Meditation advantages

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Transcendental meditation can cut heart attack and stroke death rates by half, research has suggested.

The practice, which involves the continual repetition of a mantra, was found to reduce high blood pressure, cholesterol and thickening of the arteries.

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin followed 201 men and women with an average age of 59 who suffered from the narrowing of arteries in their hearts for nine years.

The study found that those who regularly meditated reduced their chances of dying during the trial or having a heart attack or stroke by 47 per cent.