There are so many advantages to meditation. When I first originally thought of this post, I indeed wanted to make it 100 benefits long (think big right!), however, I wasn’t sure I could find more than perhaps 20-25 benefits. Well, I made it happen! Meditation is as powerful as I thought it would be. Here is the definitive list of benefits that meditation can provide you with:

To attain a perfect state of health, one has to remain mentally calm, steady and emotionally stable.
Swasthya means health. It also means being in one's self. Swasthya or health is not just confined to the body and the mind; it has come to you as a gift from the cosmic mind or the 'Indra'.

As body, breath and mind settle, a distinctive slowing down of the overall metabolism begins to take effect. One needs to sleep less, eat less, breathe less. In fact, spontaneous slowing of breath is probably the most easily observed physical barometer of depth of samadhi. Normal adults at sea level breathe about fifteen times per minute. During seated meditation, at a middle level of shamatha, the breathing rate may drop to only two or three breaths a minute. Because shamatha practice produces such conspicuous changes in the body's function, there has recently been a good deal of physiological research on meditators. A few results of this research will be summarized here.

    Meditators' brainwaves are usually highly synchronized; typically this takes the form of increase in the alpha rhythm whose frequency ranges from eight to twelve cycles per second. This enhanced alpha production in meditators continues even when their eyes are open. In non-meditators, opening of the eyes normally stops production of alpha waves. Electromyography reveals deep muscle relaxation in spite of the upright, unsupported posture. Skin conductivity (GSR) decreases, probably indicating less sweating and hence decreased sympathetic activity. This too implies relaxation.

A group of meditators and a group of non-meditators were asked to sit quietly with electrodes attached to monitor brainwaves. A click sound was repeatedly presented to both groups. At first, both groups showed momentary "blocking" of alpha. This was as expected, for such blocking is part of the normal orienting response to a new stimulus. After several clicks, the non-meditator group no longer showed this blocking. This also is normal. They had accommodated to the stimulus: it was no longer new and fresh. But the Zen practitioners continued to momentarily block alpha with every click as if each time they were hearing the click for the first time. This fits nicely with the Zen ideal of "living in the moment." In India, a similar click experiment was done with some yogis. They showed no alpha blocking. Apparently, withdrawn in trance, they did not hear the sound.

Meditation is one of the proven alternative therapies. It can be broadly classified under the mind body medicine

More and more doctors a prescribing meditation as a way to lower blood pressure, improve exercise performance in people with angina, help people with asthma breath easier, relieve insomnia and generally relax the everyday stresses of life.meditation is a safe and simple way to balance a person’s physical, emotional and mental health. It is simple but can benefit everybody.

The use of meditation for healing is not new. Meditative techniques are the product of diverse cultures and people around the world. It has been rooted in the traditions of the world’s great religions. In fact practically all religious groups practice meditation in one form or another. The value of meditation to alleviate suffering and promote healing has been known and practiced for thousands of years.

Maternity patients with a strong religious commitment, and their newborns, have fewer medical complications than the maternity patients without religious affiliation.

A number of studies have associated a deep religious faith with an ability to cope more effectively with cancer, including breast cancer.

The young people who in the high religious category, regardless of their religious denomination, scored highest for self-esteem ,emotional maturity, and non depression.

Religious compatibility between spouses at the time of marriage has a large influence on marital stability.