Once thought to be new age nonsense, meditation has gained in popularity in recent years. Several scientific studies have reaffirmed many of meditation’s purported benefits. Meditation can not only relax the mind and body, but it has proven to have many other benefits on them as well. This is probably why many Hollywood celebrities are touting the effectiveness of this ancient relaxation method. Read on to learn about the benefits of meditation, the celebrities that swear by it, and how it has helped them.
Meditation has been proven to improve the mind’s ability to focus and the speed at which it does so. Studies using magnetic resonance imaging have shown that meditation can result in higher levels of alpha brain waves, which are responsible for mental focus. Beyond focus, meditation has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety, reduce aggression, improve memory, and increase will power. And these are just the effects it has on the mind. Meditation benefits the body by lowering blood pressure, reducing oxygen usage, slowing the heart rate, relaxing the muscles, and reducing the effects of chronic pain. With all these benefits, it is no wonder that meditation is growing in popularity.
There are a few different types of meditation. The type that is most popular with celebrities is called Transcendental Meditation, or TM. While the other types most often involve some concentration or control of the mind or contemplation to keep the mind active in some way, TM allows the mind to simply, naturally, and effortlessly transcend thinking and to experience a deep state of restfully alert consciousness. This procedure practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.
So now that you know what meditation is and what it can do, it is time to learn which celebrities use it and why.
Clint Eastwood
The 81 year old actor is the picture of health, energy, and strength for his age. It turns out that one of his tricks is TM. And far from being guilty of jumping on the bandwagon, he has been practicing it for a good forty years. Eastwood sees meditation as an effective self-help remedy.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Paltrow has been quoted as saying: “My New Year’s resolution is to learn how to meditate. It has always sounded like something I should do, but I do not know how to. My friends who do it say it is really freakin’ brilliant. They say you can’t know the peace/awareness/contentment until you do it.” Let’s hope she has made good on her resolution and discovered how freakin’ brilliant meditation can be.
Angelina Jolie
With all those kids running around, it is not hard to see where Jolie could benefit from a little meditation. Jolie recently said: “I find meditation in sitting on the floor with the kids coloring for an hour, or going on the trampoline.”
Hugh Jackman
Even Wolverine needs some relaxation sometimes. Jackman has stated that meditation helped to change his life and deal with his obsessive compulsions. If it works for a member of the X-men, it can work for a mere mortal like you or I.
Adrien Brody
Brody says that he uses meditation techniques to prepare for upcoming roles. For the movie Predator 2, he says he meditated in a hut in the jungle. I will take his word for it, as you will not find me relaxing in a jungle with predators about.
Eva Mendes
Mendes says that meditation helps her get centered so she can deal with life’s up and downs. It sure seems to be working at maintaining her looks.
Howard Stern
Take it from the King of all Media; Stern credits TM with helping him quit smoking. He says that he immediately quit smoking after taking up TM over three decades ago.
Russell Brand
Brand says he meditates for twenty minutes in the morning and twenty minutes in the early evening. He claims it is a big part of his life. The actor says that it settles his mind and helps him wind down after a long day.
Russell Simmons
Simmons, the hip-hop artist and entrepreneur, says meditation gives him energy, strength, health, wisdom, and access to inner stillness, silence, and bliss. He also feels that it gives him a greater connection to himself and the universe. Not bad for less than an hour a day!
Tiger Woods
Being a Buddhist, Woods is no stranger to meditation. However the top tier athlete admits that he had gotten away from his meditation practice during his recent transgressions. So this one serves as more of a warning about straying from meditation than a story of its benefits.
It is quite clear that meditation is more than just a passing Hollywood fad. With some celebrities practicing meditation for decades, it looks like it is here to stay. So give yourself the celebrity treatment and take up meditation today.
Author bio: Zack Mandell is a movie enthusiast and owner of www.movieroomreviews.com and writer of movie reviews. He writes extensively about the movie industry for sites such as Gossip Center, Yahoo, NowPublic, and Helium.
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