Can the practice of meditation allow you to lose weight?
During the recent health crisis, an increased proportion of the French population took up meditation. In 2020, 37% said they had already practiced meditation to feel better(1). Regular practitioners reported that this practice allowed them to better manage their emotions (33%), improve the quality of their sleep (31%) and be personally more fulfilled (29%). Could we then imagine that meditative practice could have repercussions on health and, for example, allow weight loss?
What is meditation?
It is amental practicewhich, depending on whether or not it is practiced in a spiritual setting, aims to lead to a state ofinner peace, amodified state of consciousness, relaxation, a certainemptiness of the mind, and possibly afull awarenessof reality at a moment T.
In general, it invites us tounderstand the nature of our mindrather than fightagainst it. It is also based on adetachmentfrom one’s thoughts, emotions, external elements or obligations. It does not imply that we deny its existence, but rather advocates access to a state of relaxation that makes all these elements no longer have a hold on the meditator. The latter is no longer in a logic of effort or conflict, but in a state of serenity.
Also, it is conceivable thatmeditative practice can help from the mental point of view, when considering losing weight. Indeed, the approach is sometimes a source of stress and discouragement and meditation could soothe this type of negative emotions.
What types of meditation to choose as part of weight loss?
There aredifferent types of meditation, both in their techniques and in their spiritual charge. Some will advocate a emptiness of the mind, others the transfer of attention to a given focus of attention, such asbreathing, visualization, sound… When it comes to weight loss, one can consider choosing one of the following practices.
Buddhist meditation
A very rigorous postural and mental practice, the purpose of which is to reach nirvana (liberation). The best known technique is Vipassana meditation, which consists of “seeing reality as it is”. Every appearing phenomenon, whether physical or mental, can become an object of meditation. It is first observed, then the meditator is encouraged to develop equanimity (evenness of temper, or neutrality) towards it. For example, stress can lead toemotional hungertag. The Vipassana invites the meditator to observe this pseudo feeling of hunger, then his stress, and finally to develop a neutrality vis-à-vis the phenomenon, which will cause at least its reduction, at most its disappearance.
Meditation as part of yoga practice
Often the general public is introduced to the practice of meditation through that of yogatag. Traditional yoga, Hatha Yoga, involves a part of meditation, via pranayama –deep breathingtag. Pranayama aims to complete the realization of the postures, the asanas, since each posture must be punctuated by the breath. In addition, it allows you to reach a complete respiratory capacity and to access a better state of relaxation. This type of meditation is therefore a stress reliever – which contributes to weight gain.
Transcendental Meditation
It is based on the principle that the mind would be naturally inclined to happiness. The meditative practice, made of silence, of psychic and mental rest and of an attention directed inside oneself, could make it possible to reach it. It also presupposes the use of mantras, which would help to relieve negative emotions. It is therefore a technique more focused on mental relaxation than physical. It can be considered with a view to weight loss, again thanks to its positive effect on stress andWillpower .
Zazen meditation
It is one of the foundations of the practice of Zen Buddhism and would benefit both mental and physical health. It is based, among other things, on the formulation of positive intentions, the widening of the field of consciousness and the development of intuition. It is practiced according to a posture (lotus position) and a precise breathing rhythm. Moreover, the meditator must pay attention to this posture, which is both controlled and relaxed. To do this, he must keep his eyes open, all daydreaming being banished. Main benefit on the body: the toning of the abdominal area, since the posture associated with deep breathing tends tofirm up the belly .
Mindfulness meditation
Certainly the best known, as it has become very popular over the past few decades. But the notion of mindfulness is present in all types of meditation. It consists of intentionally focusing your attention on the present moment, without judgment or reflection (positive or negative), to reach a state of detachment and inner peace.It is undoubtedly the most interesting meditation for losing weight, because it allows you to correct your eating habits. Moreover, we often talkabout mindful eating as a way to control your food intake: to focus more on the pleasure of eating than to swallow food without realizing what you are ingesting.
And hypnosis?
Often the two are confused, because they share many common points: they are practiced motionless, they modify the state of consciousness and they resort to focusing on a focal point of attention. But they also differ:hypnosis has no spiritual dimension, meditation is more ritualized (posture, breathing) and their purposes are different (hypnosis has a therapeutic goal, not meditation, at least officially).
What are the health benefits of meditation?
The main error of beginners in meditation is to hope for benefits on their health, in the medium or long term. In fact,meditation is the goal in itself . We meditate to meditate, not to expect any benefitstag. If benefits arise from the practice, one can only be satisfied.
Regarding precisely the Virtues of Meditation, science has looked into it. So far, studies have noted that:
- mindfulness meditation shows promise in managing stress , anxiety , and mood disorders (2) ;
- in people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, the practice may reduce blood pressure and improve sleep quality (3) ;
- in patients subject to physical pain, it would positively modify the perception of pain and improve the Quality of Life(4) ;
- meditation in the elderly would have demonstrated a positive effect on cognitive abilities (5) ;
- or decreasing
Of course, research is still ongoing. But they converge more and more in favor of proven benefits, particularly on mental health. Could we then imagine that the regular practice of mindfulness meditation could help to lose weight?
Meditation: can it help lose weight?
To this question, it is difficult to give a categorical answer. Because the weight is a multifactorial data. It depends in fact on heredity,Hormonal field, metabolism, diet and physical activity. Also to hope that a meditative practice alone can solve such a complex phenomenon would be illusory. However, it is an avenue to explore.
First point : meditation, by acting on stress, lowers the level of cortisol in the body (9)tag. However, cortisol has a deleterious effect on blood sugar levels, since high cortisol levels lead to increased insulin secretion. And this same over-secretion of insulin causes greater fat storage, and therefore weight gain.Meditating could therefore play on one of the hormonal parameters of weight.
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tag. This “mental reprogramming” with regard to food, centered on peace and taking bodily sensations into account, could not only make it possible to lose weight, but above all to stabilize it over time.
So it would seem that meditation can be helpful in the weight loss process. But it does not dispense with the usual hygiene and dietary measures, nor a visit to a health professional.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.