By Eloise Ducker
Say your Oms more confidently. Here are some science-supported facts about meditation. Read on to find out—is meditation making your life better or not?
We are bombarded with health and well-being solutions everyday.
All claim to be the answer to the particular malady in question.
And this is great, in some ways, as we are each unique. So by nature, many routes are needed on the path to vibrant health.
Few of those solutions, however, are so rich in benefits and connect to the core of a being they can broadly support many, in a variety of ways.
Meditation is one of those rare few.
Whoever you are, you can benefit from a meditation practice. And for the skeptics out there, the meditation research shows this. It’s why millions of meditators around the world use it as their ‘go-to’ well-being fix.
Here, as we explore the scientifically validated benefits of meditation, you’ll start to wonder why you don’t spend all day in meditation!
Is there anything meditation cannot do?!
From anxiety, depression, and stress reduction, to improved sleep and immune function, smoking cessation, reduced blood pressure, enhanced brain health, chronic pain management, and more—meditation serves as a powerful mind-body tool for a diverse range of needs. Study after study shows that practicing meditation regularly (i.e. daily meditation!) can significantly enhance your physiological and psychological state.
Are all meditation techniques made equal?
Researchers have concluded that further studies are needed into specific meditation techniques and their subsequent benefits on participants. Currently, many studies view meditation as a generic practice—that all effects are equal—but it’s important to recognize that different techniques produce different results.
There’s mindfulness meditation, breath-based meditation, loving kindness meditation, transcendental meditation, guided meditation—to name a few! And what’s rare is to find scientific studies that focus on the benefits of a specific meditation practice, but they do exist.
What type of meditation is backed by science?
There are a few, and SKY Breath Meditation (SKY) is one of them. Over 100 independent studies conducted on four continents, and published in peer-reviewed journals, have demonstrated a comprehensive range of benefits from practicing SKY. This breath-based meditation technique has been scientifically validated to support you in many ways.
What are the research-backed benefits of SKY Breath Meditation?
Stress reduction: Stress has been shown to either cause or aggravate 80% of all disease, so in terms of managing health—it’s vital to get this in check! Research shows that after just two weeks of practicing SKY, meditators had a 56% reduction in the stress hormone cortisol—with results from the very first session. SKY also lowers cholesterol and blood pressure—which we’ll explore below.
Anxiety and depression reduction: The surge in mental health is at an all-time high. But there’s good news. From the very first SKY Breath Meditation session, research shows the well-being hormone prolactin begins to notably increase. And within one month, which is shorter than the average time for drug therapy, the studies show there is a 68 to 80% remission rate for both depression and anxiety. But will it work for you? Research has demonstrated that SKY provides a uniform rapid response among people who practice the technique. Whether it be emotion regulation or stress reduction, the studies into SKY show that it works.
Improved sleep: Studies indicate that SKY significantly enhances deep sleep, plus combats two elements that damage sleep quality—stress and anxiety. Stress suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, and SKY protects melatonin production by reducing the stress hormone cortisol. Plus, published research shows that people who practice SKY enjoy more youthful sleep and spend more time in the deeper stages of sleep than others their age. SKY provides an anti-aging, energizing boost!
Immune support: Natural Killer cells are the first line of defense in our immune system against foreign invaders—and research demonstrates that the number of Natural Killer cells produced by our immune system is considerably higher in people who practice SKY than the population at large. Additionally, research showed lymphocyte count significantly increased in SKY practitioners, more than fivefold in just six weeks, compared with the control group, which suggests enhanced immune function.
Heart health: SKY lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, and cortisol levels—a boon for heart health! Independent research has shown that when SKY is practiced by both healthy individuals and those already suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure), there's a significant drop in both heart rate and blood pressure in as little as 15 days. A recent study out of the University of Arizona/Harvard showed SKY practitioners showed fewer cardiac signs of stress before a stressful event and observable reductions in anxiety and depression (more than other techniques such as mindfulness meditation)—which all impact the heart.
Brain health: Imagine going through life with sharp mental focus, which surpasses that of medical researchers! This was seen in a study that compared SKY meditators to medical researchers and the effect of practicing meditation on brain activity. They discovered the SKY participants had greater mental focus, indicated by an EEG than the control group of medical doctors and researchers, and they also had an increase in alpha waves—found within the slow, relaxing meditative state. Additionally, SKY has been documented to increase the brain protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), responsible for laying down new neurons, new brain cells.
Life satisfaction: A recent Yale study supported previous independent studies that showed SKY significantly increased those qualities that make life most worth living—happiness, serenity, optimism, energy levels, social connection, and quality of life.
Emma Seppälä Ph.D., co-director of the Yale College Emotional Intelligence Project, shares her insights and research into this breath-based meditation technique. Watch here
In conclusion, there are many practices out there, but if you want a specific technique that’s been scientifically validated to positively impact your mental and physical health, then it is worth exploring SKY Breath Meditation.
If you’d like a taste of what to expect, join this free workshop, Beyond Breath, and discover how you can benefit from SKY and improve your mind-body well-being for life.
And whilst meditation offers SO many benefits to SO many people, it is by no means the solution to everything—but it makes an incredible start and one that can be sustained to support you for the rest of your life. It also gives you a solid foundation to metaphorically weather storms, raging seas, a random wave that momentarily knocks you off course, or just day to day surface ripples. Meditation gives you strength and stability.
The research shows it is a tool that works. Many of us need something in our lives that offers a buffer to or helps us manage the mental and physical consequences of living in the craze of contemporary society. Meditation is it.
See you there.
Eloise Ducker is a freelance copywriter and yoga teacher dedicated to creating space for people to breathe and find ease, wherever they are.
Disclaimer: This content on the Art of Living Blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, Any links to third-party websites are provided as a convenience only and the Art of Living Blog is not responsible for their content.
