Meditation might sound like mumbo-jumbo to many, but science has actually proven the powerful benefits that can be derived from practicing the ancient art. Experts agree on the health advantages of engaging in meditative activities, and recent studies have even confirmed its great contributions to people’s physical and psychological well-being.
YouTube channel ASAPScience recently presented some of the most amazing advantages of meditation in a viral video that has gotten over half a million views in the past week. In the video, ASAPScience’s Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown explain the different effects of meditation on a person’s mental and physical state.
There is a significant amount of scientific literature to vouch for the efficacy of meditation in improving one’s psyche. A recent one, which was reported last week by the Inquisitr, revealed groundbreaking findings concerning meditation and its effects on depression. The authors of the study wrote that the effects of meditation on people with depression matched the efficacy of typical antidepressants when treating symptoms of the mental disorder.
John Hopkins University’s Mahdav Goyal, who was the lead author of the research, said, “In our study, meditation appeared to provide as much relief from some anxiety and depression symptoms as what other studies have found from antidepressants.”
Another study has even linked meditation and cancer recovery. According to the Huffington Post last year, meditation has been seen to provide psychological and emotional impact on survivors of cancer. It has also been observed to actually alter physical cells among breast cancer survivors who practiced meditation on a regular basis.
Researcher Linda Carlson, who discovered the amazing phenomenon, wrote, “We already know that psychosocial interventions like mindfulness meditation will help you feel better mentally, but now for the first time we have evidence that they can also influence key aspects of your biology.”
There are many online guides and tips that can help you start with meditation. Various YouTube instructional videos, like the one below, provide comprehensive information on how to practice the revered art.
Some historians believe that the roots of meditation go way back during prehistory. Prehistoric religions, which incorporated repetitive sounds and mantras into their worship, are said to be the very origins of meditation. Traditionally, however, meditation is attributed to the Buddhist practice of contemplative concentration and discipline. The practice made its way to the West during the 18th century and has become a popular urban activity during the 70s and the 80s.
[Image from Gurumustuk Singh/Flickr]