How Meditation Changes the Mind and Body – Improve Life with Mental Work
A lot of people talk about the benefits of meditation but did you know thousands of studies back it up? This is how meditation actually changes the mind and body as proven through years of research.
It may sound too good to be true, but you can improve your life by simply just meditating 10 to 15 minutes a day. The benefits of meditation can be measured, physically. Through meditation, your brain and mine undergo a transformation that is life-changing. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about these amazing benefits and how to start meditating immediately.
What is Meditation
Meditating is a mental exercise that has been around for thousands of years. It is used as a way to clear the mind, relax the body, and be more aware of the present moment. Similar to how deep breathing can relax you, meditation can retrain your mind to look at the world differently.
Purpose
The purpose of meditation is to exercise the mind. Just like we go to the gym or work out for our physical health, meditation is training for our mental health. There are many different ways to meditate and it can be done with any amount of free time. This makes meditation one of the easiest things you can do to boost mental health.
How Meditation Changes the Mind and Body
There are big ways that meditation changes both the mind and the body. Some of the changes in the mind can be measured in physical changes in the brain. Some of the changes in the body are due to mental changes. At the end of the day, every aspect of meditation is designed to boost overall health, both physical and mental.
Changes to the Mind
Here are some ways meditation changes the mind. This is in part due to what you do while you meditate. Since you are clearing your mind, different parts of the brain start to slow and relax. Frontal lobe activity decreases, which is the part of the brain responsible for planning, consciousness, and reasoning.
Slowed Communication
Their changes in communication and the way the brain reacts. The part of the brain responsible for sensory information such as touch, language, and orientation starts to slow down. The thalamus, the part of the brain responsible for pain processing, slows as well. The reticular formation, a part of the brain key and consciousness, slows down signaling.
This overall decrease in brain activity starts bringing forth homeostasis, a relaxed, stable state. Part of the reason why meditation is such a great way of dealing with anxiety, PTSD, and can help in pain management is due to this communication slow down.
Brainwaves
Brainwaves change when you meditate, and this effect can linger long after you stop meditating. This can lead to changes in the way your brain processes information. Long term, this causes emotional regulation, an increase in concentration, and more tranquility.
With technology such as MRI and fMRI, we can get a clear picture of what happens to the brain while you are meditating. Scientists comparing brain activity of participants before and after an 8-week training found that after 8 weeks, people experienced more alpha waves. These are the waves responsible for relaxation. Scientists call this the meditative brain. These brain waves lasted long after a meditation session was over, which meant that those individuals would have more emotional control and a less negative response to the outside world.
Changes to the Body
Meditation also leads to physical changes in the body. This can be seen in physical changes in the brain and an increase in overall health. Meditation tends to be linked with improved cardiovascular health due to its ability to regulate heart rate and breathing. Besides this, meditation also tends to improve sleep. Sleep is vital for health as a good night’s rest is the difference between a good day and a bad day. Check out all the reasons sleep is vital to health here!
Physical Brain Changes
There are physical changes in the brain when you meditate. Individuals who meditate more tend to have increased thickness in the frontal cortex. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for higher thinking. There’s also an increased volume in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. This suggests that habitual meditation can increase your ability to memorize and learn, and can enhance cognitive flexibility.
Inflammation Reduction
Meditation leads to a decrease in stress. This is because of the way it teaches our mind to remain calm and relaxed. A decrease in stress leads to less cortisol in the body, which is a common stress hormone. This stress hormone is linked to high levels of inflammation. Some inflammation is normal, particularly when it’s in response to injury or infection. However, chronic levels of inflammation are detrimental to health and can lead to long-term disease. Managing inflammation is just one of the ways meditation helps physical health greatly.
How to Meditate
Let’s keep this short and sweet. Meditation does not have to take hours, nor do you have to be an expert in it. Especially when you are first starting, it’s good to do short sessions, about 5 to 10 minutes. Once you get more into the habit, you may start to increase the time to 20 minutes or even an hour, but only if you want to. All you need to do is find a nice quiet place to sit or lie down. Try to avoid your bed as we tend to simply fall asleep and not meditate when we lie in bed.
Close your eyes and start breathing deeply. Count your inhalations and exhalations. Then, all you need to do is slowly scan your body, noting any tension and breathing through that. If you notice your mind wandering to other things, don’t worry, that’s very normal. Let the thought go without judgment and bring your attention back to the present moment. After you’re done with your simple body scan, simply breathe deeply for a couple more breaths, and thank yourself for the time you’ve taken to boost overall health. That’s it, you’ve meditated.
The Takeaway
Meditation is a great habit that you can add to your life. Knowing exactly how meditation actually changes the mind and body can help you make it a habit. Try out meditation today and watch how overall health flourishes.
Remember that health comes from within. Eat nutritious food, exercise when you can, and take care of your mental health. The small daily habits you cultivate become the basis for overall wellness. Don’t forget about microbiota health too! Gut microbiota affects the entire body, from the skin to muscles, to immune and mental health! Get all the resources you need about microbiota health for free here!
