The Power of Meditation Gwen Dittmar Entelechy Coaching, LLC

Agenda Why History Types Benefits Obstacles Observations Group Meditation The Meditation Challenge Q & A

I don’t have time to meditate WHY Work: Stress in the workplace costs the US economy more than $300 billion per year. Health: In western countries, its estimated that 70% of medical consultations feature stress as a major issue. Addiction: In 2009 drug abuse cost the government budget approximately $468 billion per year. Sounds like its time to make time to meditate.

History of Meditation “Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads you to wisdom.” – Buddha Archaeological sites in the Indus Valley in India, and datable to 3000 BC, reveal figures in a meditation posture used in the system of Yoga. 5th and 6th Centuries BC meditation formed in Taoist China and Buddhist India. 3rd Century Plotinus and Saint Augustine discuss “spiritual exercises” however its not attractive to Christian followers. 8th Century Japanese Buddhism emerges, followed by Jewish meditation in the Middle Ages, Sufism in the 11th and 12th Century and Christian meditation in the 12th through 16th Century.

Types of Meditation Mindfulness – flow, fluidity, “passing car” Example: Zen Spiritual – prayer, question, answer Example: Step 3 Focused – sound, object, thought Example: ocean, candle, “I AM” Movement – flowing movements Example: yoga, kundalini, running Mantra – repetitive word and vibration Example: Om, Hu

Benefits of Meditation “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” – Brue Lee Mindfulness Positive emotions Healthier immune system Provides meaning and purpose in life Thereby slowing the aging process significantly

Scientific Research on Meditation A study by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in 2005 showed that a group practicing meditation for approximately 40 minutes a day had measurably thicker tissue in the left prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain important for cognitive emotional processing and well-being.

Specifically speaking… Lowers oxygen consumption Decreases respiratory rate Increases blood flow Slows the heart rate, leads to a deep level of relaxation Decreases blood pressure in people who have normal or mildly elevated pressure Lowers levels of blood lactate (associated with anxiety) Therefore calms, heals, resolves asthma, ADHD, addictions, anxiety, bipolar, cancer, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, depression, migraines, chronic pain and the list goes on…

Your Brain on Meditation Researchers at UCLA Laboratory of Neuro- Imaging compared the brains of experienced meditators with those of a control group of non-meditators. They found that the meditators' brains contained more gray matter — the tissue responsible for high- level information processing — than those of the non-meditators, especially in the areas associated with attention, body awareness and the ability to modulate emotional responses. Need More Proof ? In a study published in 2010, a team of neuroscientists scanned the brains of volunteers before and after they received eight weeks of training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The new meditators showed measurable changes in two important brain areas; growth in the hippocampus, involved in memory and learning and shrinkage in the amygdala, a portion of the brain that initiates the body’s response to stress.

A Detailed Look At The Brain Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania trained a group of new meditators in MBSR, then compared them with longtime meditators, and with a group of non-meditators. After eight weeks, the new meditators improved their scores for orienting and for sustaining attention. Tonya Jacobs, a scientist at UC Davis's Center for Mind and Brain, reported (on-line in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology) that meditators show improved psychological well-being, and that these improvements lead to biochemical changes associated with resistance to aging at the cellular level. Specifically, an analysis of meditators' white blood cells showed a 30 percent increase in an enzyme called telomerase, a chemical essential to the long-term health of the body's chromosomes and cells. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Drawing Connections: An MRI study at Emory University showed that experienced meditators were much more efficient than a non-meditating control group at dropping extraneous thoughts and focusing on the matter at hand when bombarded by stimuli while performing a task. The researchers note that the simple practice of focusing attention through meditation may help patients suffering from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions characterized by excessive rumination.

Even More Powerful Research Scientists at the University of Wisconsin studied the brains of participants before and after they received eight weeks of MBSR training and compared them with those of a group of non-meditators. At the end of the training, the subjects received flu shots and their antibody activity was tested. Meditators showed elevated activity in the area of the brain associated with lowered anxiety, a decrease in negative emotions, an increase in positive ones and immune system produced more antibodies in response to the vaccine. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Obstacles To Meditating Fear of the unknown Perceived lack of time Perceived lack of ability Perceived lack of discipline An active mind Judgment Frustration

Observations

Group Meditation Find a comfortable position (NOTE: It does not have to look like the typical photos you see). Three deep inhales and exhales – 3 count breath, 3 count hold, 3 count exhale Relax the body, moving from the earth up to the sky and back down to the earth Center yourself in your heart, focus on one of the types of meditations we discussed earlier

The Meditation Challenge If you are interested in tracking your own changes as a result of a meditation practice sign up for the meditation challenge with me. We’ll track key areas of your life, maintain accountability to a daily meditation practice and assess the outcomes after a 32-day process. “If you want to find God, hang out in the space between your thoughts.“ – Alan Cohen

Q & A “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” -Thich Nhat Hanh The still lake without ripples is an image of our minds at ease, so full of unlimited friendliness for all the junk at the bottom of the lake that we don’t feel the need to churn up the water just to avoid looking at what’s there.” -Pema Chodron