Meditation and High Blood Preassure
June 13th, 2009 6:39 amA few months ago my doctor informed me that I was suffering from heart disease and high blood pressure. I knew something wasn’t right for sometime. I had been suffering from dizzy spells and chest pains but somehow I was excusing it all to heart burn.
I had recently turned fifty and had often joked that fifty was the new thirty. So what happened to 30, I asked my doctor? According to me, I had many years to go. Not so much according to my doctor if I didn’t do something to change my health.
The standard approach is to prescribe blood pressure medication or beta blockers. I researched the effects of beta blockers and other typical medications but felt uncomfortable going down that road. I really believed that this was something that had been brought on by my behavior and somehow, by modifying my behavior, I could change it.
My first approach was to focus changing my diet to include more fruits and vegetables and less fats. I followed by trying to add some low impact exercise to my routine. Both of these changes went a long way towards helping me feel better about myself and healthier in general. They didn’t however, lower my blood pressure.
I heard about a nearby workshop on meditation. I had also heard about the possible benefit of meditation to blood pressure. I decided to give meditation a try before giving up and going the beta blockers my doctor had suggested.
I have to say, that results I experienced were amazing. I learned in the workshops that the first stage in learning to meditate is to stop the distractions and try to clear our minds. At first, it was really difficult to clear my mind of those everyday distractions but after a while I got the hang of it and entered into a wonderful place of calmness.
Because of the meditation, I am happy to say that my blood pressure is currently under control. Granted, I needed to take a global approach to tackle my overall health issues but the most important step I took was to begin meditating. I can’t say enough about the overall health benefits of this timeless and simple approach to healthy and conscious living.
