The Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness
The Benefits of Meditation have been well documented in the last twenty years and with MRI scanners now showing us the actual visible results meditation brings it’s all time we started this wonderful new science of Meditation
With so many websites all claiming the wonders of Mindfulness and Meditation, it has surprised me how little of those websites actually have any scientific based evidence to back up the claims. This article try’s to put this right.
Scientifically What Are The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation and Mindfulness are a relatively new field to western science and as so between the 1950’s and the early 2000’s around 3,000 studies have been compiled. However in 2007 it was suggested by the NCCIH that most, around 80-90 percent, were flawed in there undertaking and the results are misleading or misguiding. A new set of terms or rules have been implemented and the research began again.
Leading The Way
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) have been leading the way in scientific publications based on Mindfulness and Meditation practices. And the results and evidence they have found is staggering, it is now perfectly accepted that Meditation and Mindfulness trainings and techniques will have a direct impact within our brains, resulting in increased activity within the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex. The Hippocampus region, which is directly responsible for the grey matter produced in our brains, also show signs of significant improvement. The possibilities this may have within the scientific fields of Alzheimer’s and memory retention are only just being realised.
A study into “Exploring age‐related brain degeneration in meditation practitioners” is a fascinating insight into the possibility of future medical advancements in just this exciting new field.
The growing body of research that has been gathered and processed over the last decade, suggests that meditation practices are associated with substantial psychological as well as physiological benefits.
In some of those meditation studies it has be revealed that meditation and mindfulness training can relieve Chronic Insomnia, improve our Immune System and Lower Blood Pressure as well has having a reduction in Stress, Anxiety and Depression. Around 95 percent of participants having as little as two weeks of mindfulness meditation training report a reduction in levels of Stress, Anxiety and Depression.
Latest Studies
The most comprehensive and recent study, using (MRI) Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners, entitled ‘The Unique Brain Anatomy of Meditation Practitioners and the Alterations in Cortical Gyrification‘ shows us the real life MRI scans comparing 50 practicing Meditators and 50 non practicing participants. The results our outstanding and for the first time we can actually see the difference between the ventromedialis Cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and the hippocampus region of meditators and non mediators.
A further study using Magnetic Resonance Image Scanners (MRI) is being conducted with over 78 participants over a period of ten years. The results are already impressive and the journey has only just begun within this exciting new field of science.
West finally meets Eastern psychology
Science finally can show and tell us exactly what the Buddhist monks have been saying for over 2,500 years, that meditation can and will change your life for the better. Only now for the first time we actually have the physical evidence with MRI scans that is so desired by the western minds. Meditation is by no way a ‘quick fix‘ or ‘cure all‘ type of medication, it is a practice or training of the mind, that takes time and patience, the rewards however are worth every effort or minute invested.
Meditation and Mindfulness Training
Meditation can and will have a massive impact in your life, scientifically as well as spiritually. The techniques and trainings that we share within this website can do more than just relieve Stress, anxiety and depression, they have the ability to change your life!
Mindfulness and Meditation trainings are relatively simple to implement into our daily lives, and this website is dedicated to doing just that, bringing Meditation and Mindfulness trainings to you completely FREE.
If you have never meditated before then first visit our Meditation Page and go through the first few articles, get an idea of the correct posture for your body, the different positions we can meditate, and then move on to actually try meditating.
Breathing or Samadhi Meditation is by far the easiest of mindfulness training to grasp, or perhaps Metta Bhavana Meditation, also known as Loving Kindness Meditation will work wonders, especially for anxiety and depression. However the untrained mind will find it a lot harder than it sounds. The good news is, just like going to the gym regularly you start to build those muscles up, and so too with meditation you powers of concentration become greater and meditation becomes easier.
Using a meditation schedule and making meditation a regular part of our lives will help improve our concentration skills greatly and our levels of stress and anxiety will lower. Depression won’t become a thing of the past, we just learn beautiful techniques to cope better.
I wish you all the success and happiness on your meditation journey and if you need in anyway advice, help or guidance we will be only too will to help. Explore the About Us Page for further details.
Kind regards
