Meditation is an active training of the mind to increase awareness.It’s a form of mental exercise, really. And just as exercise increases health, helps us handle stress better and promotes longevity, meditation purports to confer some of those same benefits.
Dr. Lazar found differences in brain volume after eight weeks in five different regions in the brains of the two groups. In the group that learned meditation, found thickening in four regions:
An overarching goal is to be firmly affixed to the present moment. This typically means concentrating on the breath — observing each inhalation and exhalation — and without consideration to other thoughts. When a “stray” thought arises, the practitioner must be quick to recognize it, and then turn back to the focus of their attention. And it doesn't just have to be the breath; any single thought, like a mantra, will do.
Scientific Evidence
Dr.Sara Lazar and her team at Harvard found that meditation can actually change structure of the Brain The study involved taking magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the brain’s of 16 study participants two weeks prior to participating in the study. MRI images of the participants were also taken after the study was completed.
Dr. Lazar found differences in brain volume after eight weeks in five different regions in the brains of the two groups. In the group that learned meditation, found thickening in four regions:
1. The primary difference, we found in the posterior cingulate, which is involved in mind wandering, and self relevance.
2. The left hippocampus, which assists in learning, cognition, memory and emotional regulation.
3. The temporo parietal junction, or TPJ, which is associated with perspective taking, empathy and compassion.
4. An area of the brain stem called the Pons, where a lot of regulatory neurotransmitters are produced.
Decrease Of Grey Matter In Amygdala
The amygdala, the fight or flight part of the brain which is important for anxiety, fear and stress in general, That area got smaller in the group that went through meditation
The change in the amygdala was also correlated to a reduction in stress levels.
Meditation Decreases Beta Waves and Enhances Alpha Waves
Alpha Waves reduces the felling of negative mood,tension,stress and anger.
Alpha Waves reduces the felling of negative mood,tension,stress and anger.
beta waves Basically, they’re information being processed by your brain. Why would you want to decrease that? Because most of the information your brain processes is useless junk, a bunch of noise preventing you from focusing on things you actually want to focus on.
Increase In Variability Of Heart Rate
Meditation cause decrease in Blood Pressure and also increase in variability of heart rate.It actually plays a critical role in properly transporting Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide throughout the body.In a study in which both meditators and Non-meditators were given Flu-virus,meditators were able to produce greater number of antibodies and had increase immune system
Meditation Reduces Activity in the Brain’s “Me Center”
One of the most interesting studies in the last few years, carried out at Yale University, found that meditation decreases activity in the default mode network (DMN), the brain network responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts – a.k.a., “monkey mind.” The DMN is “on” or active when we’re not thinking about anything in particular, when our minds are just wandering from thought to thought. Since mind-wandering is typically associated with being less happy, ruminating, and worrying about the past and future, it’s the goal for many people to dial it down.
