MEDITATION: Positive Effects on the Brain

It is common knowledge that meditation helps increase mental clarity while also lowering levels of tension and anxiety. In all of this, what effects can meditation have on the brain? Studies have shown that being aware of the present moment leads to beneficial changes in the body that make the link between meditation and the brain stronger.

In recent years, there has been a rise in interest in the practice of meditation. People are devoting time and energy to improving their mental capabilities, being more aware of their breathing, and developing an appreciation for the significance of living in the here and now. There are a variety of locations, such as schools, towns, and senior centers that provide opportunities to participate in online meditation programs and groups. Corporate Insider recently published an article with the title “Silicon Valley is obsessed with meditation, and there’s new evidence that it changes the brain in a good way.” This shows that meditation has become so popular that even the business world is interested in it.

Research in psychology has provided empirical support for what meditators previously knew intuitively: that there are benefits to meditating for both the body and the soul. The claims can now be supported by scientific evidence thanks to the demonstration of how meditating physically alters the immensely complex organ located in the space between our ears. Recent findings from scientific studies show that meditation is beneficial to the parts of the brain that are involved in maintaining wellness. Also, it seems that regular meditation can help repair the connection between the mind and the body and starve the parts of the brain that deal with stress and anxiety of the food they need to work properly.

Let’s briefly go over some of the scientific findings.

The Impact That Meditation Has On The Brain

In an interview with the Washington Post, neuroscientist Sara Lazar from Harvard University presents an outline of the effects that meditation has on the brain. She describes how meditators’ brains expand in four areas that are tied to healthy brain function, whereas one area that is linked to undesirable behavior actually shrinks as a result of their practice. Let’s take a closer look at these areas.

The Lateral Hippocampum Of The Brain

Learning is aided by the activity in this part of the brain. These include the cognitive and memory tools that we employ, as well as the emotional controllers that are related to self-awareness and empathy. Also included here are the instruments that we utilize. According to the study, gray-matter density increases, the cortical thickness of the hippocampus expands in volume, and each of these critically important processes is supported.

Cingulate Posterior

The posterior cingulate is linked to daydreaming as well as self-relevance, which can be understood as the degree of subjectivity and self-reference that occurs during the processing of information. It seems that having a bigger and stronger posterior cingulate can make you less likely to daydream and give you a more solid sense of who you are.

The ability to remain present in the moment without regret, expectation, or judgment and the ability to notice mind-stream sensations and emotions without necessarily identifying with them are two of the most important effects that meditation has on the mind. Both of these abilities are strengthened through regular practice. During meditation, there is an apparent increase in the density of the posterior cingulate.

Pons

This is a very busy and important part of the brain where many of the neurotransmitters that help regulate brain activity are produced. Located in the middle of the brain stem, its name, pons, comes from the Latin for “bridge.” The pons is involved in a great number of essential functions, including sleep, facial expressions, processing sensory input, and basic physical functioning. Meditation strengthens the pons.

The Temporo Parietal Junction (TPJ)

We like to think that we’re good people – empathetic, humane and just. Empathy and compassion are associated with the temporoparietal junction of the brain, or TPJ, as is our sense of perspective. We might say that the posterior cingulate focuses on “me” while the TPJ shines a light on everything else. The TPJ becomes more active when we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, for example. A stronger TPJ—combined with other benefits of meditation like lower stress and present moment awareness—can help us be the good people we aspire to become.

Amygdala

There is another area of the brain that is changed through meditation: the amygdala. But it doesn’t get larger; it shrinks. The amygdala—that pesky corner of the brain that produces feelings of anxiety, fear and general stress—is physically smaller in the brains of expert meditators. For the rest of us, even an eight-week crash course in mindfulness-based stress reduction leads to a measurable decrease in the size of the amygdala. The smaller it is, the less apt it is to dictate our emotional responses, especially those of the “fight-or-flight” genre. No wonder we feel so great when a daily meditation regimen is incorporated into our lives. And we can develop a consistent daily practice through progressive meditation instruction online!

If you are excited and interested in learning more about meditation training for better health and mental well-being or wish to take the entire course, making more money and having a happier life, then click on the active links NOW.