Meditation has long ceased to be a mystery. Before that, yoga was also mysterious, but later it became a sport and gained popularity worldwide, with thousands, billions of people practicing yoga across the globe.
Previously, meditation was shrouded in mystery and remoteness. Like yoga, however, it has gradually become popular. Meditation can be considered a sport for the mind. Meditation can also heal. And through meditation, we can also resolve problems.
In the film Doctor Strange, the main character is often asked, “Are you happy?” Does that question make you reflect? Are we truly happy?
“Lukha” – discomfort or dissatisfaction of the mind. To express this, Buddhism uses a more concise word: “suffering.” None of us can avoid “suffering.” So how can we be happy?
In some countries, the right to pursue happiness is enshrined in the constitution. Ultimately, then, people seek happiness whether or not they have spiritual understanding.
Does meditation truly make us happy? Can it resolve our suffering?
In the past, most people understood meditation as something religious and deeply mysterious. Today, with our collective evolution, the truth about meditation is gradually being revealed. Meditation is also a path that leads to truth.
Science too is a path to truth, and spirituality is truth. Science is clear, and so is spirituality. Science provides numbers and measurements. In spirituality, you can also measure the evolution of consciousness. This is entirely possible.
There is always a deep relationship between body and mind. The body has hormones associated with happiness, including:
The hormone dopamine – the motivation hormone.
This hormone is associated with motivation, inspiration, and love. During meditation, its levels rise considerably.
The hormone serotonin
We often think this hormone relates to the brain. Yet this happiness hormone is produced in the gut. Our intestines are coiled, but are actually very long—equivalent to the length of a tennis court. Science also shows that meditating for 1 hour can increase serotonin 5 or 6 times.
The hormone melatonin
Also known as the sleep hormone. Surely each of us has an answer to how important sleep is to life. Being unable to sleep is also a form of ‘suffering.’ Meditation can help improve sleep, and science has demonstrated this.
Oxytocin – the love hormone.
A hug can produce abundant love hormones; that is also why the “free hug” movement arose. Science shows that on average we need 30 hugs daily to produce this hormone. Beyond hugging, science demonstrates the role of intimacy between spouses and lovers. It also shows that meditation produces oxytocin, leaving us buoyant, comfortable, and relaxed. Desire creates the expansion of this universe. “Desire” in meditation carries refined energy. The love hormone also produces happiness and motivation hormones. Love itself is motivation.
The hormone cortisol
It is the hormone that causes stress. Meditation reduces it. When you worry, cortisol rises. Worry decreases, happiness increases.
Endorphin – the pain-relief hormone.
When a patient is in pain, a doctor injects endorphins to relieve it. Meditation increases endorphins, indirectly creating comfort and mental balance. This is a balanced, gentle, lasting happiness.
Science has therefore demonstrated a connection between meditation and human happiness. This is very clear and also shows that meditation is not vague or mystical, but a tool and a path. It is a path that takes you to the truth – the truth about yourself.
