Cardiovascular activity
The positive effects of meditation are also found in some cardiovascular outcomes. For example, one research observed how formal practice improved some parameters related to cardiovascular well-being, such as High Frequencies (HF), a frequency-domain parameter of heart rate variability (HRV) that mainly reflects activity. parasympathetic or vagal and which, when reduced, is configured as a predictor of cardiovascular mortality (Krygier et al., 2013). According to another research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular quality and outcomes, those who practiced Vipassana meditation on a daily basis were 48% less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, compared to those who had attended an education course in Vipassana. health that lasted five years where diet and exercise were considered.

The Relaxation Response (RR)
Several studies have reported that the elicitation of a RR represents an effective therapeutic intervention to reduce the adverse clinical effects related to some stress-related disorders, such as hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

RR occurs when an individual focuses on a word, a sound, a phrase, a prayer, a movement, ignoring everyday thoughts. These 2 steps, namely the concentration on a particular action and the shift of attention from conscious thoughts, causes an interruption in the flow of consciousness.

There are millenary mind-body relaxation practices capable of inducing RR (transcendental meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong and some ritual prayers) and more recent and equally effective practices such as progressive muscle relaxation, Biofeedback and Mindfulness.

In a recent work published in the journal "Plos ONE", the genes whose expression is modulated by various relaxation practices, such as yoga, ritual prayer, meditation or biofeedback, were studied. The results showed that both the group of experienced practitioners and the group of trained novices reported variations in gene expression. The Relaxation Response, in fact, increases the expression of some genes related to energy metabolism, mitochondrial functions, insulin secretion; the same Relaxation Response is also able to reduce the expression of genes related to inflammatory and stress responses.

Pain
According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience and conducted by a group of researchers from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Sale (USA), meditation has an analgesic power.

In fact, the results showed a reduction in pain perception quantified between 40% and 93% during meditation, accompanied by a decrease of about 57% in the subjective perception of annoyance and displeasure resulting from suffering. Neuro-imaging scans have identified in the brain a substantial reduction in the activity of the somato-sensory cortex known to be involved in the genesis of pain. In addition, other brain areas involved in painful perception were activated: the anterior cingulate, the anterior insula and the orbito-frontal cortex. This circuit processes the pain signals, defining the duration and intensity of the perceived pain.

Sensomotor learning
Zen meditation would also have effects on learning processes as demonstrated by researchers from Ruhr-University Bochum and Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich.

The study was conducted during a Zen meditation retreat of practitioners with several years of experience: the retreat involved complete silence with 8 hours of meditation per day.

All the subjects practiced a meditation characterized by conscious attention to their thoughts, internal states and external stimuli. In addition, some participants were asked to meditate for two hours a day focusing on the sensations of the index finger of the right hand, training awareness of perceptions and sensations related to this specific part of the body.

In the pre- and post-assessment phases, the level of tactile perception was quantitatively assessed by means of an index that measures how far two stimuli must be in order to be discriminated as two distinct sensations. The results showed that practitioners who had meditated for a period of time on their right finger showed significant improvements (about 17%) in the tactile acuity of the index finger of the right hand compared to the control group, an increase comparable to the consequent changes. training and physical-body stimulation.

Brooding
Thanks to meditation techniques it would be easier to focus on the present moment. The confirmation of this data, already known in the relevant scientific literature, comes from a study by a research group of the Department of Psychiatry of the Yale University School of Medicine. The contribution of this research lies in having identified that through some meditation techniques it is possible to "turn off" a specific area of ​​the brain, indicated in the study as the Default Mode Network (DMN), considered capable of generating that continuous emergence of ideas and thoughts (brooding) that somehow interferes with what you are doing at that moment.

This activity of automatic thought production is present for about half of the waking time, and can bring to light unpleasant memories and contribute to the emergence of worries for the future, thus creating a state of anxiety and depression in the person.

Three different meditation techniques were considered in the study:

1. AWARENESS: this technique consists in paying attention moment by moment to what is happening, to what comes to the consciousness of the practitioner himself, without trying to change the thought or sensation that has just arrived but simply accepting it.

2. CONCENTRATION: the practitioner must concentrate on the breath, perceiving the air entering and leaving the nose, the belly filling and emptying, and whenever a thought arises in his mind he is invited to observe it with kindness and, later, to let it go without attaching itself to it.

3. LOVE-KINDNESS: in this technique the practitioner must visualize a situation in which he desired the good of someone significant to him, using this mental image and then desiring the good of others.

The results of this study open up interesting scenarios for the use of meditation in the treatment of attention deficit disorder. Furthermore, even in Alzheimer's patients there is a hyperactivation of DMN which could support the deposition of beta-amyloid in brain cells. The use of meditative techniques could normalize the activity of the DMN, protecting the patient from the symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Compassion
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have shown that thanks to meditation techniques, it is possible to become more compassionate and kinder to others. Compassion seems to be something that can be improved with training and practice. Adults can be trained in compassion. To date, little is known in scientific terms about the human potential to cultivate compassion - the emotional state whereby we are driven to selflessly care for those who suffer or are in a disadvantaged condition.

A new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Waisman Center shows that by training a group of young adults in compassionate meditation, an ancient Buddhist technique for increasing caring for people in pain, it is actually possible to support this disposition. in the subjects.

Creative Thinking
Some meditation techniques can promote the development of creative thinking, even in people who have never practiced any type of meditation.
The practice of meditation exercises affects some aspects of human cognition in the long term, including the way in which ideas are conceived.

During the study, the influence of different meditation techniques on two main aspects of creative thinking was investigated: divergent thinking and convergent thinking.

When we talk about divergent thinking we refer to the ability to create new ideas. This ability was assessed through the use of a defined Alternative Uses task in which participants were asked to think about as many uses as possible for a particular object, such as a pen. By convergent thinking, on the other hand, we mean the ability to trace a possible solution with reference to a specific problem. This aspect was evaluated through the presentation of a Remote Associations task in which three apparently unrelated words, such as time, hair and lengthening, were presented to the participants. The study participants were then asked to identify a possible link between these words, in this case, for example, long.

Yoga
Yoga consists of physical, respiratory and mental practices that contribute to personal well-being and can be done by everyone. The term Yoga (from "Yo" - union - and "ghan" - completeness -; alternatively from the Sanskrit yuj - join, unite -) etymologically indicates the way that, through the conjunction of the individual with the universal, leads to completeness of being. The first step for the practitioner must be to find harmony and union between the different planes of which it is composed: physical, mental and spiritual. Subsequently, the individual soul (jîvâtman) can be reunited with the universal one (paramâtman). The harmony between the floors is often altered by external situations or internal conditions. Through yoga it is possible to seek a new balance, a harmonious union with our being, in fact.

Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a process that cultivates the ability to bring attention to the present moment, awareness and acceptance of the present moment (Hanh, 1987).

The goal of mindfulness is to eliminate suffering, cultivating a deep understanding and acceptance of whatever happens through active work with one's mental states. According to the original tradition, the practice of mindfulness should allow you to pass from a state of imbalance and suffering to one of greater subjective perception of well-being, thanks to a deep knowledge of mental states and processes.

For a complete and comprehensive analysis of the effects of Mindfulness practice in the clinical and non-clinical settings, we refer you to this article.

Effects on Stress
Yoga is believed to have a beneficial effect in improving nervous system imbalances due to stress, this would explain from a neurophysiological point of view the feeling of well-being that many patients experience after practicing yoga.

For example, it was possible to detect significant differences in GABA-ergic activity between two groups of subjects, one of which had repeatedly practiced yoga sessions and the other had taken frequent walks for a period of twelve weeks. In the group of subjects who had practiced yoga, there was an increase in GABAergic activity with a consequent improvement in anxiety symptoms and a decrease in pain perception in some patients who complained in particular of lumbar pain, compared to the group who had only walked. These results would support the need to include some techniques borrowed from yoga and oriental disciplines in the “traditional” therapeutic intervention protocols.

Effects on Menopause Symptoms
According to a study by researcher Katherine Newton at Group Health Research, practicing yoga can help relieve menopausal symptoms.

A randomized research called "MeFlash" was carried out to verify whether natural approaches, including yoga, exercise and dietary fish oil intake, could alleviate the symptoms of menopause. The results of this study highlighted the importance of physical exercise which appears to be linked to a reduction in depression and insomnia. Practicing yoga has also been associated with a better quality of sleep and mood. However, it should be pointed out that the observed effects were not statistically significant.