A Chinese scholar who emigrated to the United States used to lay flat on his back in the driveway of his home. In his meditative state on those starlit nights, he just wanted to be reminded that he was part of the universe. Certainly anything that helps us fight stress is a welcome tool. Since researchers like Herbert Benson, M.D. , began amassing data, many studies have shown that indeed meditation has not only a mental but a profound physiological effect on the body. It can reduce pain and enhance the body's immune system, enabling it to better fight disease.
New studies continue to be encouraging.
The meditators showed a marked decrease in the thickness of their artery walls, while the non-meditators actually showed an increase. After seven weeks, those who had meditated reported that they were significantly less depressed, anxious, angry, and confused than the control group, which hadn't practiced meditation. The meditators also had more energy and fewer heart and gastrointestinal problems than did the other group. There must be something to this. In the village common in Monterey Park, California, a group of elderly Chinese, both men and women, meet at every daybreak.