According to a new study from Brown University, U. S., mindfulness practice that is normally used to quiet the mind and body can also lower the increased blood pressure. Moreover, this practice also helps people transfer into a healthier lifestyle by making healthy food choices and becoming physically active.
For their study, the researchers recruited 200 participants in Rhode Island with elevated blood pressure. Half of them attended mindfulness meditation classes every week, while the other half followed the typical course of hypertension care consisting of a home blood pressure monitor, blood pressure education material, and access to a physician.
Having analyzed data from both groups received for 6 months, the scientists noticed that participants in the mindfulness group experienced a drop of nearly 6 points in their systolic blood pressure. Meanwhile, the control group had a 1.4-point reduction.
Lead study author Dr. Eric B. Loucks, Ph.D., director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, says: “Mindfulness is non-judgmental, present-moment awareness of physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts. It is almost like a scientist curiously and objectively observing the information coming in through the sense organs and the mind, and then responding skilfully to that information.”