It is accepted by a large proportion of the physicians of the world that something like eighty percent of all physical diseases are due to muscular and nervous tensions, and that, in turn, these tensions are rooted in mental tension produced by the cares, worries, sorrows and failures of life.
Mental tension arises in a man when his desires are not satisfied or, as often happens, when he has two conflicting desires at one and the same time. This is true of the desire for material possessions, and it is also true of aspirations to success, happiness, wisdom and fulfillment. It can be said then that if a man could even begin to see the fulfilment of his desires, especially those lying deeply and essentially in his personality such as for creativity and peace of mind, then his state of tension would begin to be resolved and his tendency to psychosomatic disease correspondingly decreased. The first effect of meditation—one which is experienced upon the very first occasion that a man or woman meditates-is the relief of tension. It is simply undeniable that during meditation a man is physically and mentally relaxed and at peace. The effect of meditation is to strike directly at the root causes of psychosomatic illness and, regarded simply as a treatment, it is immensely valuable.
A second aspect of meditation which could play a great part in the restoration of health has to do with the breathing. As the mind goes deep in meditation the breathing is naturally refined—it tends to flow more and more lightly and gently. This is not the result of any effort or control or conscious attention to the breathing, but is simply the natural response of the body to the relaxing process of meditation. The refinement of the breathing has the effect of resting the lungs and heart and indirectly, all the other bodily processes. In this way the body is revitalised throughout. After meditation the feeling of physical energy and well-being is just as striking as the sense of mental alertness that it brings.
With the continued practice of meditation these effects even touch the symptoms of age, such as wrinkles and flabbiness of the skin. A man who is meditating regularly not only feels younger and more alive but comes to look younger as well.
A third consequence of the meditation is that prana, the breath principle, becomes refined and in harmony with the refinement and purification of the mind. The refinement of prana affects the body chemistry by reducing the production of carbon dioxide, which in turn alters the acid-alakali balance and causes the whole organism to become less acid and more alkaline. It is physiologically so that an acid body deteriorates more rapidly than an alkaline body, so that the process of meditation causes the rate of physical decay to be retarded.
