meditation benefits

i found this article in the local paper, thought it'd be interesting to share.

Feeling rough? Meditate on it


By Daniela Velazquez

tbt* correspondent

Tough guy Mike Gluchowski balked at even the thought of meditation.

But as he looked at his dozen prescription medications for his chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by a career in law enforcement in New York City, the New Port Richey resident was willing to try something new.

Nearly three months later, he says he's free from the pain of cervical spinal stenosis and arthritis in his knees and hips for six to eight hours after his daily, hourlong Transcendental Meditation.

Instead of taking painkillers, Gluchowski, 54, listens to his inner voice.

'I don't know how or why it works - I don't want to know or care,' Gluchowski says. 'The results I've had have been totally incredible.' Science has just begun to quantify the benefits of an ancient art that practitioners have touted for thousands of years. Neuroscientists have begun to hone in on how meditation affects the brain's reaction to pain, and why many meditators say that what was once unbearable is now tolerable or even barely noticeable. It is widely used to alleviate stress and the many health implications that come with it, from insomnia to heart disease. It's not the answer for everyone, but its fans say it can be astonishingly effective, without the side effects of pills or alcohol.

There are many ways to meditate. Here is a look at some of the most popular methods.

Transcendental Meditation: The Beatles' trip to India in the 1960s to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi made Transcendental Meditation, the form of mantra meditation he originated, famous around the world. The discipline has a long line of celebrity devotees, including Oprah Winfrey, film director David Lynch and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Practitioners use a word, sound or phrase repeated silently (a mantra) to achieve a state of relaxed awareness.

Studies of TM have yielded quantifiable results for pain reduction. In 2006, researchers at the University of California-Irvine found that the brains of long-term practitioners of TM showed up to 50 percent less reaction to pain in MRI scans than did people in a nonmeditating control group.

Mindfulness-based meditation:

Rooted in Buddhist traditions, mindfulness meditation focuses on what is being experienced - such as one's own breath - with the practitioner learning to observe thoughts and feelings as they come and go without reaction or judgment.