New research shows the health benefits of meditation both physically and mentally. Publishing in the journal Pschoneuroendocrinolgy, researchers from Wisconsin, Spain, and France have found that mindfulness meditation can cause molecular changes.

I am proof positive of the benefits of meditation. Before I started meditating seven years ago I spent little time in the present moment. I was stressed by the future and hurt by the past, constantly worrying what people thought of me. Meditation has reduced that weight dramatically. It’s made me feel lighter and more engaged in the present moment. And scientists are backing my experiences up with more and more research that shows the health benefits of meditation.

The study followed a group of practiced meditators and a control group of untrained subjects who engaged in quiet non-meditative activities. After eight hours of mindfulness meditation, the meditators showed a range of genetic differences in levels of pro-inflammatory genes.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows rapid alterations in gene expression within subjects associated with mindfulness meditation practice,” says study author Richard J. Davidson, founder of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds and the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Most interestingly, the changes were observed in genes that are the current targets of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs,” says Perla Kaliman, first author of the article and a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spain (IIBB-CSIC-IDIBAPS), where the molecular analyses were conducted.

Specifically, the genes in the meditating group showed less inflammation and faster recovery from stressful situations. At the beginning of the research when the two groups were studied, there was no difference in the two groups. However, the study did not look at the longterm impact of mediation, just changes in the two groups after a lengthy period of mediation.

“Our genes are quite dynamic in their expression and these results suggest that the calmness of our mind can actually have a potential influence on their expression,” Davidson says.

It’s all the more reason to add a meditation practice to your life. And it doesn’t have to be a big deal. Consider setting aside 10 minutes each morning. Find a secluded space to sit quietly. Set the alarm on your cell phone, close your eyes, and begin to watch your inhales and exhales. Commit to just a few minutes each day and as you feel comfortable, you can add five minutes. Over time you may even look forward to your meditation.

Meditation doesn’t stop you from thinking, so don’t get aggravated if you can’t stop the slew of thoughts that pop into your mind. Instead, watch your thoughts like a movie, without getting involved in them and attaching emotion. Over time, the relaxation you cultivate during meditation will carry over into your life, reducing stress and its impact on your body.

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Eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising are three incredibly effective ways to improve your overall health and mental clarity. However, the list doesn’t stop there. The benefits of meditation may be just as significant.

As much as achieving a state of well-being requires doing something, a large part of it may actually hinge on what you don’t do. Touted as an unmistakable part of the key to success by famous actors, prominent businesspeople and supermodels, meditation may be your segue to a more fulfilling life, both personally and professionally.

Meditation is practiced by almost all religions and is in some places often synonymous with prayer. Meditation has Hindu roots and versions of meditation were developed in Taoist China and Buddhist India in the 6^th and 5^th centuries BCE. Today, especially with yoga having gone mainstream, the benefits of meditation are garnering more and more attention as mind-body-balancing tools.

Most of us are already familiar with meditation. What often comes to mind is a vision of someone sitting cross-legged, upper wrists resting on the knees with the thumb and index finger touching and a long, monotone, “Ommm…”, drawing out from his or her mouth. Looks simple, enough, sure, but it is incredibly difficult to master. Meditation also takes many forms, as what is happening on the inside of the body is far more important than its position.

Meditation is a practice of mindfulness, focus and presence. It is an active pursuit to clear the brain of chatter, focus on breath and posture and exist wholly and entirely in the moment. There are many forms of meditation, including transcendental, prayer, Zen, Taoist, orgasmic, mindfulness, walking and Buddhist meditations. Some require you stay still while others include music. While you may be sitting and, for all intents and purposes, appearing like you are not doing much of anything, au contraire! In this day and age, doing less is often harder than doing more and meditation is one of those things that requires a proactive spirit.

By practicing meditation regularly, you are hopefully able to achieve a sense of peace and quiet within yourself, the kind of calm that can reap amazing benefits for your body.

I first caught wind the benefits of meditation when I came across this article about women dealing with the emotional and physical stress of breast cancer. It was a green light to my further research, during which I realized meditation was no joke and we should all be doing it, without exception.

Neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Richard J. Davidson, has long led researchers in understanding meditation and its effects on the human body. Davidson has explored how mindfulness can support compassion in young children as well as alter the expression of genes.

Meanwhile, the rest of the scientific community is catching wind. In one study, researchers found that compared to subjects who received no treatment, subjects who practiced mindful meditation experienced a reduction in distress and an improvement in positive mood states. Another study corroborated these claims, revealing that meditative practice was able to reduce psychological stress responses and improve cognitive functions among subjects.

The effects of stress on the body are not to be downplayed. It can cause all sorts of ailments, including a faster heart rate, skipped heartbeats, rapid breathing, trembling, dizziness, problems swallowing, loose stools, frequent need to urinate, dry mouth, pain in the abdomen, headaches and muscle tightness or pain. Over a longer period of time, these symptoms of stress can lead to even more serious diseases.

Meditation is also associated with improved brain and immune function. Meditate to prevent a cold? I’ll take that! In the long run, meditation may also be key in avoiding the onset of dementia. And if that weren’t enough, meditation can also improve lipid profiles, lower oxidative stress, strengthen neuronal circuit and enhance cognitive reserve capacity.

It’s clear: the benefits of meditation are convincing and real. But if you aren’t inspired yet, check out these 50 quotes on meditation to further inspire you and follow these 6 tips on how to meditate. There ere are also many guided meditations on YouTube. Trust the research presented and people you may know who regularly meditate – they are clearly onto something! All it takes is as little as a few minutes each day to start, and then you can decide for yourself if you can “Ommm…” forward.

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