Meditation as medicine: meditation isn't just for stress relief. It may actually help heal migraines, hypertension, and many other ailments - Do-It-Yourself Cures

Natural Health, April, 2002 by Dharma Singh Khalsa

DURING MY 25 YEARS PRACTICING medicine, I've seen meditation help people reduce stress and resolve emotional conflicts. But it can actually do much more. It can also work as a kind of targeted medicine for specific ailments.

I created what I call medical meditation by combining elements of meditation and Kundalini yoga. For dozens of medical conditions I've tailored exercises with specific breathing patterns, movements, mantras, and mental focuses to channel energy to specific organs, glands, and energy zones. As I experimented with my patients, I found that medical meditation, when combined with the appropriate medical treatment, has far more healing power than standard meditation.

Here are my medical meditations for five ailments; many of my patients have successfully used them to eliminate or manage their conditions. Whichever one you choose should be done first thing each morning. For the greatest healing power, be sure to perform the routine precisely.

Meditation for Diabetes

The key to managing diabetes--both type 1 and type 2--is to strengthen your pancreas, which regulates your body's insulin levels. This meditation does that by increasing blood flow to that area. Be forewarned that this meditation requires flexibility.

1. Say the preparation mantra 3 times (see "Center Yourself," page 47).

2. Kneel on a carpeted floor with your buttocks resting on your heels. Cross your hands over your navel and lower your forehead to the floor (your thighs will be at a 60-degree angle to your calves).

3. With your eyes closed, imagine sending energy to your stomach area where your pancreas is located. Breathe long, deep breaths through your nose for 3 minutes.

4. Next, inhale deeply through your nose, hold your breath for 10 seconds, and exhale through your nose. Return to your original posture resting on your heels.

5. Cross your hands over your solar plexus (where your rib cage meets just below your heart) and lean back until your upper body is at a 60-degree angle to the floor.

6. With your eyes closed, focus on sending energy to your pancreas. Breathe long, deep breaths through your nose for 3 minutes.

7. Inhale deeply through your nose, hold your breath for 10 seconds, and exhale through your nose. Return to your original position.

Meditation for Hypertension

I find that patients with severe cases of high blood pressure are also the most constricted--both emotionally and physically. This meditation helps reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, thereby reducing the tension that can increase blood pressure.

1. Sit cross-legged on a carpeted floor with your back straight, or sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet planted on the floor.

2. Say the preparation mantra 3 times (see "Center Yourself," page 47).

3. Close your eyes and focus on a point at the center of your forehead.

4. Use the thumb of your right hand to block your right nostril, keeping your other four fingers together and pointed straight up. Rest your left hand on your left knee, palm up, with your index finger lightly touching your thumb.

s. Inhale and exhale deeply through your left nostril while pumping your navel in and out forcefully. (If you've had hypertension for more than five years, do this meditation without pumping your navel.) Do this for 3 minutes. Next, inhale deeply through your left nostril, hold your breath for 10 to 20 seconds, and exhale through that nostril.

6. Repeat the sequence twice with your left nostril.

Meditation for Migraines

To prevent migraines, many conventional doctors prescribe medications that increase your levels of the brain chemical serotonin, a mood and pain regulator. But you can boost serotonin levels without drugs by following this meditation, which asks you to focus on the top of your head. Note that this meditation prevents migraines; it doesn't treat them.

1. Sit cross-legged on a carpeted floor, or sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet planted on the floor.

2. Say the preparation mantra 3 times (see "Center Yourself," next page).

3. Close your eyes and roll your eyeballs upward as if you were trying to look at your own forehead.

4. Extend your arms upward, palms facing each other, keeping 3 feet between your hands. Touch your thumbs to your index fingers.

5. Take deep breaths for 11 minutes (use a timer).

6. Lower your hands to your knees while maintaining your finger position. In a monotone voice repeat the phrase "we are the love" for 1 to 2 minutes.

7. Inhale deeply through your nose, hold your breath for 10 seconds, and exhale through your nose.

Meditation for PMS

Fluctuating estrogen levels may trigger symptoms of premenstrual syndrome like irritability and depression. This meditation can help balance these hormones. It may also increase your levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that regulates mood and pain. Be patient in the beginning: The chanting and corresponding finger movements require some practice.

1. Sit with your legs crossed on a carpeted floor, or sit in a straight-backed chair. Place your hands, palms up, on your knees.