Meditation: Where Our Brain Finds Peace
Using meditation to relax and relieve stress is an action that is becoming more and more popular as time goes on. It is mostly because of its well- known benefits for our mental well-being. But it is the act of conscious meditation or mindfullness that gets the most attention because its benefits prove to go much further than just triggering stress.
Conscious meditation helps not only relieve psychological problems but also physical ones such as high blood pressure, chronic pain, psoriasis, insomnia, anxiety and depression. It has also been proven that it stimulates immunological functions and helps to avoid compulsive eating.
But beyond all that, it has been proven that meditation, especially conscious meditation or mindfulness, helps improve brain function.
Meditation and brain function
A new study was conducted at the University of California. It presents that one of the effects of focusing and reorienting is an increase in cerebral connection. Researchers compared the brain activity of volunteers after eight weeks of stress-relieving training based only on mindfulness with those who did not do the same exercises.
The MRI scans showed stronger connections in several parts of the brain. They are especially true of those related to attention and audio-visual processes.
In a later study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers used MRI scans to document before and after changes in the brain’s gray matter. The researchers found that meditation can literally reshape your brain. It can make it grow significantly and improve all its features.
The researchers looked for changes in cerebral volume in five regions of the brain on the members of the test group. In the group that practiced meditation, growth was found in four areas.
The biggest change was discovered in the posterior cingulate, which relates to the migration of the mind and self-esteem. They also found changes in the left hippocampus that assist in learning, cognition, memory, and emotional regulation. The temporal parietal collection associated with perspective, empathy, and compassion was also increased. Finally, changes of the bridge in the brainstem were observed. It is an area of the brainstem where many of the regulatory neurotransmitters are produced.
They also observed changes in the amygdala. It is the part of the brain where the “fight or flight” reactions are triggered. It is important and relevant for anxiety, fear and stress. The area became smaller in the group that followed the program based on mindfulness. The change in the amygdala is also associated with a significant reduction in stress.
Meditation and changes in genetics
Right now, researchers can only speculate about the relationship between the cerebral changes and the health benefits associated with mindfulness or conscious meditation. But these studies contribute to the growing evidence that meditation exercises can change the body at a basic level and even a genetic level.
Researchers are now studying the ways relaxation techniques (such as mindfulness and yoga) can alter genetic ties in people who exercise them regularly. They are particularly interested in studying potential changes in the genes that control how the body controls free radicals, inflammatory processes, and cell death.
