MEDITATION

Meditation offers the perfect nutrition for the Soul-which is the hub of all the essential traits like positivity, wisdom, will-power, etc. In fact, it is the only means to nourish the Self and cherish the innumerable benefits which are rewarded when one comes in contact with his inner being. In the January 2011 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, Massachusetts General and the University of Massachusetts Medical School reported results of one significant clinical study. This study highlighted how meditation can transform our brain. It was an 8-week study done on 16 subjects who meditated for 30 minutes every day. MRI brain scans were done at the beginning and end of the study. Surprisingly, in the span of 56 days alone, meditation casted such an impact on the brain that each subject’s MRI displayed an increase in the gray matter in the Hippocampus. Hippocampus is the part of the brain which is responsible for learning, memory, and special orientation. Simultaneously, a reduction in the gray matter of the Amygdala was also noted. The Amygdala is identified as the fear, stress and anxiety center of the brain. Scientists were amazed to see that in less than two months, meditation can change the physical structure of the brain and the way it is wired!

In another research done by the Yale and Harvard universities, the brain scans revealed that meditation increased the thickness of the gray matter of those parts responsible for attention and for processing sensory input. The increase in the thickness was seen proportional to the duration of meditation.

Beside this, studies have revealed that meditation protects the brain’s cortex from the effects of aging. By protecting cells from premature aging, it thus results in longevity.

On the cellular level, meditation has been found to facilitate neuronal connections- which implies a better performance of the brain. Simultaneously, noticable structural changes have been seen in the regions of the brain which relate to traits like empathy, emotion-regulation, etc.