读者文摘:如何随时随地找到安宁(1)

If you had told me as recently as a few years ago that I would someday become a traveling evangelist for meditation¹,

如果你早在几年前告诉我，有一天我会成为四处传播冥想的布道者，

I would have coughed my beer up through my nose.

我会对此嗤之以鼻。

In 2004, I had a panic attack at work.

2004年，我在工作中出现惊恐发作。

Unfortunately for me, that meant in front of millions of people, as I was delivering the news, live, on ABC's Good Morning America.

对我来说不幸的是，这意味着当我在ABC电视台的《早安美国》节目现场直播新闻时，面对千百万人时突发状况。

In the wake of my nationally televised freak-out, I learned that I had undiagnosed depression.

在这之后，我得知自己患有未被诊断出的抑郁症。

For months, I'd been having trouble getting out of bed in the morning and felt as if I had a permanent low-grade fever.

几个月来，我很难在早上起床，感觉好像一直在持续低烧。

The panic attack ultimately led me to embrace a practice I had always dismissed as ridiculous.

这次惊恐发作最终使我接受了一种我一向认为荒谬的做法。

For most of my life, to the extent that I'd ever even considered meditation, I ranked it right alongside aura readings and Enya.

在我生命的大部分时间里，当我想到冥想时，我把它与灵气阅读和恩雅相提并论。

Further, I figured my racing² type A mind was way too busy to ever be able to commune with the cosmos³.

而且，我觉得我那飞驰的思维太过繁忙，无法与宇宙交流。

And anyway, if I got too happy, it would probably render me completely ineffective at my hypercompetitive job.

不管怎么样，如果我太过高兴，可能会无法胜任我那竞争激烈的工作。

Two things changed my mind. The first was the science.

有两件事改变了我的想法。首先是科学。

In recent years, there has been an explosion of research into meditation,

近年来，对冥想的研究呈爆炸式增长，

which has been shown to reduce blood pressure, boost recovery after your body releases the stress hormone⁴ cortisol,

研究表明冥想可以降低血压，在人体释放压力激素皮质醇后促进恢复，

strengthen the immune system, slow age-related atrophy⁵ of the brain, and mitigate⁶ the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

增强免疫系统，延缓与年龄相关的大脑萎缩，减轻抑郁和焦虑症状。

Studies also show meditation can reduce violence in prisons, increase productivity in the workplace,

研究还表明，冥想可以减少监狱里的暴力行为，提高工作效率，

and improve both the behavior and the grades of school children.

改善学生的行为和成绩。

Things really get interesting when you look at the neuroscience.

当你审视神经科学时，事情就变得很有趣了。

In recent years, researchers have been peering into the heads of mediators,

近年来，研究人员一直在研究冥想者的大脑，

and they've found that the practice can rewire key parts of the brain involved with self-awareness, compassion⁷, and resilience.

他们发现冥想可以重新连接大脑中与自我意识、同情心和恢复力有关的关键部位。

One study from the Harvard Gazette found that just eight weeks of meditation

《哈佛公报》的一项研究发现，仅八周的冥想，

resulted in measurable decreases in gray matter density⁸ in the area of the brain associated with stress.

1 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

2 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 cosmos   

n.宇宙；秩序，和谐

参考例句：

• Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。
• Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

4 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

5 atrophy   

n./v.萎缩，虚脱，衰退

参考例句：

• Patients exercised their atrophied limbs in the swimming pool.病人们在泳池里锻炼萎缩的四肢。
• Many hoped he would renew the country's atrophied political system.很多人都期望他能使该国萎靡的政治体系振作起来。

6 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。

7 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

8 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。