach may help, and for mindfulness, speaking to a therapist, attending a meditation workshop, or using an app may offer additional guidance and, in turn, benefit,” Dr. Dimitriu concluded.

Skip the Rx, Just Breathe: How Meditation Beats Medication

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Meditate Before You Have To Medicate

With side effect warnings so long they require magnifying glasses to read, could drugs be replaced by something much simpler and safer? Science shows just minutes of meditation may be all you need to skip the pharmacy and feel better fast.

Seldom will you find a pharmacy dispensing recommendations on meditation, although it is regular part of my counseling practice. I firmly believe that if we as a society become more mindful, we will not only reduce stress and chaos in our lives, we will make a tremendous impact on our health, reducing the need for medications.

Meditation is one of the most powerful tools for your health and wellbeing. Meditation is easy, free, feels great, comes with no drug interactions, has shown profound success in preventative medicine, as well as a perfect complement to any course of medical therapy.

Meditation can be as easy as breathing exercises, repeating an affirmation or mantra, even incorporating visualization techniques. Plus, with the convenience of smart phones you can download meditation apps to further guide you into a program that fits you best.

Meditation can be done in as few as five or ten minutes, or however long you would like. There is an old Zen saying, “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.”  Given the state of stress in our culture, there is something about this statement that is profoundly true.

If the history of yoga in the United States is a sign of where meditation is going, we are looking at a bright future for the health and wellness of our society. Think about it. Even though Hindu monks introduced yoga to the West in the late 19th century, it did not begin to gain steam until the late 60’s and 70’s. For many, it still seemed like it was too far out, something only hippies and the spiritual folk do, although social consciousness continues to evolve about yoga.

Now we are seeing a similar embracing of meditation as it is taking a mainstream role in people’s health, wellness, and as a stress reduction practice. What was once promoted by monks in robes and reluctantly accepted by the mass populace, meditation is gaining acceptance spurred by the promotion of scientists and practitioners in white lab coats as the body of scientific evidence on the health benefits of meditation continues to grow.

The military is experimenting with meditation to make soldiers more resilient, as well as helping with the treatment and management of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and related issues such as substance abuse.

Corporate America has begun incorporating meditation into wellness programs, such as General Mills creating meditation rooms in their corporate offices. Google has begun their own in-house mindfulness program called “Search Inside Yourself” and has created a labyrinth for employees to practice walking mediation.

Meditation is witnessing thought without judgment. Meditation is about finding silence, stepping back from being lost in random, incessant thoughts which waste our time, creativity, mood, and energy. When you give yourself the chance to step back, you familiarize yourself with the present moment, also known as mindfulness, not re-living the past or worrying about the future.

Research has shown that we have over 50,000 thoughts a day.  A Harvard study has shown that the average person is lost in random thought about 47% of the time. Essentially we have become a society of chaotic, thought factories.

Much of the growth of meditation and mindfulness practice is based on stress reduction, and for good reason. In our over-connected lifestyle and culture of chaos where technology has practically built a wall separating ourselves from peace of mind, meditation has proven to calm the mind of over incessant chatter, the worrying about tomorrow while reliving the past.

The benefits do not stop at a calmer, more peaceful mind and stress reduction. Meditation has benefits in a number of areas of health, including:

• Reduce blood pressure 
• Reduce cortisol levels
• Reduce pain
• Enhance the body’s immune system
• Reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, fear, anger and confusion
• Increase blood flow and slow heart rate
• Help reverse heart disease
• Increase energy
• Enhance memory and prevent cognitive decline
• Reduction of crime in areas where people regularly practice

… all with a profound impact on medical costs.

There have been numerous studies of the financial benefits of meditation including: 28% cumulative decrease in physician fees, 55% less medical care utilization with lower sickness rates, including 87% less hospitalization for heart disease and 55% less for cancer.

Having been practiced for thousands of years, meditation continues to evolve. One of the leaders in the field of meditation is Jon Kabat-Zinn.  He has been teaching a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program which has been used in major University studies since the late 1970’s at the University of Massachusetts. He and his colleagues have been leading the way in the integration of meditation in mainstream medicine and healthcare.

A new mindfulness based intervention has been created and implemented by Eric L Garland Ph.D to help patients manage pain as well as reduce chances of pain medication abuse. Called, “Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement,” this program is designed to train people to respond differently to pain, stress and opioid (painkiller)-related cues, resulting in a 63 percent reduction in opioid misuse, as well as a 22 percent reduction in pain-related impairment.

Whether you are looking for meditation to maintain or improve your heath, or just feel better, there are a ton of options which make it ever so easier. What many might call a double-edged sword, smart phone apps have literally put guided meditation and assistance at your fingertips.

A Yoga Nidra Meditation Through the Koshas

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Dive more deeply into your subtle body with a yoga nidra practice for the koshas.

According to yogic anatomy (the view of the world that brought us the chakra system), there are five layers of the body and the soul. They are called koshas.

The koshas are interconnected and intimately support one another, and every person has all five koshas within them. One of the best ways to get to know and experience the koshas is through a yoga nidra meditation, which guides us to identify, feel, and relax each part of our body. By bringing attention to each kosha, you can gain a better understanding of how your body and your mind are linked, according to this particular worldview, and gain a better understanding of your own soul.

In order from most physical to most etheric and spiritual, the koshas are:

  • Annamaya kosha (the physical layer)
  • Pranamaya kosha (the breath layer)
  • Manomaya kosha (the mind/belief/emotion layer)
  • Vijnanamaya kosha (the higher mind/wisdom/intuition layer)
  • Anandamaya kosha (the bliss/higher consciousness layer)

Annamaya Kosha (the Physical Layer)

The outermost of the koshas is the annamaya kosha, or the physical layer. This includes the entire physical body, including the skin, bones, and blood. Some might believe that the needs of the physical body must be bypassed or ignored in order to experience the soul but, in truth, the physical body is the gateway to entering deeper realms of the mind and heart. Pay homage to this kosha and access deeper layers through eating healthy foods and taking in plenty of water, rest, and relaxation.

Pranamaya Kosha (the Breath Layer)

The pranamaya kosha is named for the Sanskrit word prana, which refers to the lifeforce we receive through excellent food and, primarily, clean, fresh air. This kosha is strengthened through healthy breathing practices such as nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) or dirga pranayama (three-part breath). Many of us take breath for granted—until it’s obstructed. Therefore, keep the nostril passages open and clear through use of a neti pot and/or nasya oil, and get plenty of exercise to keep the lungs strong and healthy.

Manomaya Kosha (the Mind/Belief/Emotion Layer)

Now we enter the layer of the mind, where our imagination and ideas hold the key to unlocking yet deeper layers. This kosha is engaged in acts of creative thinking and active imagination. You strengthen this kosha when you pay attention to the thoughts and beliefs that underlie your actions, as well as when you treat your emotions as messengers and honored guests rather than enemies to be vanquished.

Vijnanamaya Kosha (the Higher Mind/Wisdom/Intuition Layer)

The magic of this layer is revealed when we invest in self-inquiry. The Sanskrit practice called neti, neti (not this, not that) refers to the activity of taking a metaphorical fine-tooth comb through the contents of the mind, ultimately ridding oneself of what no longer serves or benefits. To support this kosha, read books and spiritual texts that stimulate, challenge, and move you to deeper thought. While wisdom cannot be bought, sold, or pretended at, you can engage in practices that awaken your own inner wisdom and surround yourself with people who do the same. Practice trusting your intuition in small ways so that your relationship with it deepens over time.

Anandamaya Kosha (the Bliss/Higher Consciousness Layer)

This kosha is nearest to the soul and as such, is closest to our core essence. This is the home of our innate self, giving rise to a state of being, knowing, and resting in our essential nature. It is experienced only when all the other koshas are relaxed, content, and open.

Below is a 20-minute guided audio meditation to help you bring awareness to each kosha through a practice of deep relaxation called yoga nidra.

How to Use Mindfulness for Pain Relief

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A mindfulness research pioneer offers his wisdom (and a guided meditation) on utilizing simple mindfulness techniques to help manage and relieve chronic pain.

Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness both as a formal meditation practice and as a way of being in wise relationship with your experience as life is unfolding moment by moment by moment involves committing as best you can to being awake and aware in each moment. It is veritably an ongoing adventure in discovery. Here, you are invited to dip your toe into the practice of mindfulness by paying attention in a way that may be relatively new to you.

To begin, you might take a moment to observe your relationship with your own mind and body right in this moment, and perhaps your pain as well if it is present to any degree at all within the interior landscape in this moment. What is it like to drop into this moment as it is—however it is—with full awareness of your experience?

You can either close your eyes for this or keep them open, as you choose. One thing you will discover right away is that there is plenty going on, both inwardly and outwardly. Can you notice the universe of sensations in the body, for example, as well as any sense of inner silence or wakefulness that may or may not be present in this moment?

Can you take in the sounds from your surroundings, whatever they are, that are making their way to your ears in this moment: sounds from the room you are in, from the outside, from nature? Experiment with attending to them for a moment or two just as sounds, without naming them or wondering about their source. Not just listening but actually hearing sounds and perhaps even the spaces between them.

Next, turn your attention to the air around your body—the air that is bringing any sounds to your ears, the same air that you are breathing. . . . How vivid is the sensing, the experiencing of the air on the skin and around the body, right in this moment? Now see if you can intentionally shift the focus of your attention to the fact that, right in this moment, you are breathing…

Notice how the air comes into your body effortlessly, with this and every in-breath, and how, effortlessly, it leaves the body with this and every out-breath, all by itself. We are actually being breathed more than we are breathing, since it is ongoing day and night without our intentional involvement. Seeing if you can just feel the breath sensations in your body, whatever they are, wherever they are, with each in-breath and each out-breath.

Experiment if you like with “riding” on the waves of each in-breath and each out-breath with full awareness, moment by moment and breath by breath. . . . Where are you feeling the breath sensations most vividly in your body? Is it at the nostrils? In the chest? In the belly? Just noticing how it feels to attend in this way moment by moment and breath by breath. You can experiment with feeling the breath in the body for as long as you like, and as often as you like. The more you do it, the more at home you become in your body and the easier it gets to comfortably connect with and befriend the breath sensations in your body. They are here all the time. They are your friends, your allies. You can even savor them. Now try sensing the entirety of your body in awareness…

Be aware of the body as a whole, whether you are sitting or lying down or standing. Noticing that breathing is flowing in and out, and that you are experiencing it through awareness of the sensations in the body that arise from breathing. See if this awareness is available to you without any sense of forcing anything, just by noticing… Seeing if you can take up residency in awareness itself…

As you engage in this way, see if you can single out one place or region in your body that is not hurting at all in this moment. Is there such a place?

If so, see if you can be aware of how it feels not to have pain in that particular region. Take a few deep breaths in and out as you rest in this discovery, perhaps a newfound if only momentary realization, but a significant one. And if nothing of note arises, then that in itself is noteworthy, and not to be judged as either “good” or “bad.”

Now, as gently and as lovingly as you can, seeing if you can bring into awareness any place in the body that is hurting right now. For the briefest of moments and with the lightest of touches, see if you can turn your attention toward that place and the intensity of the sensations there with even the tiniest bit of openness. Just taking a peek, dipping a toe in the water of that pain or discomfort for just the briefest of moments. Then pull it out again. What was that like?

If you were able to bring awareness to any aspect of your experience for even the briefest of moments and simply feel it, then you are already well on your way to developing a new and potentially healing relationship with your pain and, more importantly, with your own mind and body.

Even if you found that brief experiment to be challenging, frustrating, or not at all reassuring, through the systematic but gentle practice of paying attention in this way on a regular basis, it is possible to discover, develop, and deepen an innate ability to be in wiser relationship with discomfort, pain, and suffering, and perhaps at times, even differentiate each one from the others. With that glimpse of insight comes the freedom to live your life with greater ease, even in the presence of significant discomfort.

Better Mental Health in ’24? Try Mindfulness + Exercise

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News Picture: Better Mental Health in '24? Try Mindfulness + ExerciseBy Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Jan. 5, 2024

Combining mindfulness with exercise could be the key to managing stress during a potentially turbulent 2024, a new review argues.

People who exercise and practice mindfulness meditation together tend to have less worry, stress, anxiety and depression than those who only engage in either activity, according to results from 35 studies involving more than 2,200 people.

Mindfulness meditation — in which people focus on being in the moment — can help people better embrace exercise by providing them motivation and helping them look past the temporary discomfort that comes with working out, said lead researcher Masha Remskar, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Bath in England.

“Mindfulness is an approach that can help us ‘train up’ the psychological strengths we need to exercise and be more in tune with our bodies, as well as make exercising more interesting and help us recognize its benefits,” Remskar said in a university news release.

“This may be because becoming more mindful prompts us to think differently about our lifestyle, [and] makes us more accepting and less judgmental of our own shortcomings, which can help to build healthy habits,” she added. “There is a huge potential to use mindfulness to unlock the positive benefits exercise can bring.”

Exercise and mindfulness have been linked separately to improved mental health, but this is one of the first major reviews to show how benefits might be increased when the two are combined, the researchers said.

For the evidence review, Remskar and her colleagues scoured research journals for prior studies that combined physical activity and mindfulness meditation as a means of improving well-being.

The combination effectively reduced depression, anxiety and stress in participants compared with control groups who did neither meditation or exercise, and also showed promise compared to groups asked to solely work out or meditate, the review found.

Based on the results, Remskar’s team has worked with the non-profit Medito Foundation to create a free mindfulness audio course aimed at helping people get into the habit of exercise.

Later this year, they plan to release a second guide focused on sustaining an exercise habit.

“Mindfulness mobile apps are a great way to boost our mental well-being,” said Steven Yorke, co-founder of Medito.

“Unfortunately, all too often companies put up paywalls, making the benefits of mindfulness inaccessible to some,” Yorke noted. “At Medito, we believe that meditation and mindfulness should be available free of charge, to anyone, forever. This is why our mindfulness app, Medito, is and always will be free.”

The researchers also are planning their own large clinical trial to further explore the combination of mindfulness and exercise.

Remarkable Effects of Meditation on Chronic Diseases

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(Vitstudio/Shutterstock)

Rooted in many ancient religious traditions dating back thousands of years, meditation has been increasingly used in our modern world to reduce stress and improve our quality of life.

In addition to stress reduction, meditation brings many incredible benefits to us in unimaginable ways. But how do we meditate? What’s the optimal duration and best postures? What should you be thinking about during meditation? These questions will be answered by both western and eastern medical experts in our series of articles.

Psychiatric nurse practitioner Deborah Collins-Perrica recently shared a story with The Epoch Times regarding the miraculous benefits of meditation seen in her practice.

Her former patient, a combat pilot in the U.S. Air Force, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In his previous consultations with multiple neurologists, he was told that his progressive disease would eventually paralyze him.

Collins-Perrica decided to teach him to meditate, specifically using the sitting exercise of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). He began with the easiest pose, slowly increasing his ability to sit for a much longer period of time. Eventually, his meditation practice advanced to an entire hour while sitting in the full lotus position.

Fast forward several years and he is now full of energy, happy, and working full time. His neurologists have been surprised by his progress and told him, “We have no scientific explanation for what’s happening to you.” According to Collins-Perrica, “That practice completely changed everything for him.”

Meditation has the potential to heal or improve chronic disease symptoms, including those related to cancer, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. It may even help patients live longer with a better quality of life.

How Meditation Affects Chronic Disease

Lengthens Telomeres on Our DNA

Telomeres are the cap-like segments of DNA found at the end of our chromosomes that maintain chromosome integrity and control the cell division cycle. Whenever a cell divides, telomeres become slightly shortened, and they can no longer multiply or repair body tissues. When they reach a specific threshold, the cells initiate apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

Telomere length becomes shorter as we age, and this shortening process has been linked to risks for chronic diseases such as cancer.

Studies have shown that people with longer telomeres may actually live longer and healthier lives. 

A Canadian study published in the journal Cancer, found that meditation may lengthen telomeres and possibly prolong lifespan by reducing stress and providing emotional support.

Stress Reduction

Sunjya Schweig, MD, an expert in complex chronic illnesses, told The Epoch Times, “Many people with chronic illnesses have significant added stress due to their illness and (in a vicious cycle) stress can make their illness worse.”

In one study, 90 patients with various types of cancer were assigned either to a meditation group or a waitlist group. The meditation group underwent a weekly meditation session of 1.5 hours for seven weeks and practiced meditation at home. Compared to the waitlist group, the meditation group experienced reductions in stress, depression, anxiety, anger, confusion, and experienced fewer symptoms overall. The group reported a 65 percent reduction in mood disturbance and a 31 percent reduction in symptoms related to stress.

Immunity Boost

Patients suffering from chronic illness often have a weakened immune system. Meditation has been shown to increase immunity through the production of antibodies and other immune cells.

Research shows that meditation can enhance telomerase activity, significantly reduce inflammation, and increase the number of CD4 cells, which are the helper cells of the immune system responsible for sending signals to other immune cells to eliminate infections.

A study from India found that meditation can reduce interleukin-6 (a type of cytokine that plays a key role in the inflammatory response), C-reactive protein (a protein that is produced by the liver in response to inflammation), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (a protein that plays a key role in the body’s immune response to infections and inflammation).

Circulation Improvement

Naiwen Hu, an internationally renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor, said that when meditating in the full lotus position, our legs will be bent and crossed, so the peripheral circulation of our feet is not good. However, after meditation, once the legs are no longer crossed, the blood will instantly flush through the veins, which can help open the blockages in the lower body.

By jump-starting your blood flow, oxygen can freely flow to your cells and organs such as the heart and brain, improving symptoms associated with chronic disease.

Improvement of Chronic Disease Symptoms

Numerous studies have found that meditation can improve symptoms of numerous chronic diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and long COVID. 

May Extend Lifespan of Cancer Patients

Although there’s no clinical evidence to show that meditation can actually cure cancer, its myriad of benefits, including stress reduction and energy boost, may enhance and prolong the life of a cancer patient.

In the Canadian study previously mentioned, 88 breast cancer survivors were randomly assigned into three groups, including a meditation group, a supportive therapy group, and a group that did not participate in meditation or supportive therapy. The meditation group participants attended eight weekly 90-minute meditation sessions, while the therapy group participants met for 12 weeks, 90 minutes per week. 

The study researchers later discovered that participants’ telomere lengths in the meditation and therapy support groups had been maintained, whereas the telomere lengths of the third group, those who did not participate in meditation or support therapy, had become shorter. 

Since telomere length has been associated with lifespan, the cancer survivors who participated in meditation and support therapy may have extended their lifespan.

Improves Autoimmune Disease Symptoms

While Dr. Collins-Perrica presented anecdotal evidence of how meditation helped her patient recover from multiple sclerosis, numerous research studies have demonstrated the effects of meditation on improving the symptoms of various autoimmune diseases.

A study of 37 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis underwent phototherapy or photochemotherapy, which involved ultraviolet light therapy to treat their psoriasis. Some of the patients also participated in meditation while receiving ultraviolet light therapy, while others did not.

The researchers discovered that meditation significantly increased the psoriatic lesion resolution for patients who performed meditation. The patients in the meditation group reached their psoriasis-clearing point after 35 days, which was 16 days earlier than those without meditation.

An eight-week pilot study found that a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program  improved disease activity and reduced medication requirements for patients with autoimmune hepatitis disease for one year, with 35 percent of patients experiencing a median reduction in the level of their serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT). ALT is an enzyme in the liver that is released into the bloodstream when liver cells are damaged. Furthermore, 71 percent of the participants had significant immunosuppressant dose reductions.

Another autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common type of lupus, can affect multiple organs. In a 2021 study, 26 SLE patients were randomly assigned to an MBSR or a non-meditation group. After the completion of the MBSR course, this group showed greater improvements in their quality of life and SLE symptoms, compared to the non-meditation group.

The researchers concluded that meditation had “significant therapeutic potential” for SLE patients.

Additionally, in a review of 21 studies on the effects of meditation on autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and SLE, the researchers found a correlation between psychological functioning affected by meditation and biomarker changes. They stated that mindfulness-based interventions may have a positive impact on patient outcomes and could be used in combination with pharmacotherapy in treating autoimmune diseases.

Reduces Cardiovascular Disease Risk

By using data from the National Health Interview Survey, a 2020 study found that meditation is associated with a lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and disease.

In another study, 201 black male and female participants with coronary heart disease were randomly assigned to either a meditation group or a health education group. For participants in the first group, meditation was added to their usual care. 

During 5.4 years of follow-up, compared to the second group, the meditation group participants had a 48 percent reduction in heart attack, stroke, and all-cause mortality. They also had a 24 percent risk reduction for cardiovascular death and hospitalization. 

One major cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, is caused by plaque buildup in coronary arteries. 

A study conducted in India published in the International Journal of Yoga, 60 participants with coronary artery disease were randomly assigned to a meditation group and a non-meditation group. After six months, the researchers saw a significant decrease in the meditation group’s blood sugar levels, whereas the non-meditation group had a significant increase in fasting serum insulin levels compared to their respective levels six months earlier.

Elevations in blood sugar have been associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease. Certain types of meditation, such as MBSR, have been found to have the potential to significantly lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Based on current research, the American Heart Association considers meditation beneficial to heart health and recommends it as an adjunct to guideline-directed cardiovascular risk reduction.

Improves Long COVID Symptoms

Meditation has also been used to treat COVID symptoms during the pandemic and has been shown to be effective in improving long COVID. 

In a recently published study, 34 patients suffering from long COVID were randomly assigned into a meditation group and a non-meditation group. The meditation group participated in 10 sessions of 30-minute meditation over the course of five weeks.

After the completion of the meditation program, the participants in the meditation group showed improvement in physical and mental fatigue, muscle pain, depression, and mood disturbances. The researchers concluded that meditation could be useful in combating these symptoms in long COVID patients.

In addition, a review found that meditation can bring many health benefits to patients with long COVID, including decreasing symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, pain, cognitive impairment, and motor performance issues. The authors concluded that meditation may have achieved this by maintaining immunological homeostasis and modulating the sympathetic nervous system.

Improves Diabetes Symptoms

Meditation is recommended by medical authorities to improve diabetes symptoms and reduce medications. 

A recently published review and meta-analysis concluded that mind and body practices such as meditation could improve glycemic control among patients with Type 2 diabetes, with a clinically significant reduction in glycated hemoglobin and fasting blood glucose. The mind-body practices were found to be almost as effective as diabetic drugs, and the authors concluded that they could be used as complementary non-pharmacological treatment methods for diabetes, although they shouldn’t replace diabetes medications.

According to another systematic review involving diabetic patients, meditation practices have been associated with significant improvements in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, blood sugar levels, body weight, waist circumference, and high-density lipoprotein.

In a South Korean study, 48 patients with Type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension were randomly assigned to a meditation group and a health education group. After eight weeks, compared to the health education group, the meditation group’s “bad” low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels had been significantly reduced. 

The researchers suggested that meditation could be used as a long-term complementary treatment method for diabetes.

Helps Manage Chronic Pain 

In a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, 15 volunteers who participated in four days of meditation in the presence of noxious stimulation reported a 57 percent reduction in their pain unpleasantness, and a 40 percent reduction in pain intensity.

In another study, 48 participants with chronic low back pain, who were all female, were randomly assigned into an MBSR group and a non-meditation group, while both groups continued with their usual medical care. After undergoing eight sessions of meditation, the meditation-assigned group reported considerably lower pain than the control group.

Meditation has also been found to be an effective treatment for chronic pain disorders, such as fibromyalgia.

 Benefits Other Chronic Diseases

Patients with chronic gut issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome, or mental illness can also use meditation to help treat their conditions. 

By creating a healthier environment, we open up greater pathways to healing, like protecting telomere length, reducing cardiac events, and reducing chronic pain. Stress only exacerbates our symptoms for all diseases, and when that happens, our health will deteriorate more quickly. Meditation is a powerful mechanism for preventing or improving all chronic disease.

Follow a Motionless Approach to Slow Cell Aging, Enhance Immunity

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(Shutterstock)

The earliest records of meditation can be traced back to ancient India. Meditation has become increasingly popular in the West in modern times. Many studies have shown that meditation is good for immunity, the brain, and sleep.

According to the 2018 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) briefing (pdf) published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2017, 14.2 percent of American adults had practiced meditation in the past 12 months.

Sitting still and trying to unlock one’s mind for essential bliss and clarity is one way to practice meditation, which aims to balance the body and mind and improve self-cultivation.

Although the body appears motionless in meditation, enormous changes are undergoing in the genes.

Enhances Body Immunity

A large-scale genome study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2021 proved that meditation enhanced immune function without activating inflammatory signals.

Over 100 volunteers participated in the experiment for an eight-day meditation practice, and the researchers collected blood samples from them at four different time points for analysis. The samples were collected five to eight weeks before meditation, on the day of preparing to start meditation, immediately after completion, and three months after participating in the experiment.

The research analysis found that after meditation, 220 genes directly related to the immune response in the human body (including 68 genes related to interferon signaling), were regulated upward, while the expression of inflammatory genes did not change significantly. This immune response network is significantly dysregulated in patients with multiple sclerosis and severe COVID-19. The findings suggest that meditation can improve the immune response, potentially treating a variety of diseases associated with excessive or persistent inflammation.

Changes the Brain, Reducing the Cognitive Decline of Aging

According to a 2006 review of studies published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, neuroimaging studies showed increased zonal cerebral blood flow during meditation. Meditation showed changes in the brain’s anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal areas.

A 2008 study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience found that areas of the brain that are normally activated during meditation showed higher concentrations of gray matter. This study compared the MRI brain images of 20 mindfulness meditators (over eight and a half years of practice on average, two hours a day) and nonmeditators. The results showed that for the meditators, the right anterior insula, left inferior temporal gyrus, and right hippocampus had a higher concentration of gray matter.

In 2005, the journal NeuroReport by the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston published a study that showed that, compared with a matched control group, participants with extensive meditation experience had areas inside their brains associated with attention, interoception, and sensory processing that were significantly higher in zonal cortices. This was particularly thicker in the prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula. The differences in prefrontal cortex thickness were most pronounced among the different groups of older participants, suggesting that meditation may counteract age-related cortical thinning.

Additionally, a 2014 review of studies published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences noted preliminary evidence that meditation can counteract age-related cognitive decline.

Slows Down Cell Aging

In a study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology in 2011, about 30 participants who practiced meditation six hours a day for three months had their activity of telomerase in cells in the body significantly higher than that of the control group. When the activity of telomerase is very high, it can maintain the length of telomeres at the ends of chromosomes, protect the chromosomes, and delay the aging of cells. Chronic psychological stress can reduce telomerase activity, and studies have shown that after meditation, participants’ positive mindfulness and desire for life increased, and negative emotions decreased, which promoted an increase in telomerase activity.

Lowers Blood Pressure

A review study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension in 2015 analyzed the results of 12 studies involving nearly 1,000 participants. The results of the study showed that compared with the control group, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by about 4.26 mmHg and 2.33 mmHg, respectively, in the meditation group. The effect is even more obvious in older participants, people with higher blood pressure pre-study, and female participants.

Improves Sleep

A 2014 study published in the journal Sleep was performed on participants having their objective sleep data measured by laboratory sleep tests and wrist sleep recorders over eight weeks. The results of the study showed that the people who received the meditation intervention were better than the self-monitoring group as the control in terms of total waking time and insomnia severity index. The study concluded that meditation appears to be a viable treatment option for adults with chronic insomnia, as an alternative to traditional insomnia treatments.

How to Try Meditation

Different meditation sects have different ways of sitting cross-legged. Most of the single-cross sitting methods have the man pull his left foot up and put it on top of the bent right leg. For the double-crossed sitting method, it starts first with this, then the right foot lifts up to rest on the bent left thigh. Women’s sitting posture is just the opposite of men’s.

Hu Naiwen, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner at Taiwan’s Tongdetang National Medicine in Shanghai, mentioned in an article in the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times that meditation can improve blood circulation. Some people say that sitting cross-legged is rather painful and difficult to perform. It is true that when you start to learn to sit cross-legged, you might feel pain, but it will gradually disappear over time.

When meditating cross-legged, once both feet become numb, they are in a low blood flow state, and the subsequent relaxation can improve peripheral nerve pain, reduce neuropathy, and is effective in enhancing the blood circulation of the entire lower limbs. You can try to maintain this position for 10 minutes in the beginning, and gradually increase it to 15, 20, and 30 minutes. Never think, “I can’t do it.” This is an obstacle that prevents you from doing so.

Do you need to use abdominal breathing in meditation? Hu said that there are no strict rules on this aspect when meditating, so whether you do it or not is not critical.

Meditate to Accumulate Energy

Hu pointed out that when crossing the legs, the blood stays in the blocked place, and the blocked place will accumulate a lot of energy. He also mentioned that the human body contains 12 main meridians, plus another eight extra meridians.

According to TCM, there are 12 main meridians in the human body corresponding to the 12 viscera. All internal organs make contact with the body’s surface through these meridians. There are special points along the meridians called acupoints, which are mainly nerve endings and areas where blood vessels are more abundant.

In the theory of TCM, the meridian is the energy channel of the human body, which is responsible for transporting qi and blood around the whole body. They are the basic substances that constitute the human body and maintain all physiological activities. The qi and blood in the 12 meridians circulate and flow according to the 12 hours (one hour is equivalent to two clock hours) in a day.

Hu said that the eight other meridians also have a similar circulation of qi and blood. The eight other meridians are Ren, Du, Chong, Dai, Yangjiao, Yinjiao, Yangwei, and Yinwei. These eight meridians also have eight corresponding acupoints on the hands and feet. They are the Neiguan, Gongsun, Waiguan, Linqi, Lieque, Zhaohai, Houxi, and Shenmai.

Epoch Times Photo
(The Epoch Times)
Epoch Times Photo
(The Epoch Times)
Epoch Times Photo
(The Epoch Times)
Epoch Times Photo
(The Epoch Times)

When meditating, once the hands are placed on the legs in their cross-legged position and the armpits are slightly open, you will find that the left Gongsun and the right Neiguan form a straight line, and the left Lieque and the right Zhaohai also form a straight line.

Hu said that the ancients may have discovered such a posture of meditation can make the eight extra meridians communicate with each other. If you often meditate like this, over time, the eight extra meridians can be well connected, and the subsequent changes that will occur are immeasurable.

Ultimate Goal of Meditation

The benefits of meditation to the body and mind are becoming increasingly recognized, but when it comes to how deep mindfulness works during the process, there is still some mystery. What is the ultimate goal of meditation then?

The origin of meditation tells us it was not discovered by those who pursued health but was passed down by ancient practitioners.

Hu mentioned that in ancient China, there was a tradition of “cultivating Buddhism” and “cultivating Taoism” among the people, and they all had the habit of meditating. Lao Tzu and Bodhidharma are famous examples. Confucianism has its meditation methods, too. You can find in ancient books the phrase “dress neatly and sit upright.” Dressing in neat clothes is called “in neat lapel,” which is a sign of respect, and sitting upright means “sitting attentively,” which is a sign of being respectful and focused. This is a way of sitting quietly and undisturbed as advocated by Confucianism.

Hu said that those who are truly on the road of self-cultivation should not only focus on body movements such as how to sit during meditation, but also pay attention to cultivating their minds.

Whether you are pursuing good health or seeking the path of spirituality, you can start with meditation. It is easier to follow this path with guidance from a therapist or fellow practitioners.

The Healing Power of Meditation Against 5 Mental Illnesses, Including Depression

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Meditation can improve mental health in more ways than you think

(Microgen/Shutterstock)

Over 50 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some time in their life. Fortunately, there is an effective, safe, and inexpensive way to improve mental health: meditation.

Susan Gentile, a nurse practitioner from New Jersey, highly recommends meditation as a therapy for people suffering from substance abuse and mental issues.

A patient of hers in his mid-30s used to be depressed and addicted to alcohol. After two years, he sought treatment and was advised to start practicing meditation. To Gentile’s surprise, positive effects started to appear within the first two weeks. After that, whenever the patient had the urge to drink, he started to meditate and would feel very calm. Meditation became his favorite therapy.

Meditation can improve our mental health in different ways. It improves psychological health, increases life satisfaction and vitality, and regulates emotions.

Is Meditation Good for Depression?

A study published in JAMA Psychiatry discovered that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, of which meditation is a component, could achieve a 73 percent decrease in depressive relapse than placebo among depression patients in remission.

The neurotransmitter serotonin is a major mood regulator in our bodies, and its deficiency can lead to depression. According to a study, the level of serotonin metabolites in the meditators’ urine samples increased after meditation, and the meditators had a sustained serotonin level well above that of those who didn’t meditate.

Meditation’s beneficial effects on depression symptoms may also be attributed to its ability to alter certain brain regions linked to depression. For example, the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala work together to cause depression, but meditation can break the connection between these two brain regions.

Furthermore, a review examined 47 trials and discovered that meditation had a small to moderate effect on improving depression, anxiety, and physical pain.

Another systematic review examined 18 studies and found that meditation helped reduce symptoms of depression for patients suffering from clinical depressive disorders.

Can Meditation Reduce Anxiety?

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on transcendental meditation examined 16 studies and discovered that meditation could reduce anxiety, and the greatest effect was achieved with those with the highest levels of anxiety.

Another meta-analysis showed that meditation is associated with decreased symptoms of anxiety.

According to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who participated in a Mindful-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program had significantly more reduction in anxiety than those who participated in a stress-management education program.

Practicing meditation can also improve insomnia, which may increase anxiety. In one study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine, participants who practiced meditation for six weeks, two hours per week, experienced fewer insomnia symptoms or daytime fatigue than those in the control group. Another journal article in Sleep suggests that meditation can be a treatment option for people suffering from chronic insomnia.

How Meditation Helps Fight Other Mental Diseases

Bipolar disorder

Meditation has been proven to be effective at neutralizing bipolar disorder, which is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings with emotional highs and lows. It may cause impairments in cognition.

According to one study, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy may be a bipolar disorder treatment option as an adjunct to medication, as it can improve patients’ cognitive functioning and memory.

The exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown, and there’s some evidence that the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain—like serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine—can be a cause. As aforementioned, meditation can increase serotonin levels. It can also help release more endorphins and increase dopamine release by 65 percent.

Furthermore, meditators have thicker brain regions—the prefrontal cortex—associated with attention and sensory processing. In one postmortem study, reductions in neuronal and glial density of the prefrontal cortex were found in bipolar disorder patients.

Posttraumatic stress disorder

A patient with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been directly or indirectly affected by a traumatic event. It is a debilitating mental disorder affecting 7 to 8 percent of American adults, including many military veterans.

According to a study published in the journal Military Medicine, transcendental meditation can help military personnel suffering from PTSD improve their symptoms. And after one month of practicing meditation, 83.7 percent of the participants reduced or even eliminated their use of psychotropic medications to treat PTSD. Among the study participants who didn’t meditate, only 59.4 percent reduced or stopped their prescriptions, and 40.5 percent of them even increased their use of psychotropic medications.

Epoch Times Photo
The impact of meditation on two groups of participants. (The Epoch Times)

Schizophrenia

Research has shown that meditation can help with schizophrenia. A study shows meditation leads to better psychosocial functioning and improved symptoms in schizophrenic patients.

Specifically, five patients with a history of severe schizophrenia for over two decades experienced significantly reduced hallucination and delusion symptoms after eight months of meditation practice.

The researchers also proposed several mechanisms for the meditation’s beneficial effects, including brain oscillation changes that can lead to better brain network integration and reduced abnormal brain activities.

How Meditation Reduces Stress Level

Psychological stress can cause the level of the “stress hormone” cortisol to increase, which can lead to increased activation of inflammatory cytokines over time.

According to a study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, an MBSR program was more effective at reducing the inflammatory response caused by stress than a well-matched control condition, in which the participants trained in an active control intervention to promote well-being.

In another study, MBSR program participants with generalized anxiety disorder increased their reductions in stress markers.

Researchers at Cleveland Clinic conducted a study among people who worked in a busy environment. After using a web-based stress management program mainly based on mindfulness meditation for a year, participants’ stress levels were reduced by 31 percent.

Even short meditation sessions can help individuals cope with stress. In one study, participants were divided into either a meditation group or a poetry study group. They completed a social-evaluative stress challenge task after three days of 75-minute meditation and poetry study sessions. As it turned out, the meditation group reported feeling less psychological stress.

Meditation and Mindfulness May Be as Effective as Medication for Treating Certain Conditions

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People of any age or walk of life can access and benefit from meditation.(Tatomm/iStock)

People of any age or walk of life can access and benefit from meditation.

Many people look to diet trends or new exercise regimens – often with questionable benefit – to get a healthier start on the new year. But there is one strategy that’s been shown time and again to boost both mood and health: meditation.

In late 2022, a high-profile study made a splash when it claimed that meditation may work as well as a common drug named Lexapro for the treatment of anxiety. Over the past couple of decades, similar evidence has emerged about mindfulness and meditation’s broad array of health benefits, for purposes ranging from stress and pain reduction to depression treatments to boosting brain health and helping to manage excessive inflammation and long COVID-19.

Despite the mounting body of evidence showing the health benefits of meditation, it can be hard to weigh the science and to know how robust it is.

I am a neuroscientist studying the effects of stress and trauma on brain development in children and adolescents. I also study how mindfulness, meditation and exercise can positively affect brain development and mental health in youth.

I am very excited about how meditation can be used as a tool to provide powerful new insights into the ways the mind and brain work, and to fundamentally change a person’s outlook on life. And as a mental health researcher, I see the promise of meditation as a low- or no-cost, evidence-based tool to improve health that can be relatively easily integrated into daily life.

Meditation requires some training, discipline and practice – which are not always easy to come by. But with some specific tools and strategies, it can be accessible to everyone.

What are Mindfulness and Meditation?

There are many different types of meditation, and mindfulness is one of the most common. Fundamentally, mindfulness is a mental state that, according to Jon Kabat-Zinn a renowned expert in mindfulness-based practices, involves “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”

This means not ruminating about something that happened in the past or worrying about that to-do list. Being focused on the present, or living in the moment, has been shown to have a broad array of benefits, including elevating mood, reducing anxiety, lessening pain and potentially improving cognitive performance.

Mindfulness is a skill that can be practiced and cultivated over time. The goal is that, with repetition, the benefits of practicing mindfulness carry over into everyday life – when you aren’t actively meditating. For example, if you learn that you aren’t defined by an emotion that arises transiently, like anger, then it may be harder to stay angry for long.

The health benefits of meditation and other strategies aimed at stress reduction are thought to stem from increasing levels of overall mindfulness through practice. Elements of mindfulness are also present in practices like yoga, martial arts and dance that require focusing attention and discipline.

The vast body of evidence supporting the health benefits of meditation is too expansive to cover exhaustively. But the studies I reference below represent some of the top tier, or the highest-quality and most rigorous summaries of scientific data on the topic to date. Many of these include systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which synthesize many studies on a given topic.

Stress and Mental Health

Mindfulness-based programs have been shown to significantly reduce stress in a variety of populations, ranging from caregivers of people living with dementia to children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meta-analyses published during the pandemic show that mindfulness programs are effective for reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and depression – including the particularly vulnerable time during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/24W0vCqc0QE?wmode=transparent&wmode=opaque In addition to improving mood and lowering stress, mindfulness has been shown to elevate cognitive performance, cut down on mind wandering and distractibility and increase emotional intelligence.

Mindfulness-based programs also show promise as a treatment option for anxiety disorders, which are the most common mental disorders, affecting an estimated 301 million people globally. While effective treatments for anxiety exist, many patients do not have access to them because they lack insurance coverage or transportation to providers, for instance, or they may experience only limited relief.

It’s important to note, however, that for those affected by mental or substance use disorders, mindfulness-based approaches should not replace first-line treatments like medicine and psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Mindfulness strategies should be seen as a supplement to these evidence-based treatments and a complement to healthy lifestyle interventions like physical activity and healthy eating.

How Does Meditation Work? A Look Into the Brain

Studies show that regular meditators experience better attention control and improved control of heart rate, breathing and autonomic nervous system functioning, which regulates involuntary responses in the body, such as blood pressure. Research also shows that people who meditate have
lower levels of cortisol – a hormone involved in the stress response – than those who don’t.

A recent systematic review of neuroimaging studies showed that focused attention meditation is associated with functional changes in several brain regions involved in cognitive control and emotion-related processing. The review also found that more experienced meditators had stronger activation of the brain regions involved in those cognitive and emotional processes, suggesting that the brain benefits improve with more practice.

A regular meditation practice may also stave off age-related thinning of the cerebral cortex, which may help to protect against age-related disease and cognitive impairment.

Limitations of Meditation Research

This research does have limits. These include a lack of a consistent definition for the types of programs used, and a lack of rigorously controlled studies. In gold-standard randomized controlled trials with medications, study participants don’t know whether they are getting the active drug or a placebo.

In contrast, in trials of mindfulness-based interventions, participants know what condition they are assigned to and are not “blinded,” so they may expect that some of the health benefits may happen to them. This creates a sense of expectancy, which can be a confounding variable in studies. Many meditation studies also don’t frequently include a control group, which is needed to assess how it compares with other treatments.

Benefits and Wider Applications

Compared with medications, mindfulness-based programs may be more easily accessible and have fewer negative side effects. However, medication and psychotherapy – particularly cognitive behavioral therapy – work well for many, and a combination approach may be best. Mindfulness-based interventions are also cost-effective and have better health outcomes than usual care, particularly among high-risk patient populations – so there are economic benefits as well.

Researchers are studying ways to deliver mindfulness tools on a computer or smartphone app, or with virtual reality, which may be more effective than conventional in-person meditation training.

Importantly, mindfulness is not just for those with physical or mental health diagnoses. Anyone can use these strategies to reduce the risk of disease and to take advantage of the health benefits in everyday life, such as improved sleep and cognitive performance, elevated mood and lowered stress and anxiety.

Where to Get Started?

Many recreation centers, fitness studios and even universities offer in-person meditation classes. For those looking to see if meditation can help with the treatment of a physical or mental condition, there are over 600 clinical trials currently recruiting participants for various conditions, such as pain, cancer and depression.

If you want to try meditation from the comfort of your home, there are many free online videos on how to practice, including meditations for sleep, stress reduction, mindful eating and more. Several apps, such as Headspace, appear promising, with randomized controlled trials showing benefits for users.

The hardest part is, of course, getting started. However, if you set an alarm to practice every day, it will become a habit and may even translate into everyday life – which is the ultimate goal. For some, this may take some time and practice, and for others, this may start to happen pretty quickly. Even a single five-minute session can have positive health effects.

Meditation’s Surprising Effect on Cancer

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One of the most obvious and easy-to-understand emotions–and its physical consequences–is the emotion of fear. (marvent/Shutterstock)

One of the most obvious and easy-to-understand emotions–and its physical consequences–is the emotion of fear. (marvent/Shutterstock)

Cancer leaves many wounds. And while we have a tendency to focus only on the physical effects that cancer causes, anyone who has battled cancer will tell you that the emotional scars can be just as jarring.

Beginning the first day you hear those words, “You have cancer,” the world as you knew it is suddenly turned upside down. In a matter of minutes, your mind races to comprehend the impact of the words you just heard. And for days afterward – and any number of long, sleepless nights – a thousand thoughts may come and go, along with a crushing cascade of emotions.

“Please, walk me down from the emotions of love and joy” – said no one ever. While there are as many chemical reactions in the body that equate to these positive, desirable emotions than there are to the negative, undesirable emotions of fear, anxiety, and stress, the point is that emotions are powerful influences that affect the state of our health.

Emotions Release Chemicals Throughout Your Body

The chemistry of emotions has been well researched. An article published in the International Journal for Modern Trends in Science and Technology describes emotions as “complex chemical reactions in the body’s nervous system characterized by neurophysiologic changes associated with thoughts and behavioral responses.” Put simply, emotions are made up of chemicals and are a direct result of the thoughts we think.

No one would want to be emotion-less, or without emotions, as they enrich our life experience. If we pay attention to our emotions, we can gain insight into how our body is translating the experiences we face. It is when there is a prolonged imbalance of negative emotions that our body may become overwhelmed and respond in a negative, unhealthy manner. Put another way, a preponderance of negative emotions results in a preponderance of chemical reactions that, over time, can damage the physical body.

One of the most obvious and easy-to-understand emotions–and its physical consequences–is the emotion of fear. Fear is a survival response. And fear is very physical. Fear begins when you perceive (in your mind) a threat. In order for your body to handle the perceived threat, myriad physiological responses happen within milliseconds:

  • The amygdala (your middle brain) springs into action, alerting your nervous system with an all-hands-on-deck emergency alert;
  • Cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones are immediately released into your body;
  • Your heart rate rises;
  • Your blood pressure goes up;
  • You breathe faster;
  • And believe it or not, your blood flow changes direction – it flows away from your heart and into your extremities just in case you need to run fast to outdistance an enemy.

In other words, your body is preparing itself for fight-or-flight. It’s doing what it was designed to do. (5 Things You Never Knew About Fear)

The emotion of fear is all too real for cancer patients and it can continue for long periods of time. Depression is another emotion that cancer patients often experience. According to The National Cancer Institute (NCI), one in three cancer patients experience mental or emotional distress with a reported 42% percent of breast cancer patients and 41% of head and neck cancer patients leading the way. Also according to the NCI, 25% of cancer survivors experience symptoms of depression, 45% experience anxiety, and many also experience PTSD symptoms. Sadly, cancer survivors are 2x as likely to die by suicide.

Turning the Tables on Negative Emotions

So how do we deal with these emotions that are a very real reaction to the physical threat we face — the threat of cancer? In a fascinating study reported in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, mindfulness-based stress reduction was demonstrated to be a significant intervention for breast cancer survivors. Mindfulness simply refers to a practice that uses meditative and attention-directed exercises to minimize stress and increase awareness of the present.

The goal of mindfulness is to purposefully disengage from beliefs, thoughts, or emotions and to focus instead on the present moment. If you can teach yourself to detach yourself from the thoughts and emotions you are experiencing, you can discover a power you never even knew you had.

Another study, “Evidence for the Role of Mindfulness in Cancer: Benefits and Techniques” published by Cureus, researchers evaluated the effects of various mindfulness techniques on cancer patients. Their conclusions?

  • Cancer-related sleep disorders: results indicated a notable decrease in insomnia and other sleep disturbances commonly experienced by cancer patients.
  • Radiation therapy: participants who actively practiced Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) experienced significant improvement as compared with those who did not practice the technique.
  • Mindfulness and the Immune Response: T-cells of participants in the group that participated in MBSR were more readily activated. These T-cells are the heroes of the immune system, effective in fighting cancer cells and other unwanted intruders.

Techniques used in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) include:

  • Practice Sitting Meditation: sit in a comfortable position and direct your full attention on the sensation of breathing.
  • Perform Your Own Internal Body Scan: focus awareness on individual parts of your body.
  • Practice Being Non-judgmental: pay full attention to whatever is occurring at the current moment, but do not judge it.
  • Have Patience: accept the fact that events unfold in their own time.
  • Develop a Beginner’s Mind: try to see everything as if it were happening for the first time.
  • Trust Yourself: Learn to honor your feelings rather to suppress or distrust them.
  • Avoid Striving Too Hard: practice having no goal other than meditation itself, accepting what thoughts come and go.
  • Learn to Let Go: try not to hold onto, or reject your experience.
  • Practice Kindness: practice being kind and warm in the face of difficulties while avoid being self-critical.
  • Develop Your Innate Curiosity: investigate whatever appears in your experience, without automatic judgment.
  • Develop the Art of Acceptance: practice being objective as you completely accept all thoughts, feelings, sensations, and beliefs that come and go in your mind’s process.

Start by steering your mind toward positive thoughts. It can take a little practice because the natural tendency is to stray from the thought at hand. When you notice your mind doing this – stop, breathe, focus, and redirect your thoughts. Allow yourself to envision a healthier body, a body without cancer.

In order to stay as positive as possible, you may find, as I did, that I needed to disengage from negative people that surrounded me and find like-minded people who encouraged me and understood what I was going through. If that is the case for you, too, realize that this may be an opportunity for you to give yourself permission to focus on what you need to fight the battle you’re fighting. And make no mistake – cancer is a battle. Why not try incorporating the art of mindfulness into your arsenal of cancer-fighting techniques?