Your brain and meditation

Studies have shown the beneficial effects of meditation on our health and our brain

. There are many types of meditation and invariably all of them have positive effects.

Understanding how meditation affects the brain, and, by extension, human behavior, also gives insight into the potency of this timeless yogic practice. There have been groundbreaking researches showing that, when people meditate, they alter the biochemistry of their brains, and this could be at the heart of claims that meditation can improve health and wellbeing.

Meditation practice changes the neural physiology enabling the practitioner to respond with equanimity to sources of stress. It doesn't make meditators sluggish or apathetic; it simply allows them to detach from their emotional reactions so they can respond appropriately.

Some studies of meditation have linked meditation with increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is associated with concentration, planning, meta-cognition (thinking about thinking), and positive emotions (good feelings). There are similar studies linking depression and anxiety with decreased activity in the same region, and/or with dominant activity in the right prefrontal cortex.

The brain is an electrochemical organ using electromagnetic energy to function. Electrical activity emanating from the brain is displayed in the form of brainwaves. There are four categories of these brainwaves. They range from the high amplitude, low frequency delta to the low amplitude, high frequency beta. During the normal sequential pattern of descent from wakefulness to deep sleep the brainwave frequency changes from fast beta waves (above 14 cycles per second), to theta waves (4-7 cycles per second) and, lastly, to delta waves (0-4 cycles per second).

The difference between normal sleep and meditation is that in meditation an intermediate platform of alpha wave predominance (7-14 cycles per second) associated with relaxation is created between the beta wave patterns of the wakeful state and the slow delta rhythm of deep sleep. The result is complete relaxation of mental, emotional and muscular tension.

There are now more than 600 scientific studies of the various benefits of Transcendental Meditation (a type of meditation technique) that were independently conducted at 250 universities and institutions in 30 countries. These studies, published in over 100 science magazines, report of improvements such as decrease in stress hormones like cortisol, decrease in muscle tension, decrease of elevated blood pressure, increase in memory and concentration, stabilization of the autonomic nervous system, reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, increased self-confidence, and stabilization of chronic alcoholics.

Modern neuroscience is showing that our brain is as plastic as our body. Meditation can help train our brain, in the same way exercise can train our body.

Your brain and meditation

By: Patresia Adams

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