Study - Benefits of Meditation Training

[Adam Steer]

Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation
http://www.pnas. org/cgi/content/ abstract/ 104/43/17152

Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation
Yi-Yuan Tang*, , , ,, Yinghua Ma*, Junhong Wang*, Yaxin Fan*, Shigang
Feng*, Qilin Lu*, Qingbao Yu*, Danni Sui*, Mary K. Rothbart , Ming
Fan||, and Michael I. Posner ,

Contributed by Michael I. Posner, August 16, 2007 (received for
review July 26, 2007)

Recent studies suggest that months to years of intensive and
systematic meditation training can improve attention. However, the
lengthy training required has made it difficult to use random
assignment of participants to conditions to confirm these findings.
This article shows that a group randomly assigned to 5 days of
meditation practice with the integrative body–mind training method
shows significantly better attention and control of stress than a
similarly chosen control group given relaxation training.

The training method comes from traditional Chinese medicine and
incorporates aspects of other meditation and mindfulness training.
Compared with the control group, the experimental group of 40
undergraduate Chinese students given 5 days of 20-min integrative
training showed greater improvement in conflict scores on the
Attention Network Test, lower anxiety, depression, anger, and
fatigue, and higher vigor on the Profile of Mood States scale, a
significant decrease in stress-related cortisol, and an increase in
immunoreactivity. These results provide a convenient method for
studying the influence of meditation training by using experimental
and control methods similar to those used to test drugs or other
interventions.

I thought this looked interesting... I have no experience with formal "meditation training." Although I am sure many of the sport psych type drills I have done in the past would be driving at the same goals. Does anyone here have experience with this kind of thing? The study used a CD for the training cues. Does anyone recommend any resources for this?

Cheers,
Adam

[Christopher]

www.aypsite.com, Silva Ultra MInd, HEmi-Sync, Qigong(I like HealingDAo for their inner smile practice). Find what suits you the best and go from there.

[Kathryn Woodall]

Hey Adam,

Back in college I sought formal meditative training. I consistently practiced for several years, stopped for a few, and recently took it back up again. My buddy and I played with it a touch to test the effects. Both of us found that we could significantly lower our heart and breath rate within 30-60 seconds. We could drop the heart to 50 give or take a few beats. Blood pressure also dropped as much as 20 points within a couple of minutes. He learned fairly young and had practiced meditation for almost 20 years at that point. I was new to it but can't remember how new at the point we played around with it. A few years ago Matt wanted to try it out and he was able to drop his heart rate and blood pressure pretty easily within a few days of beginning to practice.

Over the years it is a question lots of clients have asked about. While some of them seek formal training, buy media, or read instructional books most of them get frustrated with either the difficulty of the practice or else the amount of time it takes for them to see changes. One of my mentors once told me to repeat "I am" to slow my mind when it was racing. For those who couldn't afford the formal training or came to me too frustrated to continue with it, I suggested that simple phrase. If the phrase didn't work, breathing in and out to a count of 3 or 5 would be suggested. Most people reported noticing some positive effect within a week of practicing daily for at least 10 minutes. I would make the guess that it is the simple, rhythmic repetition of the phrase or the breathing/counting that matters.

Fairly quickly, the mind and body are trained to slow down when that key phrase or pattern is introduced. So even when the person enters a stressful situation, they can think the phrase or breathe in the pattern even just once or twice and the reflex to slow down kicks in.

I'm pretty sure that the research style noted has been applied to meditation for several years now because I remember reading studies when I was in my early 20's. Reflexes, blood pressure, medication needs, mood, and inflammation levels were looked at in a facility for elderly care using lab tests and clinical eval. I remember it because the study designers wanted to have all of those in the participation group stop meditating for a month to see if the results would reverse and not enough people would cooperate in order for the results to be statistically significant. There was one with school children and test performance that sticks out in my mind too. If you would like, I can ask my friend if he still has those studies.

[shadow]

I've been meditating regularly for about 2 years now and the benefits have been numerous... including, but not limited to:

-freedom from depression (I suffered this for many years)

-a sense of emotional stability (I have kind of a 'set' emotional state that does not vary easily, and if it does only for very brief periods of time... a significant change to the past).

-improved sleep quality.

-enjoyment of the mundane or quiet things (I used to be very restless and bored easily, boredom is now a foreign thing to me... I can contentedly sit quietly anywhere anytime, for whatever length necessary).

[Fergal]

Co-incidentally, I came across this lecture only this week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8TFcLgu5Ow

The speakers include the director David Lynch, quantum physicist John Hagelin and a neuro-scientist whose name I can't quite remember. After a few movie-related questions, the lecture moves into meditation, consciousness and Unified Field Theory/String Theory. David Lynch is clearly passionate about the value of Transcendental Meditation and this really comes across in the lecture. They even monitor a meditator's brain activity live on stage and the neuro-scientist talks the audience through the significance of the changes in brain activity.

It is quite a long lecture, but really worth watching/listening to I think.

Enjoy

[Continuity]

Yoga Nidra has been a wonderful form of meditation for me. You are totally aware while your body sleeps. It's said that 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra is equal to about 3 hours of sleep.

[parkour]

does anyone here meditate regularly?

[Continuity]

Almost everyday. Lately, after have been practicing for about 1 year, i'm finding that i can enter a meditative state very quickly and the experiences are getting more subtle, while intense.

I practice three methods, one being keeping my consciousness inside of my body, as in bringing sensation into different parts of my body, while away from the thought mind, witnessing my minds thoughts without judgement, and repeating a mantra. The three in combination work wonderfully. Basically, staying in a place without thought and just in pure consciousness is my goal in meditation.

[ghostfist]

for me my meditation is Taoist Qi Gong; and perhaps 'meditation' is a weighted word as we all have different interpretation around the word. The Inner Smile, as taught by Mantak chia; is a great starting point, yet, with practice goes so deep. I think the key is the focus on balancing the energies in the organs, with impacts greatly on their health; its the utilization of attention on a particular area/organ to direct ones life force, using intention, to attain a specific outcome- namely health and wellness in the bodies various systems.
with Taoist Qi Gong a key component to open is the circulation of energy thru the 'microcosmic orbit' - the main psychic channel running up the spine and down the centerline in a loop around the body. Interestly I found that my awareness of my microcosmic orbit as well as the qi flow thru it became greatly enhance after starting with Clubbell® training and Intu-Flow®.
simply - the focus of CST is , to me, the same focus used in meditation, just on an energetic level. its all integration of breath/movement/structure...

[parkour]

Almost everyday. Lately, after have been practicing for about 1 year, i'm finding that i can enter a meditative state very quickly and the experiences are getting more subtle, while intense.

I practice three methods, one being keeping my consciousness inside of my body, as in bringing sensation into different parts of my body, while away from the thought mind, witnessing my minds thoughts without judgement, and repeating a mantra. The three in combination work wonderfully. Basically, staying in a place without thought and just in pure consciousness is my goal in meditation.

What is the mantra you repeat?