Meditation overveiw

B"H
Meditation has been around from the beginning of time. The forefathers, who chose the occupation of shepherding, knew that only through surrounding themselves with peace and quiet will they be able to achieve their goal. In our modern generation, we are surrounded with every possible type of external stimuli, everything that can keep a person from realizing who they are as an individual, keeping a person from doing introspection and self evaluation. This stimuli can keep a person so busy and so stressed out that it could even begin to affect his/her health. Throughout the day, when we experience stress, our bodies automatically react in ways that prepare us to fight or flight. In some cases of extreme danger, this physical response is helpful. However, a extended state of such turmoil can cause physical damage to every part of the body contributing to many different types of illness mental and physical such as; anxieties, fears and depression, head and body pain, heart disease, diabetes, etc. It is not necessary to get a herd of sheep and move to the wilderness. We can surround ourselves with the piece and quiet necessary for focus and good health through meditation.
Meditation affects the body in the opposite ways that stress does, restoring the body to a calm state, helping the body to repair itself, and preventing new damage due to the physical affects of stress. Regular practice of meditation can help reverse these ailments.
When practicing meditation, your heart rate and breathing slow down, your blood pressure normalizes, you use oxygen more efficiently, and you sweat less. Also, your adrenal glands produce less "stress hormone" cortisol, you age slower and your immune function improves. Your mind also clears and your creativity increases. People who meditate regularly find it easier to give up bad habits like smoking, drinking and drugs. Through meditation, one learns to deal with stressful situations in a manner that will cause little or no stress at all.
Practical:
The most basic meditation involves sitting in a relaxed position and clearing your mind. There are many techniques to achieve this but a simple meditation of inhaling and exhaling through the nose while observing the breath enter and exit can offer many health benefits. It’s necessary to have between five and twenty free minutes to spend each day. It’s helpful to have silence and privacy, but more practiced meditators can do it anywhere. Many practitioners of meditation attach a spiritual component to it, but it can also be a secular exercise.
The Pros and Cons Of Meditation:
Meditation is wonderful in that it’s always available, and amazingly effective in short-term stress reduction and long-term general health once the technique has been learned. it can also be used for self improvement.
It does take practice, however, and some people find it difficult to learn in the beginning. It also requires patience, and may be difficult for people with little free time. However, the time and effort it takes to learn and practice is well worth it in terms of the benefits it provides. Alone, a person may lose interest after a short time of not seeing any results, and on your own, it may take several weeks or even months before any benefit is felt.
An experienced practitioner on the other hand, can speed this process up. He can bring the novice meditator to a meditative state of complete relaxation at the first session and help advance a person quickly to a point that he/she will be able to meditate on their own in a very short time.