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Why Learn Meditation?
In 2000 the Dalai Lama invited neuroscientists to study the brain activity of expert Buddhist meditators. The University of Wisconsin along with other universities over the next fifteen years studied more than one hundred experienced meditators, as well as, beginning meditators. It became apparent that because of the brain’s neuroplasticity that meditation not only effects the way people think and feel, but also change the actual structure of the brain and other bodily functions. And naturally the more a person meditates the greater the change and the more lasting and stable the changes become, as they become hardwired into the actual structure of the brain.
Studies showed the brain activity of expert meditators was significantly less in the anxiety-related regions in handling painful stimuli than non-meditators or novices. The meditators also had lower levels of cortisol and adrenalin when faced with stressful social situations.
Other studies have shown that cognitive therapy with mindfulness meditation training greatly reduced the relapse of depression with more effectively than with therapy and/or with antidepressant meditation without the mindfulness training.
In another study of compassion based meditation training showed that negative emotions diminished, and positive emotions increased, which corresponded with changes in the areas of the brain associated with positive emotions like compassion and maternal love.
It was also shown that long-term meditators could sustain a particular EEG brainwave patterns associated with learning and conscious perception the the promotion of lasting changes in brain circuitry.
Mindfulness meditation training has also been shown to shrink the region of the brain (amygdala) associated with the processing of fear. And the meditators had a greater amount of axons that connect different parts of the brain, which further supports the notion that meditation alters the structure of the brain in way that helps people deal with the challenges of life more effectively.
Of course over 2600 years of Buddhism and other yogic traditions it is common knowledge that meditation is of lasting benefit and now we are fortunate enough to have the scientific methods to validate this and possibly even refine these methods through scientific and spiritual inquiry combined.
Reference: Neuroscience Reveals the Secrets of Meditation’s Benefits, Contemplative practices that extend back thousands of years show a multitude of benefits for both body and mind
By Matthieu Ricard, Antoine Lutz and Richard J. Davidson
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