Power of meditation: How this ancient tool can promote healing

Meditation is a powerful tool for reducing stress and promoting overall well-being. Regular meditation practice can lead to positive changes in gene expression, immune function, and cognitive performance. By incorporating meditation into daily life, individuals can tap into its numerous physical and mental health benefits. While this belief has always been an integral part of traditional Indian thought, now even modern medicine is waking up to the benefits of meditation. In an insightful conversation, Prof. Rima Dada, Professor in the Department of Anatomy at AIIMS New Delhi, shares her expertise on the profound impact of meditation on physical and mental well-being.

Does meditation have a role in healing? Can it accelerate response to medicine?
Meditation plays a significant role in healing by fostering a mind-body connection. Practices like Pranayaam (regulated breathing practices) and mindfulness heighten awareness, stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, reduce stress hormones such as cortisol, and promote neuroplasticity. A randomized controlled study of patients on antidepressants found that the group that combined yoga and meditation with medication experienced a significant reduction in depression severity. Molecular data from these patients revealed increased levels of key neurochemicals such as Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), as well as increase in Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)and serotonin, all linked to promoting neuroplasticity and building stress resilience, cognitive performance, and improved concentration. Yoga and meditation increase melatonin levels which also regulate the sleep wake cycle. These findings suggest that meditation can complement conventional treatments for various complex lifestyle diseases. Common underlying factors like oxidative stress, accelerated aging, stress and anxiety, activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and dysregulated immune response are linked to conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, unexplained male factor infertility, early pregnancy losses, depression, Alzheimer’s and PCOS. In all these conditions, yoga has a major role in prevention and as an adjunct in management of these diseases.

Just like every hospital has a dietician, do you think there should be meditation experts as well who can help patients focus on healing?
There is certainly merit in the idea of hospitals incorporating Yoga experts into their care teams. The UN General Assembly 's declaration of ‘World Meditation Day’ on 21st December underscores the growing global recognition of meditation and yoga as essential tools for mental and physical health. Meditation, a key component of yoga, is often achieved through the practice of pranayama and asanas, which align the body to facilitate breathing effectively and achieve a meditative state. Including Yoga therapists in multidisciplinary care teams can introduce patients to techniques such as pranayama, asanas, and dhyana to patients, which are empirically demonstrated to induce relaxation, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, regulate the immune response and enhance flexibility and range of motion. Yoga therapists can adjust interventions in response to an individual's medical history and ability for safety and efficacy. Their presence in hospitals helps close the gap between conventional medical interventions and holistic health care, both physical and mental health. This has great potential for the treatment of chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and lifestyle diseases, providing patients with a holistic approach faster recovery and promotes healthy aging. Further, Yoga improves both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA integrity and modulates the epigenome to switch on genes programs beneficial for health and these effects are transgenerational.

Can meditation bring down inflammation levels in the body?
Multiple research studies have linked meditation to reduced inflammation by modulating stress responses and regulating immune function and inducing the relaxation response. Chronic inflammation, often driven by elevated cortisol levels and oxidative stress, can be effectively mitigated through regular meditative practices, which form an integral part of yoga. The World Health Organization projects that by 2030, depression and stress-related disorders will become the most widespread health problems, closely followed by inflammatory processes such as autoimmune diseases.Regular practice of mindfulness and pranayama lowers inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-6 and interleukin 17 (IL-6, IL-17).Incorporating meditation into daily routines can help reduce inflammation, regulate immune responses, and promote health and prevent the onset of complex lifestyle diseases and should be integrated with modern medicine to achieve optimal health and well-being.

How many minutes of meditation is required to promote health improvement?
Our research indicates that 30 to 45 minutes of daily yoga practice can significantly alleviate anxiety and depression, even in individuals with complex conditions such as autoimmune diseases, unexplained male factor infertility, and polycystic ovarian syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s Disease. Even shorter sessions of mindfulness or focused breathing can provide immediate benefits, such as lowered heart rate, reduced blood pressure, and decreased intraocular pressure in primary open-angle glaucoma. Consistency, however, is key — regular practice leads to long-term benefits like reduced inflammation, improved cognitive function, and better emotional regulation. Tailoring the duration and type of yoga asanas, pranayama and meditation to individual needs and health conditions can maximize its therapeutic effects.

WHO recognizes meditation as a self-care tool. How can institutions like AIIMS integrate and promote meditation as part of holistic healthcare in India?
AIIMS New Delhi is at the forefront of research aimed at establishing substantial evidence supporting the role of meditation in holistic healthcare. At the Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research, studies and clinical trials are exploring how yoga can complement conventional medical treatments for conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, diabetes, and vasovagal syncope. These studies focus on understanding meditation's physiological and psychological benefits, including stress reduction, lower inflammation, enhanced cognitive function, improved emotional well-being, and even its positive impact on male infertility by improving sperm DNA integrity. In promoting yoga and meditation as an integral part of holistic healthcare, AIIMS is training healthcare professionals to incorporate yoga and meditation techniques into patient care. This includes educating them in practices such as meditation, pranayama, and asanas, which can be tailored to meet individual patient needs. By integrating these practices into treatment plans, AIIMS aims to provide a more comprehensive approach to health—one that nurtures both the body and the mind. Additionally, we are working to raise awareness about the benefits of meditation among the public and within healthcare communities, emphasizing the growing body of evidence that supports meditation as a valuable tool in improving patient outcomes.

Can meditation reverse diabetes and BP?
Both diabetes and high blood pressure are lifestyle-related conditions that can be effectively managed through lifestyle interventions such as yoga. Regular yoga practice has been shown to reduce emotional eating, aiding in weight reduction and better regulation of BMI. Additionally, yoga and meditation can help correct lipid levels, normalize blood sugar levels, and improve insulin sensitivity, which are crucial factors in managing diabetes. For high blood pressure, these practices help by reducing stress, inflammation, promote relaxation, and enhancing vascular health. While they should complement, not replace, medical treatments, integrating meditation and yoga into daily routines can significantly support better control and management of these chronic conditions. Yoga should, thus, be used as an adjunct in the management of these conditions.

Do passive meditative practices like Reiki work?
Passive meditative practices like Reiki may promote relaxation and reduce stress, contributing to a sense of well-being. Reiki, the focused transmission of healing energy, aims to address imbalances in energy fields linked to physical, emotional, or psychological sources of distress. Reiki is viewed as a technique to harmonize the body, mind, and spirit by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. While Reiki is categorized by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine as a biofield and energy therapy, active meditation practices such as mindfulness and deep breathing have stronger empirical support. These practices directly influence neurochemical pathways, regulate stress responses, and reduce inflammation, offering measurable physiological benefits.

By practicing meditation, we unlock the ability to heal our minds and bodies and create a resilience against stress and disease. Now that modern medicine is discovering its benefits, it has become increasingly important to weave meditation into daily life. Imagine a world where every single person in it uses this ancient tool to cultivate peace, clarity, and health. Let's commit to this path of mindfulness, empower ourselves and others, and thrive on it.