May 4th, 2005 by Steve Pavlina 
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Meditation Linked With Longer Life
… transcendental meditation practitioners had:
A 23% reduction in the rate of death from all causes.
A 30% reduction in the rate of death from cardiovascular disease.
A 49% reduction in the rate of death from cancer.
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May 4th, 2005 at 4:09 pm
Ah. But how does one “do” transcendental meditation? And how does a beginner avoid the charlatans that are looking to cash in on western infatuation with eastern philosophies?
May 4th, 2005 at 7:24 pm
Try doing a search on Google to find instructions on how to meditate if you don’t already know how. Or pick up a copy of Meditation for Dummies (yes there is such a book). There are many different forms of meditation, but the basics are very simple. Then go try it for 15 minutes. It’s free, and most people enjoy it. I find it relaxing and refreshing.
I’ve bought a few books and tapes on meditation over the years, and I attended a couple classes, but in total I’ve spent less than $100 in my whole life on this, and I feel all of it was well spent. It’s certainly not an expensive hobby, and you needn’t spend a dime on it. I like using meditation tapes now and then for variety, but they certainly aren’t necessary.
May 4th, 2005 at 9:27 pm
And they should add the eternal life after achieving the nirvana to these statistics
I would really recommend any of the Osho’s books. For meditation instructions I would pick Meditation : The First and Last Freedom.
Or just sit in any comfortable position and put out all instructions. Just be and follow your breath very carefully. Observe, contemplate without any thinking, without judging of what’s happening. Without thinking: now I exhale and now inhale. Just do it and feel it. And don’t think how you should be sitting, how your breath should be long etc. Breath as normal as you are doing everyday. This is called vippasana that Buddha taught.
Sorry for my english, my selfish mind is just trying to be helpful
May 4th, 2005 at 9:33 pm
1) Why one should try to live longer? What for?
2) Isn’t it already written in the stars how long everyone of us will live?
May 4th, 2005 at 10:03 pm
I fully support the idea of meditation (I personally meditate 10 minutes every single day), and I also agree that it is a very cheap hobby (You can find all the information you need with a simple google search). I do have a lot of meditation books, but I tend to stick to very simple methods.
I do find the quoted statistics a bit ridicilous (the article gives them completelly out of contxt), since death rate tends to stay constant (100% of all people die)… The statistics would only be menaingful if they give a time period over which the stdy was conducted. (Just a pet peevee of mine, seeing people use statistics wrongly, even whe I agree with their conclusions)
May 4th, 2005 at 10:58 pm
I’d be always cautious when something that is supposed to help people wears a ™ sign and costs a heavy fee. Trans. Med. seems to work by putting people into trance and implementing suggestive messages. I’m not saying this is bad per se, but I’d be careful about techniques which create a deep dependency. You might not want this.
I agree with Steve: meditation should not cost anything.
May 5th, 2005 at 4:22 am
I’m interested in knowing if there has been a study that actually shows a causal relationship between meditation and longevity. It might be that those who meditate also have a lifestyle that promotes healthier living that results in the reduced afflictions. The relationship between meditation and longevity might be correated instead of causal. But, if it works…don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, heh?
May 5th, 2005 at 4:24 am
1) Why one should try to live longer? What for?
It’s a personal choice. You’re free to depart earlier if you want. As for me the longer I live, the more I can experience here, and the more I can grow. If you don’t enjoy your existence much, then you probably wouldn’t want to live longer. If you do, then longevity equals more fun.
Another reason is to Live Long Enough to Live Forever. That’s the title of a book by Ray Kurzweil.
2) Isn’t it already written in the stars how long everyone of us will live?
I can see the Big Dipper and a few other constellations, but none of them seem to spell out anything like, “Steve, you will die at age 80.”
Even if our lives are predetermined, it’s of no consequence to me because I’m not aware of the outcome. And in any event, it appears I’ve been predetermined not to believe in determinism.
May 5th, 2005 at 6:40 am
A cursory glance at the abstract shows that this was a study of about 200 elderly patients with incipient hypertension. TM appeared effective in reducing cardiovascular disease, but many other stress-reduction programs probably would be too. As to the cancer results, I am skeptical, but it would take too long to explain why.
If you are middle-aged, is it worthwhile from a physical health point of view to take up a meditation practice? In moderatin, it probably won’t hurt your health (I would avoid long periods w/o moving due to the potential for circulatory problems), and may help. Is it worth the time, as in every hour spent meditating increases your life span by more than one hour w/o decreasing quality of life (or similar criteria)? Nobody knows. Medical studies of this type tend to produce much weaker scientific evidence than research in the physical sciences. This doesn’t mean one should ignore them, but one should be cautious. Ponce de Leon never really found the fountain of youth.
May 5th, 2005 at 8:47 am
Steve, I have been enjoying your blog. Here’s something I can offer regarding meditation. The practice is called ZAZEN, and the origin is from Zen Buddhism. One can practice this without any personal subscription to the Buddhist doctrine, but the insights gained goes beyond mere health issues…
http://www.43things.com/people/progress/gochess/99802
Best regards,
gochess
May 5th, 2005 at 9:54 am
You never cease to amaze me, Steve
Quote:
“A 23% reduction in the rate of death from all causes.”
So a quarter of them are immortal, he-he
Not bad.
May 5th, 2005 at 11:22 am
I would take with a large pinch of salt any positive conclusion about the benefits of TM when it comes from the people who sell it - the author of the study was from Maharishi University. It is only one small step better than an infomertial.
May 5th, 2005 at 5:06 pm
I meditate every week. This helps me clear my mind of problems and helps me think more clearly.
However, I don’t trust any of the statistics you quotes. Why? Because, in my experience, the groups that practice meditation or yoga are so eager about pushing their practice to the rest of the world that they exagerate or even lie.
So yes, in my opinion, for me, meditation has benefits. However, I doubt that it increases my lifespan.
May 5th, 2005 at 5:40 pm
I would not necessarily compare this study to an infomercial; that’s pretty low. I am not familiar with the journal it was published in. I assume the article was peer-reviewed, but journal standards do vary, and quality does vary even with peer review. As I recall, there were several authors, only one of whom was at Maharishi U. I happen to know John Hagelin, a physicist who is on the faculty there (when he is not running for President
). While I am not familiar with his abilities as a politician or as a meditator, he is a competent scientist. The research reported should not be dismissed out of hand.
May 6th, 2005 at 4:33 am
On a light-hearted note, losing years by not meditating removes those years near the end of your life. Those are the crappy ones anyway!!
C’mon, folks…just joking!
May 6th, 2005 at 4:35 am
Related to my last comment…
It also has been shown that laughing regularly also adds years!
May 6th, 2005 at 6:11 pm
When I meditate regularly for approx 40 minutes in a day, I am able to listen to my inner voice better during the rest of wakeful hours in the day. If you are a person who believes it is more important to be effective than efficient, I can’t think of anything else more productive than meditation.
Meditate regularly for 6 months and you will see the mind-blogging magical effect it will have in your life. Believe!
May 7th, 2005 at 8:18 am
I think the mind has a lot more power over the body than we think. I think its no surprise meditation can have great health benefits, because when you relieve the mind of stress and fatigue it can better care for the body.
May 8th, 2005 at 8:57 pm
Steve’s argument for the need to live longer may not be convincing. However, Kathy Sierra elaborates on how mindful meditation can help add more hours to every single day. Now, who wouldn’t want that? Especially for those of us who cannot avoid a multi-tasking style of working…
“Practicing mindfulness is like adding more hours to your day. If you’re mindful, time slows down. You get more done, enjoy things more, and feel less stress. These are big claims, but anyone who’s practiced mindful meditation or, like me, mindfulness-hold-the-meditation-thanks, will swear it’s true.”
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/03/your_brain_on_m.html