BENEFITS OF SILENT MIND MEDITATION
A recent study by three researchers at the University of Sydney has found ‘a relatively robust and consistent relationship between the meditative experience of mental silence and health, especially mental health’.
Surprisingly, this was the first study to survey aimed at assessing health and quality of life in long term meditators. The researchers concluded:
Long-term Sahaja Yoga meditation practitioners appear to experience better quality of life and functional health than the general population.
Perhaps most importantly is the observation that there appears to be a relatively robust and consistent relationship between the meditative experience of mental silence and health, especially mental health. Based on the premise and findings of this study, these observations necessarily apply to practitioners of mental silence-orientated forms of meditation of which Sahaja Yoga is an example. Taking into account the fact that two well-designed RCTs of mental silence also demonstrated significant effects on both mental and physical health parameters compared to active controls, the association between the subjectively reported experience of mental silence and health observed in this study is likely to be causal. Hence this survey data suggests that such approaches to meditation may have a potentially valuable role in primary mental health prevention.
​
As a practitioner of a silent mind style of meditation for ten years I am always thrilled to pass on this simple yet powerful tool to my clients. If you are interested in learning to meditate contact me and we can find the perfect style for you.
​
Quality of Life and Functional Health Status of Long-Term Meditators, Ramesh Manocha, Deborah Black, and Leigh Wilson, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2012 (2012)
​