“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”,

The words of Yogacharya BK Iyengar entrancingly describe the essential relationship between meditation and health.

As per World Health Organization, in 2019, 301 million people were living with an anxiety disorder including 58 million children and adolescents, 280 million people with depression, including 23 million children and adolescents.[1] This makes one essentially ponder, what are we missing upon? And where are we heading towards? Today the world is trapped in the devastating clutches of chronic illnesses like hypertension, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, chronic pain, addictions, mental health issues and many more. Though these problems seem complicated but the solution isn't always a difficult one, sometimes the solution lies in simple but highly effective practices like Yoga and meditation.

As per a study, even though India is the birthplace of yoga, most Indians do not practise it. About a third of Indians (35%) say they ever practice yoga, with just 13% doing so weekly or more often.[2] Surprising, isn't it? It is probably because we aren't aware enough of the benefits of meditation that can truly act as an effective medication in many situations or can at least speed up the process of healing. None of this is theoretical, studies have proven that meditation improves blood circulation and respiration, and increases the release of endorphins in our body, enhancing our overall well-being.

In a world where every other person is falling prey to hypertension, studies show that Yoga has a modest but significant effect on systolic blood pressure.[3] Why do we always expect miracles to come through the farther doors and not from the ones closer and easier for us to access? To be effective, does it always have to be a complex thing?

A peaceful mind can heal a painful heart, and a peaceful heart resides in a mindful body. As per another study, pervasiveness and burden of chronic pain have dramatically increased expenditures for steroid injections (over 629%) and opioid treatments (over 423%). The widespread use of opioids to alleviate chronic pain has led to an opioid epidemic.[4] Isn't this scary, how a large population is living with pain through a major phase of their life which is so detrimental to the quality of life? The lifestyle that we are heading towards has serious health implications and is imprisoning us behind bars for drugs and medications. If something as simple as mindful breathing exercises can benefit people with chronic pain, isn't it truly a boon? Yes it is, a study has unveiled the fact that there is a significant effect on blood serum β-endorphins, IL-6, and TNF-α levels of yoga participants helping them in pain relief.[5] Not only this, but just like food for thought is philosophy, thought for food is equally important which means we should think and wisely eat what we eat and not just anything. Meditation and yoga affect our lifestyles in a way which helps motivate us to eat healthier, which is yet another mechanism of how meditation is an effective medication to stay healthy and avoid pills in the long term.

The concept of Yoga has been inculcated in our culture since centuries. It is considered one of the six Vedic philosophies. Right from the time of Maharishi Patanjali, the father of Yoga, to many more gurus like Swami Shivanand, Yogananda, BK Iyengar etc have bestowed Indian culture with the gift of knowledge of meditation practice and its importance. The usefulness of meditation is such that it can benefit all age groups, be they children, adolescents, adults or elderly. Today when 64 million people worldwide suffer from substance use disorders[6], it should be noted that research shows that mindfulness practice can deconstruct the experience of craving into its cognitive, affective, and sensorial components.[7] Hence, meditation is the need of the hour for the youth, serving as the best medicine to rehabilitate and to prevent indulgence. Just like light conquers darkness, mindfulness conquers ignorance.

Coming to the elderly population, among the many benefits, studies also show that regular yoga practice not only helps maintain bone density and reduce fracture risk but also significantly improves the quality of life and physical-functional capacity of older adults.[8]

As Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam has wisely said, “Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.” The art of meditation, I believe should be preferably inculcated right from childhood. A study revealed that in 2022, 12.3% of children and adolescents aged 4–17 years had practiced yoga in the past 12 months.[9] Wouldn't building the habit of mindful meditation in children help them improve focus, concentration and discipline in life? This will in turn help them develop patience and tolerance and as they grow up as adults, they'll be able to manage their relationships, academics and professional life more efficiently, leaving no space for mental health crises to creep in. It'll hence serve as a medicine for the entire society, curing social evils as well.

But the problem arises in understanding how to increase awareness among the population. Initiatives taken today are the profits of tomorrow. The theme for the World Meditation Day 2024 celebrated every year on 21st December is ‘Inner Peace, Global Harmony’ which portrays that meditation holds importance not merely in creating mental peace at individual level. When people will be able to think better, work better they will be able to live in harmony at the global level as well. Just as the theme for National Yoga Day 2024 (21st June) conveys “Yoga for Self and Society.”

Our honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wisely said, “Yoga is adaptable to your age, gender and fitness level. Yoga is portable and is truly universal.” Even our new World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju and his coaches have emphasized on the fact that he used to practise meditation before his matches to help him perform better. When social figures in this way propagate the benefits that meditation has for our mind and body, it definitely helps one ponder and take a step ahead.

As Hippocrates has rightly pointed, “Health is the greatest of human blessings.”, we must all take initiative at individual level to propagate health. It can be simply done by inspiring a friend to practise daily fifteen minutes of mindful meditation or motivating our parents to begin their day with simple yoga exercises, explaining our children the benefits of meditation at an early age itself. But just like charity begins at home, a healthy initiative begins from our own body. As the famous meditation acronym goes ‘STOP’, we must Stop, Take a breath, Observe, and Proceed mindfully. Daily few minutes of such investment, help us focus and accept ourselves better, think calmly, avoid anger gracefully, forgive easily, eat mindfully, and learn wisely. The Sanskrit shloka wonderfully conveys, “योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्” which means Yoga is excellence in action, hence I would summarize this topic with my little octave-

“To breathe with awareness,
To wake up with hope,
For the energy we harness,
Helps us heal and cope.
A moment for mind,
A moment for body,
A deep breath now,
Are we all ready?”

- Snehi Surendra Singh

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Reference:

1. World Health Organization: WHO. (2022, June 8). Mental disorders. https://www.who.int
2. Mitchell, T., & Mitchell, T. (2023, September 19). 7. Religious practices. Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. https://www.pewresearch.org
3. Hagins, M., States, R., Selfe, T., & Innes, K. (2013). Effectiveness of Yoga for Hypertension: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013, 1–13. https://doi.org
4. Zeidan, F., & Vago, D. R. (2016). Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1373(1), 114–127. https://doi.org
5. Estevao, C. (2022). The role of yoga in inflammatory markers. Brain Behavior & Immunity - Health, 20, 100421. https://doi.org
6. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. (n.d.). https://pib.gov.in
7. Priddy, S. E., Howard, M. O., Hanley, A. W., Riquino, M. R., Friberg-Felsted, K., & Garland, E. L. (2018). Mindfulness meditation in the treatment of substance use disorders and preventing future relapse: neurocognitive mechanisms and clinical implications. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, Volume 9, 103–114. https://doi.org
8. Sciencedirect Article https://www.sciencedirect.com
9. QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 4–17 Years Who Practiced Yoga During the Past 12 Months,† by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey,§ United States, 2022. (2023). MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 72(46), 1279. https://doi.org