Practiced daily, meditation can untangle tension, fight fatigue and lower your blood pressure. It can lift your spirits and help you find inner peace. What's more, it costs nothing, has no side effects and doesn't require medical help.

Scientists now know meditation changes the way our brain works, and that thoughts can influence the brain and the body, says Harvard University professor Herbert O. Benson, MD. When his research team used MRI imaging to study the brains of four people meditating, he says the team found increased activity in specific areas involved in attention and control of the autonomic nervous system.

Some meditation experts suggest thinking of your mind as a glass of muddy water. When you shake it up, particles swirl around and cloud the water. But if you let the glass sit for 20 minutes, all of the debris suspended in the water settles, leaving the water clear. In a similar way, sitting in meditation helps quiet the "debris" swirling around your head and leaves you feeling clear and peaceful.

For the complete article see Meditation in Arthritis Today