Pros and Cons of Meditation

Some years ago I read a New York Times article about research on the effects of meditation on the brain — and it struck a chord in me. This study is the first to document meditation-produced increases over time in the brain’s gray matter.
I was delighted to read that my daily “sitting” practice benefits my brain since I have the Alzheimer’s gene and I believe meditation is one of the things assisting me in keeping that APOE-e4 gene in the “off” position.

However, as pointed out in the article, there have already been numerous research studies showing that meditation can significantly help with symptoms of depression and anxiety; that it can reverse memory loss; that it can help alleviate impotence caused by worry; that it can significantly relieve chronic pain and that it can provide improved sleep, blood pressure, sense of well-being and quality of life.

The article was very interesting, if a bit one-sided. After all, wasn’t all the emphasis on the pros of meditating with no mention of the cons? After five decades of meditation (in earlier decades my practice was sporadic), I’ve discovered there are some things that you can’t do when you meditate daily.

You can’t squash bugs anymore. You automatically grab the clear plastic cup and postcard for their trip outdoors.
You can’t worry that you might outlive your money or break a hip or get Alzheimer’s because meditation jams up the worry-works in your brain.

You can’t eat a steady diet of junk food because your expanded awareness makes you crave healthy, delicious food. On the other hand, meditation keeps you from being anal about it and lets you eat a cholesterol-laden, juicy cheeseburger once in a while – without guilt.

You can’t be grumpy no matter how hard you try. Silly? Yes. But grouchy and grumpy can’t stand that bliss and they’re out of there.

You can’t say, “Not tonight, dear. I have a headache,” because meditation keeps your libido from finding out what they say about hormones after menopause.

You can’t hold a grudge because meditation makes everyone a mirror for what you need to examine inside yourself.
You can’t yell “Turn down that rock ‘n roll!” to your grandson because your feet are already dancing.

You can’t be a couch potato in front of the TV for hours because meditation makes your creative juices explode and you can hardly keep your pen or paintbrush moving fast enough.

You can’t feel lonely or isolated, even if your partner divorced you or died, because meditation makes you feel whole and complete within yourself. Besides, you get the feeling there’s a spirit buddy always hanging around, one who really cares about you.

And lastly you can’t grow old because all the cells in your body are just too darned happy.

Ellen Wood of Questa, known artistically as Maruska, is an award-winning author celebrated for her transformative book series, The Secret Method for Growing Younger. Her latest release, Five Tibetan Rites – The Right Way, continues her mission to inspire youthfulness. All titles are available at www.growyoungerwithEllenWood.com.
To connect with Ellen directly, email her at ellen@howtogrowyounger.com.