Prof. J.P.N. Mishra
Samani Dr. Mangal Prajna
Vice Chancellor
The practice of meditation has prevailed for all ages but was restricted to very specialized saints and sages to attain transcendental experience. With the revolutionary change in time the scope arena of meditation has also taken a long leap. Now its practice has been made easily available and accessible to every common man of the society. The eminent health custodians, prominent doctors and medical practitioners have realized that meditation is a strong tool for both healing and maintaining good health.
Recent advances in physiological sciences have revealed that integrated effect of nervous system and endocrine system significantly influence the human behaviour. By substituting the fact based knowledge for mere ignorance in the area of neuro-endocrine systems, and impact of these systems on thought generating mental processes, the myths and superstitions about meditation have been thereby replaced by reproducible, systematic and scientific knowledge. On the basis of scientific principles it has now been said that meditation is not a matter of blind religious experience but it is a deliberate mental operation related to analysis based on parapsychological principles. Few established and irrefutable scientific proofs show that meditation practice help attaining total relaxation, state of homeostasis and thereby reduce the possibility of psychosomatic diseases.
Preksha Meditation is a simple but specialized technique of meditation promoting positive attitudinal change and behavioural modification along with the development of integrated personality. It is healthy blending of ancient wisdom and modern scientific knowledge. Its practice not only brings in the maintenance of physical health, cure and prevention of serious illnesses, but also helps in controlling one's irrational instincts of anger, aggression, cruelty, vindictiveness and fear. It may prove to be a useful tool for awakening one's attitude and behaviour to be truly worthy of being human. The main objective of Preksha Meditation is to acquire total physical and psychical goodness by eradicating all evils from one's thoughts, speech and action. All such modifications will automatically bring in a balance in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual faculties of one's life.
With rational and established philosophical basis of Preksha Meditation, it is need of hour to document its efficacy in terms of objective physiological parameters to extend its accessibility to modern scientific world.
Professor J.P.N. Mishra, a senior faculty from the Department of Science of Living, Preksha Meditation and Yoga has got a UGC Research Award Major Project to undertake a scientific study on the efficacy of a Preksha Meditation practice module, comprised of Health Rejuvenating Exercises, selected Asanas, Kayotsarga, Deergha Swas Preksha and Chaitanya Kendra Preksha on various components of Nervous System, Respiratory System Cardiovascular System and Muscular System. Findings of study has been incorporated in this monograph. This is for the first time that the results of a systematic and scientific study has been documented on the multifacted terms of health promoting effects of Preksha Meditation. The findings of the study, as reported in the book, indicate that Preksha Meditation works simultaneously on two fronts - health promotion and therapeutic utility. Positive changes observed in brain waves, respiratory components and cardiovascular functions, following regular practice of Preksha Meditation may be taken as of immense value for further formulation of health management policies through indigenous heritage of yoga and meditation.
I congratulate to Prof. J.P.N.Mishra for completing this novel and inspiring project and hope that this volume of "Preksha Meditation and Health" will definitely prove to be a milestone for researchers, academicians and students to understand the applied science of Preksha Meditation.
