The word “meditation” is used loosely and inaccurately these days, which is why most people are confused about how to practice it. Many people use the word “meditate” when they actually mean that they are contemplating or thinking about something. Others use it as a reference to fantasizing or daydreaming. The truth is that meditation is none of these.
So, what exactly is meditation?
Meditation is a precise and excellent way to relax the mind and body. It allows you to attain a state of consciousness that is completely different from your normal waking state. It is not any type of religion, but rather a science that makes a person inwardly focused, clears the mind and has a calming effect on the body.
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While meditating, the person is alert and fully awake, but their mind is not focused on the outside world or on events happening around them.
When meditating, you are required to lie or sit down, relax and ignore the thoughts that float in and out of your mind. In general, it is an activity that slows down the heart rate and breathing, reduces blood pressure, lowers stress levels, improves digestive function and decreases tension in the body.
Meditation is a gentle activity that offers many benefits, both mental and physical, for anyone and highly recommended for senior citizens.
Ways in which seniors benefit from meditation
Studies show that in general, meditation helps to decrease inflammation and blood pressure. There is also data that shows its ability to improve coronary heart disease as well as reducing post-traumatic stress disorder, headaches, and chronic pain. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, meditation is also known to help with reducing irritable bowel symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
There are a number of areas of research that appear especially beneficial for seniors, including:
Memory– regular meditation is shown to enhance both long-and short-term memory. It helps the senior’s brain maintain the ability to store current memories and as they grow older.
Cognitive decline — it is believed that meditation could help in the preservation of cognitive function in seniors who are beginning to struggle with memory and cognition. It is linked to maintaining function longer than those who do not practice meditation. Meditation is also believed to have a positive effect on memory, executive function, attention, general cognition, and processing speed.
Circulation and digestion — in one study conducted, it was found that those who meditated regularly had improved oxygen and circulation in their blood. This, for the elderly, is especially important, since digestion and circulation issues are common problems that arise during the aging process. The deep breathing exercises associated with meditation improve circulation and blood oxygen by sending help to all the organs, including the intestines and stomach.
Once they start meditating regularly, elderly persons who have digestive problems will notice the significant difference immediately, in their digestive system’s efficiency. In addition to this, the extra boost that meditation gives to their blood oxygen will help to improve their immune system, develop better circulation and heal the lungs.
Stress — practicing meditation is shown to reduce stress and develop a sense of calmness in the elderly. This can help seniors to better organize their thinking and give them a clearer perspective, improve their focus and develop a sharp mind. Long-term stress for seniors can be caused by a number of things, including disability, the loss of a spouse, or chronic illness. End-of-life anxiety and stress, the two major quality of life and aging factors, are reduced significantly once they start meditating.
Loneliness — in a study conducted in 2012 and published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, senior citizens showed a decrease in feelings of loneliness after eight weeks of regular mindfulness meditation.
In other studies, it was also noticed that some elderly patients who meditate regularly, were able to reduce certain medications, like antidepressants and antihypertensives, as their stress, depression and blood pressure levels decreased. It was also found that after meditating, the seniors experienced increased peace, a greater sense of well-being and a better quality of life in general.
Still more reasons why seniors should be introduced to meditation
Research shows that practicing meditation regularly not only reduces blood pressure, but it can also help to boost productivity and increase feelings of happiness as well. It is excellent for seniors in particular, for the following reasons:
• No physical activity is required to meditate. Even the elderly who are inactive can participate since just about every style of meditation can be performed while lying down or sitting in a chair. In short, meditation is ideal for those with limited mobility.
• It reduces confusion and stress levels. If you are caring for someone with dementia or the early stages of Alzheimer’s, meditation will keep them calm and reduce their stress levels and feelings of confusion.
• It keeps the brain healthy. Although the aging process cannot be stopped, the effects of aging can often be slowed down. The development of the early stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia in seniors is reduced with regular meditation exercises.
• Feelings of depression are decreased. There is always a risk of depression and loneliness in seniors as their needs change. In these situations, meditating can help them a lot, to accept these changes without becoming withdrawn. Meditation stimulates the pre-frontal cortex (the “feel-good” part of the brain), so those suffering from depression will benefit tremendously by including meditation in their daily lives. By increasing the feelings of happiness in their mind, the elderly will develop a new enthusiasm for life.
• It focuses and sharpens the mind. Meditation can make the senior years equally as rewarding as other phases of life when mental alertness is increased and the person becomes a well-functioning member of society. Quicker wit, better focus and more creativity are just some of the improvements resulting from meditation. It is in fact, considered to be much more effective than doing crossword puzzles.
Best meditation styles for seniors
The wide variety of meditation styles available to choose from can be overwhelming.
Following are those which, according to the experts, are best for seniors. If the one you start off with doesn’t work, then give the others a try. With a little time and effort, you’ll find the one that works best for you.
iRest Yoga Nidra®: Developed by Richard C. Miller Ph.D., to help reduce PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Also known as iRest Mindfulness Meditation, this style of meditation helps to release negative thought patterns and emotions, relaxes the nervous system and develops an incredible ability to cope with any and all circumstances you might face in life. However, it is a style that will benefit anyone, that you can do with your senior either lying down or sitting in a chair.
Transcendental Meditation®: This powerful meditation style was introduced to America by Maharashi Mahesh Yogi. It’s a simple style that requires two 20-minute sessions of meditation per day. It involves focusing on a sound or word (like “om” or “peace”) that is repeated over and over again. If you’re just starting with meditation, then look for a certified meditation teacher in your area to give you advice.
Mantra Meditation: Chanting mantras to meditate is almost the same as counting the beads on a rosary. Most of these chanting meditations activities can be carried out in 30, 10, or even as short a time as 5 minutes. You can find out from your local meditation teacher how long he/she recommends you do this one with your senior, especially if the senior is sound-sensitive.
Breathing meditation: One of the most profound and deepest styles is meditating on the breath, since all that is required is lying or sitting still while breathing in and out deeply. Make sure to count when doing this style, to keep the exhalations and inhalations the same length.
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Mindfulness meditation: with this style, you have to concentrate on the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) are offshoots of this form of meditation. MBSR helps to reduce stress and MBCT helps to cope with emotional stressors.
Body scan: for this form of meditation, you must concentrate on each part of the body at a time, investigating its sensations, like the feeling where it touches the bed, whether there is tingling or pain and whether it is hot or cold.
Getting started
Anyone can start a meditation program whenever they want to, even without their doctor’s approval.
The great thing about meditation for the elderly, is that they can do it while lying in bed or sitting in a chair. Research shows that meditating while sitting or lying down still provides all the same benefits as it does for those who do it when sitting on the floor.
It is best for those seniors with hearing impairment to sit close to the instructor so they can hear the directions.
Guided meditation is recommended for those with cognitive decline. It involves plenty of queuing, so the patient won’t have to think too hard to get through the meditation instructions.
The one thing to consider is to determine whether or not a meditation style suits the patient’s needs. For instance, if he or she has trouble sleeping, then a style that would help them to relax, like a body scan, is recommended. The body scan can be done while lying in bed. It’s easy for the senior to do and it will help to release stress, calm them down and help them to fall asleep.
How you as caregiver, can also benefit from meditation
Even though being a caregiver is rewarding, it can also be extremely stressful. Fortunately, there is a way – in the form of mindfulness meditation that can help a lot to relieve the anxiety associated with being a caregiver. Image may be NSFW.
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It will promote a feeling of well-being to enable the caregiver to do their job properly without becoming overwhelmed. Including meditation in your daily activities will benefit you in the following ways:
Reduced feelings of stress — While many people report that meditation leaves them feeling more relaxed, recent studies conducted show that mindfulness meditation actually results in physical changes in the body that reduce stress levels as well. The purpose of the study was to find a link between mindfulness and the production of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress. Data from this study found that the levels of cortisol had lowered in those participants whose levels of mindfulness had increased.
It is a healthy way to calm your emotions — there is no doubt that being a caregiver can be both mentally and physically exhausting. It is at these times when people sometimes turn to things like alcohol and food to help them feel more relaxed after having an emotionally draining day. While food and alcohol can help for a few hours, they are unhealthy and can be potentially harmful to the body. Mindfulness meditation on the other hand, with practice, can restore emotional balances in a much healthier way than indulging in food and alcohol.
Mindfulness meditation helps to increase compassion — although compassion is an asset to everyone, it is even more important to those who provide care to others. Research has shown that meditation increases the probability that people who practice it regularly, will be compassionate, act virtuously and do good things to and for others.
More specifically, studies show that people who meditate are more eager to do what they can to relieve the suffering in others, than people who do not meditate. There are some people who say that those who take on the role as caregiver for a loved one, or decide to do it as a career, are naturally exceptionally compassionate. Even though this might be true, a person certainly needs more compassion when they are caring for someone who constantly needs help with their normal daily activities.
These are just a few ways that you as a caregiver can benefit from including mindfulness meditation to your daily schedule. Make it a part of your daily routine and not only will your job as a caregiver become more satisfying, but the person to whom you are the caregiver, will benefit from your relaxed and incredibly compassionate and caring nature as well.