Meditation: An Introduction 

Meditation is a mind-body practice in complementary and alternative 

medicine (CAM). There are many types of meditation, most of which 

originated in ancient religious and spiritual traditions. Generally, a 

person who is meditating uses certain techniques, such as a specific 

posture, focused attention, and an open attitude toward distractions. 

Meditation may be practiced for many reasons, such as to increase 

calmness and physical relaxation, to improve psychological balance, to 

cope with illness, or to enhance overall health and well-being. This 

Backgrounder provides a general introduction to meditation and 

suggests some resources for more information. 

Key Points 

	 People practice meditation for a number of health-related purposes. 

	 It is not fully known what changes occur in the body during 

meditation; whether they influence health; and, if so, how. 

Research is under way to find out more about meditation’s 

effects, how it works, and diseases and conditions for which it 

may be most helpful. 

	 Tell your health care providers about any complementary and 

alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what 

you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated 

and safe care. 

Overview 

The term meditation refers to a group of techniques, such as mantra 

meditation, relaxation response, mindfulness meditation, and Zen 

Buddhist meditation. Most meditative techniques started in Eastern 

religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been used by 

many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of 

years. Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional 

religious or cultural settings, for health and well-being. 
In meditation, a person learns to focus attention. Some forms of meditation instruct the 

practitioner to become mindful of thoughts, feelings, and sensations and to observe them in a 

nonjudgmental way. This practice is believed to result in a state of greater calmness and 

physical relaxation, and psychological balance. Practicing meditation can change how a person 

relates to the flow of emotions and thoughts. 

Most types of meditation have four elements in common: 

	 A quiet location. Meditation is usually practiced in a quiet place with as few distractions as 

possible. This can be particularly helpful for beginners. 

	 A specific, comfortable posture. Depending on the type being practiced, meditation can be 

done while sitting, lying down, standing, walking, or in other positions. 

	 A focus of attention. Focusing one’s attention is usually a part of meditation. For example, 

the meditator may focus on a mantra (a specially chosen word or set of words), an object, 

or the sensations of the breath. Some forms of meditation involve paying attention to 

whatever is the dominant content of consciousness. 

	 An open attitude. Having an open attitude during meditation means letting distractions 

come and go naturally without judging them. When the attention goes to distracting or 

wandering thoughts, they are not suppressed; instead, the meditator gently brings 

attention back to the focus. In some types of meditation, the meditator learns to “observe” 

thoughts and emotions while meditating. 

Meditation used as CAM is a type of mind-body medicine. Generally, mind-body medicine 

focuses on: 

	 The interactions among the brain/mind, the rest of the body, and behavior 

	 The ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly 

affect health. 

Uses of Meditation for Health in the United States 

A 2007 national Government survey that asked about CAM use in a sample of 23,393 U.S. adults 

found that 9.4 percent of respondents (representing more than 20 million people) had used 

meditation in the past 12 months—compared with 7.6 percent of respondents (representing 

more than 15 million people) in a similar survey conducted in 2002. The 2007 survey also asked 

about CAM use in a sample of 9,417 children; 1 percent (representing 725,000 children) had 

used meditation in the past 12 months. 

People use meditation for various health problems, such as: 

 Anxiety 

 Pain 

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 Depression 

 Stress 

 Insomnia 

 Physical or emotional symptoms that may be associated with chronic illnesses (such as 

heart disease, HIV/AIDS, and cancer) and their treatment. 

Meditation is also used for overall health and well-being. 

Examples of Meditation Practices 

Mindfulness meditation and Transcendental Meditation (also known as TM) are two common forms 

of meditation. NCCAM-sponsored research projects are studying both types of meditation. 

Mindfulness meditation is an essential component of Buddhism. In one common form of 

mindfulness meditation, the meditator is taught to bring attention to the sensation of the flow 

of the breath in and out of the body. The meditator learns to focus attention on what is being 

experienced, without reacting to or judging it. This is seen as helping the meditator learn to 

experience thoughts and emotions in normal daily life with greater balance and acceptance. 

The TM technique is derived from Hindu traditions. It uses a mantra (a word, sound, or phrase 

repeated silently) to prevent distracting thoughts from entering the mind. The goal of TM is to 

achieve a state of relaxed awareness. 

How Meditation Might Work 

Practicing meditation has been shown to induce some changes in the body. By learning more 

about what goes on in the body during meditation, researchers hope to be able to identify 

diseases or conditions for which meditation might be useful. 

Some types of meditation might work by affecting the autonomic (involuntary) nervous 

system. This system regulates many organs and muscles, controlling functions such as 

heartbeat, sweating, breathing, and digestion. It has two major parts: 

	 The sympathetic nervous system helps mobilize the body for action. When a person is 

under stress, it produces the “fight-or-flight response”: the heart rate and breathing rate go 

up and blood vessels narrow (restricting the flow of blood). 

	 The parasympathetic nervous system causes the heart rate and breathing rate to slow down, 

the blood vessels to dilate (improving blood flow), and the flow of digestive juices to increase. 

It is thought that some types of meditation might work by reducing activity in the sympathetic 

nervous system and increasing activity in the parasympathetic nervous system. 

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In one area of research, scientists are using sophisticated tools to determine whether 

meditation is associated with significant changes in brain function. A number of researchers 

believe that these changes account for many of meditation’s effects. 

It is also possible that practicing meditation may work by improving the mind’s ability to pay 

attention. Since attention is involved in performing everyday tasks and regulating mood, 

meditation might lead to other benefits. 

A 2007 NCCAM-funded review of the scientific literature found some evidence suggesting that 

meditation is associated with potentially beneficial health effects. However, the overall 

evidence was inconclusive. The reviewers concluded that future research needs to be more 

rigorous before firm conclusions can be drawn. 

Side Effects and Risks 

Meditation is considered to be safe for healthy people. There have been rare reports that meditation 

could cause or worsen symptoms in people who have certain psychiatric problems, but this question 

has not been fully researched. People with physical limitations may not be able to participate in 

certain meditative practices involving physical movement. Individuals with existing mental or 

physical health conditions should speak with their health care providers prior to starting a 

meditative practice and make their meditation instructor aware of their condition. 

If You Are Thinking About Using Meditation Practices 

	 Do not use meditation as a replacement for conventional care or as a reason to postpone 

seeing a doctor about a medical problem. 

	 Ask about the training and experience of the meditation instructor you are considering. 

	 Look for published research studies on meditation for the health condition in which you 

are interested. 

	 Tell all your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you 

use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure 

coordinated and safe care. For tips about talking with your health care providers about 

CAM, see NCCAM’s Time to Talk campaign at nccam.nih.gov/timetotalk/. 

NCCAM-Funded Research 

Some recent NCCAM-supported studies have been investigating meditation for: 

 Relieving stress in caregivers for elderly patients with dementia 

 Reducing the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in menopausal women 

 Relieving symptoms of chronic back pain 

 Improving attention-related abilities (alerting, focusing, and prioritizing) 

 Relieving asthma symptoms. 

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Selected References 


Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin R. Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 

2007. CDC National Health Statistics Report #12. 2008. 

Bonadonna R. Meditation’s impact on chronic illness. Holistic Nursing Practice. 2003;17(6):309-319.
 

Cardoso R, de Souza E, Camano L, et al. Meditation in health: an operational definition. Brain Research. Brain Research
 

Protocols. 2004;14(1):58-60.
 

Caspi O, Burleson KO. Methodological challenges in meditation research. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine.
 

2005;21(1):4-11.
 

Davidson RJ, Kabat-Zinn J, Schumacher J, et al. Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness 


meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2003;65(4):564-570.
 

Davidson RJ, Lutz A. Buddha’s brain: neuroplasticity and meditation. IEEE Signal Processing. 2007;25(1):171-174. 


Edwards L. Meditation as medicine: benefits go beyond relaxation. Advance for Nurse Practitioners. 2003;11(5):49-52.
 

Jha AP, Krompinger J, Baime MJ. Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral 


Neuroscience. 2007;7(2):109-119.
 

Lutz A, Slagter HA, Dunne J, et al. Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 


2008:12(4);163-169. 


Manocha R. Why meditation? Australian Family Physician. 2000;29(12):1135-1138. 


Meditation. Natural Standard Database Web site. Accessed at http://www.naturalstandard.com on March 24, 2008.
 

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Expanding Horizons of Health Care: Strategic Plan 2005-2009.
 

Bethesda, MD: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; 2005. NIH publication no. 04-5568.
 

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Mind-Body Medicine: An Overview. National Center for
 

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Web site. Accessed at http://nccam.nih.gov/health/backgrounds/mindbody.htm 

on April 7, 2008. 

Newberg AB, Iversen J. The neural basis of the complex mental task of meditation: neurotransmitter and 

neurochemical considerations. Medical Hypotheses. 2003;61(2):282-291.
 

Ospina MB, Bond TK, Karkhaneh M, et al. Meditation Practices for Health: State of the Research. Evidence Report/ 


Technology Assessment no. 155. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2007. AHRQ publication 


no. 07-E010.
 

Pettinati PM. Meditation, yoga, and guided imagery. Nursing Clinics of North America. 2001;36(1):47-56.
 

Tacon AM. Meditation as a complementary therapy in cancer. Family and Community Health. 2003;26(1):64-73.
 

For More Information 

NCCAM Clearinghouse 

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and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does 

not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners. 

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E-mail: info@nccam.nih.gov 

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PubMed® 

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and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. CAM on 


PubMed®, developed jointly by NCCAM and NLM, is a subset of the PubMed system and focuses 


on the topic of CAM. 


Web site: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez 


CAM on PubMed®: nccam.nih.gov/research/camonpubmed/ 


ClinicalTrials.gov 

ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of information on federally and privately supported clinical 

trials (research studies in people) for a wide range of diseases and conditions. It is sponsored 

by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

Web site: www.clinicaltrials.gov 

Acknowledgments 

NCCAM thanks the following people for their technical expertise and review of the original 

publication: Michael Baime, M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Richard J. 

Davidson, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Robert Schneider, M.D., Maharishi 

University of Management; and Catherine Stoney, Ph.D., Margaret Chesney, Ph.D., and Jack 

Killen, M.D., NCCAM. 

NCCAM thanks the following people for their technical expertise and review of the content 

update of this publication: James Carmody, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Medical School; 

Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Amishi P. Jha, Ph.D., University of 

Pennsylvania; and Catherine Stoney, Ph.D., NCCAM. 

This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. 


Duplication is encouraged. 


NCCAM has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute 

for the medical expertise and advice of your primary health care provider. We encourage 

you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The 

mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCAM. 

National Institutes of Health 

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

D308 

Created February 2006 

Updated June 2010