By Eloise King.
Scientists have known for a few years that people who meditate have different brain structures from the rest of us. What hasn't been proven is that it's actually the meditation that affects our grey matter. Now a landmark study had not only shown that there's a direct connection, but that meditation can change our brains for the better in just eight weeks.
In a study published in Psychiatry Research: Neuro imaging earlier this year, US researchers measured the brains of 16 people who had never meditated before, and then did so again after the group completed an eight-week meditation program. During that time, the group spent an average of 27 minutes a day practicing mindfulness meditation, a particular style of non-judgmental awareness of sensations, feelings and states of mind.
After the program, tests done on the group found there was increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with learning and memory, and in other brain structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection. There was also a reduction in the size of the amygdala, the part of the brain which controls anxiety and stress.
In other words, the silent practice of meditation changes the structure of our brains, boosting the areas that help us focus, remember things and be self-aware, while reducing the areas that can make us feel anxious and stressed.
US-based meditation master Thom Knoles, who is visiting Australia
"Practicing meditation helps us see things clearly, have a stronger sense of self and puts the stresses in our lives into proper perspective," he says.
"Research indicates the effects of meditation are not just that the brain is growing more grey matter, but the brain is learning to repair itself organically. It would not be out of the question to assume that the brain is actually regenerating brain cells."
Greater brain power.
Meditation quietens the mind and generates feelings of relaxation. The brain then sends signals of blissfulness to the entire body, which then reorganises itself into a restful and stress-free state.
Knoles says each one of us has the same brain capacity. The question is: what are we training our brain to do?
"Instead of having brain matter generated through states of stress, meditation provides the brain with blissful experiences that increase the capability in every area," he says. "What we see is people become more creative, increasing their learning ability and intelligence, and taking on a larger life perspective. Meditation is not just a psychological or mood-enhancing tool but a way to grow and access more brain power."
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