Did you know that simply sitting and mindful breathing can considerably change your brain? Amazing, right? You might have heard how meditation leads to mental clarity, reduces stress levels, and reduces anxiety.
But how does medication have a positive effect on your brain? Studies have shown how mindfulness practices bring about physiological changes that enhance the connection between meditation and the brain.
Recently, there have been many online meditation courses popping up everywhere. It has become so mainstream that even the business community wants to be a part of it. Science can now reinforce claims that show how medication positively impacts the brain and nurtures it to contribute to your well-being.
What is Meditation?
There are several ways to meditate, probably more ways than any of us can now since it’s a personal practice. First, there are those focused on scientific research on attention and mindful meditation. Here you focus on one thing, which could be your breathing, a body sensation, or an object in your vicinity. It helps in focusing your attention on one point and bringing back the attention to that focal point when it wanders.
What Happens to the Brain During Meditation?
Here, things get a bit more interesting. Modern technology such as MRI scans helps scientists develop a more thorough understanding of brain activity during medication. What happens to these areas of the brain?
- Left Hippocampus
It is the area of the brain that helps us learn. Cognitive ability tools and memory are found here. Also, emotional regulators that enable self-awareness and empathy are found here. During medication, the cortical thickness of this area grows in volume, and all these important functions are nurtured.
- Posterior Cingulate
It is linked with wandering thoughts and self-relevance. The larger and stronger the posterior cingulate means that the mind wanders less. It also proves that the more realistic the sense of self. Meditation enables the mind to remain accustomed to the present moment without regrets or anticipation. Meditation has proved to increase the density of this area of the brain.
- Pons
It is a very busy part of the brain that neurotransmitters help regulate brain activity. Other functions include sleep, sensory input, facial expressions, and sensory processing inputs. So it is clear meditation strengthens pons.
- Temporo Parietal Junction (TJP)
Empathy and compassion are associated with this part of the brain. The posterior cingulate focuses on ‘me’ while the temporoparietal junction focuses on everything else. The TPJ becomes active when we put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. A stronger TJP combined with other factors like lower stress and awareness of the present moment can help improve people.
- Amygdala
Compared to the other brain areas above that enlarge after meditation, the amygdala shrinks. It is the part that produces a feeling associated with fear, anxiety, and stress. The smaller the amygdala, the lesser it is to dictate emotional responses. Hence incorporating meditation into your daily life will help you feel great and at ease.
How meditation affects your brain
· Better Focus
Since meditation helps focus our attention and also helps to be aware when this focus drifts, it improves focus when not meditating. The lasting effect is associated with regular moments of meditation.
· Slows Aging
As you age, the brain changes, and experimental research has suggested that meditation helps protect your brain from such changes. For example, a study published in the Journal of Frontiers in Psychology in 2015 found that meditation preserves the brain’s gray matter.
The brain gray matter helps control how fast you process information. In this study, the researchers compared 50 brain scans of people who meditated for over 20 years with those who didn’t. In both groups, there was a loss in gray matter as they aged, but it was evident that there was less decline in the group that meditated.
· Helps with Addiction
Over time, research has shown that meditation affects the self-control areas of the brain. As a result, people recovering from addiction can benefit more from meditation. A study example against the American Lung Association’s freedom program found that people who learned medication were likely to stop smoking by the end of the 17 weeks of training. It found out that meditation helps people disconnect from the state of craving the act of smoking. Other researchers have found that mindfulness training from medication can be very useful in treating other addiction types.
· Less anxiety
Technically, the more we meditate, the less anxiety we have, which is brought about by loosening the connection of particular neural pathways. The Me Center, the medial prefrontal cortex, processes information about us and our experiences.
Normally, the neural pathways from sensations and fear centers to the brain are very strong. It is why when you experience a scary sensation; it triggers a strong reaction in your Me Center, making you scared. Meditation weakens this neural pathway, meaning you don’t react as strongly as before meditation.
· Creativity
Researchers from Leiden University in Netherlands studies focused attention and open monitoring types of meditation to see if there are any creativity improvements. To their amazement, they found that people who practiced focusing attention meditation showed no obvious improvement in creativity. However, those who did open-monitoring meditation showed improved creativity in their tasks.
· Compassion
Empathy and compassion are evident in people who perform meditation regularly. An experiment example showed the participants images of good, neutral, or bad people in ‘compassion meditation. These participants showed focus in attention and reduced emotional reaction to images shown. Also, they experienced more compassion for others when disturbing images were shown to them.
From the above, meditation can change your brain. Meditation can be done anytime and anywhere, whether at work, home, or school. It is important to try different styles of meditation that work best for you and your lifestyle.
Today, lives are fast-paced, and it may be impossible to find time and space for meditation to help clear your mind. However, meditation practices develop your inherent potential for happiness and awareness. It may take only a few minutes of your time, but its effects on your brain last a lifetime.
