Meditation Versus Medication – New Study Says Follow Your Breath

I'm not sure why meditation still hasn't become a regular part of my routine.

When I do it, I feel better. Usually that's enough for me to establish a pattern. Though I've tried numerous times to make it a regular part of my life, I still haven't fully integrated it.

One of the main reasons I enjoy yoga is because of the way it links breath to movement. To be sure, when I am attempting to pretzel myself into very difficult poses, the indicating factor of whether or not I will succeed is if I am focused on my breathing.

Meditation is essentially like that. It asks us to bring our focus to our breath, the original life force, without which none of  us are here. The need for it is more omnipresent than the need for food, water, or even safety. We can be in great danger, but if our breath goes unrestricted, we always have the chance to make it through.

In dealing with the stresses life throws our way, meditation has come up again and again as one of the best ways to make peace in my mind. A recent Forbes article that cites a UCLA study and others has come out that puts meditation neck and neck for effectiveness with medication.

A review study last year at Johns Hopkins looked at the relationship between mindfulness meditation and its ability to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and pain. Researcher Madhav Goyal and his team found that the effect size of meditation was moderate, at 0.3. If this sounds low, keep in mind that the effect size for antidepressants is also 0.3, which makes the effect of meditation sound pretty good. Meditation is, after all an active form of brain training. “A lot of people have this idea that meditation means sitting down and doing nothing,” says Goyal. “But that’s not true. Meditation is an active training of the mind to increase awareness, and different meditation programs approach this in different ways.” Meditation isn’t a magic bullet for depression, as no treatment is, but it’s one of the tools that may help manage symptoms.

I have used Oprah and Deepak Chopra's free meditation programs in the past, and they did help me to practice on a more regular basis. At least for 21 days. They offer a free email meditation program every couple of months.

I've done it a few times, and have never done it for the 21 days straight. I blame that on all sorts of things, but my real problem is probably that I'm still looking to blame something besides myself for anything that happens to me.

Well, I'm going to give it another go. Someday, I hope to be in a routine where I wake up, practice a little yoga, meditate, and enjoy some quiet time before I start my day. That is my goal, and I'll keep after it until I achieve it.

Then I'll figure out something else to try.