The events of this weekend in France invite you to ask this question. Not because some insist on proclaiming a war of religions, or because fundamentalism wants to impose some ideas from violence. The question arises as a result of what happened on social networks. #PrayForParis It has been one of the most talked about labels on social networks these days. Does praying for Paris make sense?
In some areas, the benefits of meditation and, therefore, of prayer for people have already been proven.
Among other things, prayer can be beneficial because:
1.- It helps to calm us down.
Nobody does prayer or meditation while exercising a dynamic activity, but generally, we look for an appropriate place and time, to pray quietly, which acts as a relaxant.
2.- It gives us peace.
Without attending to any religion or regulated practice, prayer is able to give us inner peace, because it helps us feel good, because while it is practiced it relaxes us and calms us down, something that is very necessary in this world of so much rush.
3.- It makes us grow internally.
When doing prayer or meditation puts us in touch with our interior, with ourselves, with a part of our being that, generally, we abandon to the detriment of our physique or other concerns.
4.- It teaches us to be grateful.
A part of any prayer, regardless of the religious creed to which it belongs, is thanksgiving. Therefore, giving thanks frequently makes us more grateful to what surrounds us and improves our character.
5.- It makes us less selfish.
In the case of #PrayForParis or in any other similar case, when we decide to pray for another or other people, it makes us somehow worry about others, which makes us more detached, supportive and altruistic.
Prayer, however, has many benefits to people, but it has been displaced to regulated religious practices and as something old-fashioned. However, some Eastern religions propose the practice of meditation as a way to find spiritual peace and happiness.
Some studies support, through neurotheology, the benefits of meditation and prayer.
Herbert Benson, a cardiologist at the Harvard Medical School, thoroughly studied the role that the autonomic nervous system plays in the human disease process.
Benson established that the stress response system affects the entire nervous system. In addition, he made another interesting discovery: that mantra meditation helps relax the nervous system, to lower blood pressure, to improve heart health, to prolong life, in addition to giving happiness and generating the feeling of being closer to a transcendent entity, among other advantages (1).
Jesus Marrero. My blog. My twitter. [mashshare]