MEDITATION CHANGES YOUR BRAIN

I’ve been mediating for two a half years and it has changed my life dramatically. The reason is that meditation changes the brain in a positive way.

Image: markuso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

First, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown that meditation reduces the size of the amygdala, which is part of the “primitive” limbic system of the brain where emotional responses (i.e. fear!) are processed. So if you have been in a state of anxiety and fear most of your life, your amygdala is going to rule your life by knee-jerk reacting to everything that happens to you with an over-reactive response.

OMG!!! + Overreaction = CONSTANT FREAK OUT.

Meditation immediately calms the amygdala, and within eight weeks reduces the size of this organ.

At the same time, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has also shown that meditation increases the size of the hippocampus and areas of the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus, and the inferior temporal gyrus, which are the regions of the brain that regulate emotion.

The decreased size of the area of the brain that causes me to freak out along with the increased size of the areas of my brain that help me to stay calm are reasons enough to keep me motivated to meditate.

I have chosen Metta meditation although there are many forms of mediation. Metta, or lovingkindness meditation is a way of bathing your brain with self-compassion. The theory is that by being compassionate with yourself creates an overflow to others. I’ve written another blog on this subject in which I talk about Christopher K. Germer’s book, THE MINDFUL PATH TO SELF COMPASSION: FREEING YOURSELF FROM DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHTS AND EMOTION. I’ve read a lot of books on Buddhist meditation but I found Chris’s book to be the most assessable, especially if you are in need of a guide to the actual practice of meditation.

Om!

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