Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread and uneasiness, which can be a normal reaction to stress. The effect of meditation in reducing anxiety of the practitioners have been reported.
Methods: This study was carried out using a questionnaire among 50 people attending breath awareness based meditation class at a meditation/yoga centre in Kozhikode District of Kerala State, India (experimental group) and 50 people who were not doing meditation (control group) in Kozhikode. The questionnaire contained the measure of anxiety considering a period of past one month, details on whether the respondents had done meditation before joining the present meditation class, months of meditation practice in the present meditation class, and whether the control group respondents were having any psychological problem. The sum of scores of the anxiety items was worked out as the anxiety score of the respondents. The data was analysed as proportion, anxiety score and by statistical test.
Results: 60 to 100 % of meditation practitioners have not at all experienced six out of the seven anxiety items under the study in the past one month. However, 40 to 50% of non-meditators experienced four out of the seven anxiety items for more than 15 days in the past one month. The results on comparatively higher anxiety score of non-meditators than meditators, and 70 % of non-meditators coming under the severe anxiety category when compared to none of the meditators in this category indicate the effect of meditation in reducing the anxiety level of the respondents. Statistically significant results establish the influence of meditation done before joining the present meditation class as well as higher period of practice in the present class in reducing the anxiety level of the respondents. In the case of people who have not done meditation, existence of psychological problem has resulted in more anxiety, compared to those who did not have the problem.
Conclusion: The study has revealed the influence of meditation in helping the practitioners to reduce their level of anxiety, when compared to non-meditators. Creating awareness on scientifically proven beneficial effects of relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, art of living, exercise etc. among more number of people can be expected to motivate them to practice these techniques in order to achieve better wellbeing in life.