Our modern society is currently suffering from an epidemic of depression and anxiety related disorders.
These mood disorders are often symptomatic of a sedentary, socially-isolated lifestyle that is sleep and sunlight deficient.
Self-coping mechanisms for low moods manifest as all sorts of addictions that range from emotional eating, gambling, drugs, alcohol, shopping to internet addiction and pornography.
The use of anti-depressants has increased by 400% over the last two decades which tells us people are crying out for ways to feel better!
However, this band aid approach does not deal with the source of the problem.
One of the most effective ways to feel better without side effects is through meditation.
Regular meditation has been used for centuries as a way to protect our immune system and regulate emotions such as stress, depression and anxiety, long before the emergence of anti-depressants.
Meditation is not only effective in reducing low moods and fatigue but for accelerating weight loss, slowing down the aging process and improving cardiovascular health. The added benefit of a meditation practice leads to an enhanced ability to achieve goals and learn new skills. Who doesn’t want all that?
Through the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Neuroscientists have found that brain circuitry of long-time meditators look very different.
By observing the gamma brain waves of meditating monks they have found that monks are indeed the happiest people on the planet due to meditation.
In fact through the act of regular meditation we are capable of rewiring and healing the hippocampus, the part of our brain responsible for memory, emotion and learning.
The hippocampus shrinks due to anxiety, chronic stress and depression but has shown to regenerate with the use of meditation.
The other important part of the brain that is stimulated by meditation is the pineal gland.
The pineal gland is a powerful cone shaped gland with the highest concentration of energy in the entire body.
Often referred to as the third eye, the pineal gland located between the brain’s two hemispheres acts as a portal to one’s higher self.
Meditation stimulates the pineal gland by supercharging the electrical activity in your left and right hemispheres giving you “whole brain synchronisation”.
Clinical research tell us that whole brain synchronisation not only reduces anxiety, depression and stress but has the ability to dramatically increase our performance, inspiration, clarity, intuition, creativity and emotional stability.
It is for this reason meditation as a self-healing and self-growth modality is actually an act of sanity and in most cases a superior substitute for prescribed meds.
