What happens when people meditate

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A. Meditation has been used for thousands of years by all the major religions as a way of achieving a spiritual state. Sometimes people are put off by its mystical connotations, but these days it's seen more as a straightforward technique that can benefit your physical and mental health.

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Q. What does it do
A. Meditation aims to bring you to a state of deep relaxation and altered awareness. This state has a distinct brainwave pattern, quite different from sleeping, dreaming or being awake.

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Q. How do you achieve this state
A. There are different techniques, but the basic aim is to totally focus the attention on something such as your breath, a word or phrase (mantra), a candle, a positive thought, or a repetitive movement. After about 20 minutes or so, this produces the 'relaxation response'.

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Q. What's that
A. The phrase was coined by Professor Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School in the 1970s after he studied transcendental meditation (TM) practitioners. He found that sitting in a quiet place for about 20 minutes and concentrating on the breath or a word can reverse the physiological changes produced by stress. Blood pressure, heart and breathing rates, metabolism and muscle tension are reduced, and the brain slips into a slow, calm rhythm. Prof Benson's work encouraged the development of a non-religious style of meditation.

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Q. What are the different types of meditation
A. There are few. The more popular types include:

• TM, which uses a personal mantra or sacred word in Sanskrit and focuses on breathing. The mantra is chosen by your teacher to suit your needs.
• Yoga meditation, which uses the word 'Om' with breathing to affect the chakras.
• Vipassana, or mindfulness, requires you to become aware of everything you are experiencing while remaining detached from it.
• T'ai chi uses activity to focus the mind (walking and swimming can have the same effect).
• Objects can be used as a focus, too, such as a candle or a portrait of a religious leader.

Q. What are the health benefits
A. There have been hundreds of studies, mostly on TM. TM has been shown to: directly affect the heart rate; reduce atherosclerosis; reduce the use of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs in addicts; reduce high blood pressure.

Vipassana, or mindfulness, has been shown to help anxiety and panic, and a number of stress-related illnesses such as IBS.

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Q. What's the best way to start
A. You can learn meditation from a book, but experts recommend having a teacher. Choose a style to suit you: would you like to chant Can you sit still for 20 minutes Do some research first. Classes are often advertised in libraries or local newspapers.

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Try this DIY mediation:

• Sit in a comfortable position. Your back should be straight and your body relaxed.
• Notice your breathing. Concentrate on the breath as it flows in and out; feel your stomach falling and rising.
• If your attention starts to wander, simply note the fact and gently bring your thoughts back to your breathing.
• Sit� for five to 20 minutes. Then bring yourself slowly back to normal consciousness, becoming aware of the room around you. Stretch and slowly get up.

Do you have something to say about meditation Post it here

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By Sheena Miller