May is National Meditation Month

How do you meditate? Where do you go to find silence, and solace? Do you use guided meditation? Does music accompany your ritual? Are you indoors or outside connecting with nature?

Meditation Kit: Traditional Tools to Awaken the Soul

Everyone's meditation routine is unique but we do know that for those who meditate:

• Heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and oxygen consumption are all decreased.
• Meditators are less anxious and nervous.
• Meditators were more independent and self-confident
• People who deliberated daily were less fearful of death.
• 75% of insomniacs who started a daily meditation program were able to fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed.
• Production of the stress hormone Cortisol is greatly decreased, thus making it possible for those people to deal with stress better when it occurs.
• Women with PMS showed symptom improvements after 5 months of steady daily rumination and reflection.
• Thickness of the artery walls decreased which effectively lowers the risk of heart attack or stroke by 8% to 15%.
• Relaxation therapy was helpful in chronic pain patients.
• 60% of anxiety prone people showed marked improvements in anxiety levels after 6-9 months.
  (stats from Project-Meditation.org)

Mandala Publishing has a variety of books and guides to help you get into a meditation ritual and keep you feeling refreshed. Sign up for our email newsletter to receive up to date information on our latest publications and news on our upcoming titles.