Richard Gere swears by it and Goldie Hawn, Sheryl Crow and Shania Twain are always at it. Meditation, once the preserve of Buddhist monks, has never been more popular.

It is often seen as a stress-buster but latest research shows it can lower blood pressure and fight disease.

Although it is regarded as part of the spiritual domain, it is being embraced by the medical world.

Consultant psychiatrist Larry Culliford, 53, is a fully trained medic but also believes meditation has significant health benefits.

He said: "The evidence is that it is very good for people with a range of physical as well as mental health problems.

"Meditation gets the mind and body back into harmony and this allows the natural healing processes the best chance to work."

Dr Culliford was introduced to meditation during a conference in Australia more than 20 years ago when a Tibetan monk outlined the basics.

Dr Culliford's interest was sparked and since then he has practised it regularly and learnt more and more.

He said: "It makes your mind feel completely clear.

"Even once you have learnt the basic technique, people find they want to do more and more and get better and better at it."

Dr Culliford, who works with mental health patients in Brighton, finds meditation a useful tool for himself as it makes his mind tranquil.

He does not use it on his patients as he believes it may lead to them possibly facing problems they are not ready for.

He said: "The thing with meditation is that after a while it can start to expose long and deep-seated emotions and sometimes these can be negative.

"If you are able to deal with those emotions, learn from them and move on then it makes the meditation more rewarding and gives you a sense of personal growth. But if, for some reason, you are unable to deal with them, it might cause too much disturbance.

"Sometimes when I have a few moments between patients I do a little bit of meditation.

"I've also found myself taking the odd moment at traffic lights. It can sometimes be for only a short period of time but it is extremely beneficial."

Dr Culliford also goes to weekly group meditation sessions, which last up to 30 minutes at a time.

He has found most people involved with meditation tend to be in their 30s to 50s and there are slightly more women than men.

He said: "I have a wide circle of friends who know of my interest in meditation and they are all very supportive. They know it is important to me and I get a lot out of it.

"At first it is a matter of getting used to the principle of sitting or kneeling and finding a quiet place. With your eyes closed and the minimum of noise and light you can then concentrate on clearing your mind of thoughts. At first people might suddenly feel the impulse to scratch or develop cramp or start thinking about something mundane, like what they are having for dinner.

"But gradually, as you become more accomplished, these thoughts will calm and you are able to concentrate. Having a skill like meditation can change your outlook and make you more tolerant. As well as the physical and emotional benefits, the social benefits are useful."

More and more schools are now teaching children the basics of meditation and research has found children who take part tend to be more relaxed and happy and do better in lessons.

Dr Culliford said: "Hopefully we will eventually see a generation of children getting the benefits. As people in their 30s try out meditation now, it can be passed on to their children."

The deep breathing associated with meditation can be beneficial as it helps the pulse rate to slow. Skin disorders and asthma, which are sometimes triggered by stress, are believed to be helped through meditation.

Dr Culliford said: "At a simple level, meditation can be compared, for example, to swimming or singing. Both are healthy pursuits rather than treatment but both are theoretically prescribable for respiratory or muscular complaints and both likely to result in improved general well-being."

Research seems to back up his theory.

Nine sheet metal workers from Lancashire were taught how to meditate over a three-month period and the results showed their mental and physical well-being increased by more than 300 per cent.

Eight out of nine people showed substantial changes and their heart and pulse rates improved significantly.

Some forms of meditation involve concentrating on breathing, while others involve repeating a mantra or focusing on an object.

The Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine reported on researchers who had found meditation could boost the body's immune system and change brain activity in areas associated with positive emotion.

A type of meditation called mindfulness, which involves paying attention to the experience of the moment, is believed to help people cope with cancer, Aids, heart disease, chronic pain, ME, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, anxiety and panic.

Studies have found mindfulness meditation teamed with cognitive therapy halved the risk of relapse for people who have suffered three or more episodes of clinical depression.

Transcendental meditation (TM) is a popular form of meditation, with more than 160,000 Britons learning it.

People practise it twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes, repeating a specific mantra while sitting comfortably with their eyes closed.

Jonathan Hindel, TM teacher and spokesman for the organisation in Britain, said: "If you practise TM for about three months, blood pressure tends to be reduced by about the same amount as taking any drug for hypertension.

"Hypertension is implicated in both strokes and heart attacks, two of the three biggest killers in the Western world."