A Little Meditation Goes a Long Way
Dec 7th, 2007 by Academics Plus Tutoring
We’ve all heard the reports that meditation helps reduce stress. We’ve touted the monks and the dedicated meditators for their dedication and focus. But how many of us can meditate for an hour a day, every day for 10, 20, 30 years to reap the benefits? Well, we probably all could if we really wanted to, but many don’t. Most of us are caught up in our daily lives and don’t feel like we have enough time to sit still and chill. What if we were to tell you that you only needed to dedicate 20 minutes a day, for 5 days to see results? And not only in terms of increasing your ability to control your level of stress but also to improve attention and mood? You’d listen, wouldn’t you? Well then, listen up.
A group of researchers at the University of Oregon and in China revealed that undergraduates in China trained in the integrative body-mind training (IBMT) technique of meditation showed significant improvements in levels of stress, attention and mood when compared to individuals who received relaxation, but not meditation, training. More specifically, those trained in IBMT were better able to resolve conflict on an attention task and showed lower levels of anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue after only 5 days. In addition, these individuals released decreased amounts of the stress hormone cortisol and greater immunoreactivity following an acute stressor. How cool is that?
What’s also cool about IBMT is that it integrates several key components of body and mind techniques including body relaxation, breathing adjustment, mental imagery, and mindfulness training. It may be that this integration is what makes it so successful in such a short period of time. However, the researchers who conducted this study also suggest that having a qualified coach is essential to the effective practice of this type of meditation and assert that further studies need to be conducted to fully test the findings documented in this article. To read more on this study, click here.
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