In 2009 I will be celebrating 30 years of meditation

There are a number of known health benefits coming with the practice of meditation, such as lower blood pressure, better blood circulation, a resting heart rate that is lower, and easier breathing. On top of that, many people say they have more energy than they have had in years when they meditate regularly, as well as a more youthful appearance.


There has also been many studies to analyse these benefits scientifically. Here is a small sample (see the link to the original description):

The study, done in China, randomly assigned college undergraduate
students to 40-person experimental and control groups. The experimental
group received five days of meditation training. The control group got
five days of relaxation training. Both groups took tests that assessed
their attention and reaction to mental stress before and after their
training.

The experimental group showed greater improvement than
the control to dealing with stress. Stress was induced by mental
arithmetic. Both groups initially showed elevated release of the stress
hormone cortisol following the math task, but after training, the
experimental group showed less cortisol release, indicating a greater
ability to cope with stress. The experimental group also showed lower
levels of anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue than the control group.

And the study was only for five days. Imagine people who have been meditating for many years.

Experiment it for yourself !