Medication Vs. Meditation

Gaining Equanimity without Prozac
Big business can be stressful. Through the years, mankind has found many ways to relax, unwind and reduce stress. Unfortunately, some of those ways involve substances that may not be so good for us, whether prescribed by a doctor or served up at the local bar.

Anxiety medication often is recommended to help people relax. Valium, Xanax and some antidepressants are prescribed to calm the anxious. Prescription drugs can work well, but also can be costly and have dangerous side effects. Chugging shots at the bar may make you feel better in the short term, but has bad long-term health effects and could make for some embarrassing pictures on your Facebook page.

An alternative to drugs and alcohol to help you relax is meditation. When practiced correctly, meditation can connect your mind to your body, producing a state of deep relaxation. Mayo Clinic says, “A growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation to alleviate a variety of medical conditions,” including:

Allergies Anxiety disorders Asthma Binge eating

Cancer Depression Fatigue Heart disease

High blood pressure Pain Sleep problems Substance abuse

There are various techniques for meditation. All seem to combine breathing with physical positions. Maybe one of these different methods can work for you!

MANTRA
This consists of repeating a calming word or phrase, focusing only on the mantra, while remaining sitting still, preferably with eyes closed.

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
Based on ancient Indian tradition, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi says in his blog to “use a sound devoid of meaning” (such as “ohm”). Working on refining the sound, your mind is supposed to settle inward for about 15 or 20 minutes. The National Institute of Health studied transcendental meditation and concluded it showed both significant clinical and statistical reductions in blood pressure and enhanced longevity by 23 percent. WOW! I got to get me some of that!

YOGA
Position the body in a variety of asanas (poses), while focusing on your breathing. You will learn equanimity (calmness in a storm) while breathing through holding a tough pose. Then the next time you are about to lose your temper, you can choose not to react, but instead to breathe and be calm. Much less stressful!

QI GONG
Part of traditional Chinese medicine, this is a practice combining breathing with exercise poses with cute names like “cloud hands” and “autumn breeze blows leaves.”

TAI CHI
A martial art, this includes a collection of movements that will have you forgetting any worries and thinking of joining a group in Beijing.

QUIET SETTING
For some busy parents, this may be very hard to accomplish. In this practice you begin by eliminating all external noises, either by getting physically away from them or just mentally blocking them out – good luck! Then you breathe deeply and let go of your concerns.

COMFORTABLE POSITION
The next time your husband is lying on the couch clutching the remote, realize that he is reducing his stress, not being lazy!

RELAXED BREATHING
Take long, slow breaths from your diaphragm while expanding your lungs. This method purports to increase your oxygen while relaxing the muscles of your neck and shoulders. I practice this while getting an actual massage – it works great!

PRAYER
Not focusing on the problems causing you anxiety, but giving them up to God to resolve, may be the best solution to reduce your stress and put a smile on your face. God loves us no matter what.

Whatever meditation method sounds good to you, give at least one a try to see what works. Maybe your calm, stress-free self will be a happier, healthier person!

www.mayoclinc.com/health/meditation
www.tm.org and www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1482831/pdf/nihms2905.pdf

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Category: Blog, Featured, Health