Scientific Benifits of MeditationWe all have heard that “meditation is good for you”. But good in what terms? Is that just reports from people doing it for 10 years, or are there good scientific studies showing specific benefits that I care about? In this massive article I have summarised several scientific discoveries on the benefits of meditation.
MindfulnessThe following is a script from “Mindfulness” which aired on Dec. 14, 2014. Anderson Cooper is the correspondent. Denise Schrier Cetta, producer. Matthew Danowski , editor. Our lives are filled with distractions — email, Twitter, texting we’re constantly connected to technology, rarely alone with just our thoughts.
Eight weeks to a better brainarticipating in an eight-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress. In a study that will appear in the Jan.
Starved for Time? Here’s a Surprising-and Easy-SolutionAlthough I think I spent most of my childhood daydreaming, I seldom do it anymore. Occasionally, I’ll catch myself spacing out in the shower, just standing there, and I’ll try to hustle myself back on track, lest I waste any more time or water. Rarely do we just let ourselves stare into space these days.
Your Brain Peforms Better When It Slows Down, with Steven Kotler | Big ThinkBest-selling author Steven Kotler discusses hypofrontality — literally the slowing of the brain’s prefrontal cortex — and how it allows one to enter an optimal state of consciousness, known as flow.
Divorcing Mindful Meditation From Religion, with Sam Harris | Big ThinkIn the following clip , neuroscientist and best-selling author Sam Harris advocates for a secular form of meditation as a method for making fundamental discoveries about the nature of the mind. This discussion relates directly to arguments made in his new book, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality …
Stressed? Meditating really does workResearchers found 25 minutes of mindful meditation for three consecutive days alleviated psychological stress By Mark Prigg Meditating can have an almost instant effect on reducing stress, researchers have found. They say three consecutive days of 25 minute sessions can have a dramatic effect.
Consciousness on-off switch discovered deep in brainContinue reading page |1| 2 ONE moment you’re conscious, the next you’re not. For the first time, researchers have switched off consciousness by electrically stimulating a single brain area. Scientists have been probing individual regions of the brain for over a century, exploring their function by zapping them with electricity and temporarily putting them out of action.
What God does to your brain – Telegraph“When people speak in tongues, they’re gone, they’re in a completely altered state. But most of the time they’re normal people like us, with jobs and children – they don’t show any sign of being delusional,” says Newberg.
Synchronized brain waves enable rapid learningThe human mind can rapidly absorb and analyze new information as it flits from thought to thought. These quickly changing brain states may be encoded by synchronization of brain waves across different brain regions, according to a new study from MIT neuroscientists.
War and Peace (of Mind): Mindfulness training for military could help them deal with stressMindfulness training — a combination of meditation and body awareness exercises — can help U.S. Marine Corps personnel prepare for and recover from stressful combat situations. The study suggests that incorporating meditative practices into pre-deployment training might be a way to help the U.S.
This is your brain on meditation: Brain processes more thoughts, feelings during meditation, study showsMeditation is more than just a way to calm our thoughts and lower stress levels: our brain processes more thoughts and feelings during meditation than when you are simply relaxing, a coalition of researchers has found. “The study indicates that nondirective meditation allows for more room to process memories and emotions than during concentrated meditation,” says a co-author of the study.
Brain Zaps Can Trigger Lucid DreamsLucid dreams, in which people are aware of and can control their dreams, are rare. But now scientists have found they can induce this weird state of mind in people by zapping their brains with a specific frequency of electricity.
What Are the Types of Meditation?“The Healthy Geezer” answers questions about health and aging in his weekly column. This is the second of three columns on meditation. Question: What are the types of meditation? Answer: Meditation is classified as a mind-body practice.
Does Meditation Have Health Benefits?“The Healthy Geezer” answers questions about health and aging in his weekly column. Question: Does meditating have any real health benefits? Answer: Meditation definitely reduces stress. And too much stress is bad for your health. There is some research that indicates meditation may help with: Allergies, anxiety, asthma, binge eating, cancer, depression, fatigue, heart disease, high blood pressure, pain, sleep difficulties and substance abuse.
Meditation Has the Power to Influence Your GenesIn a groundbreaking discovery, a collaborative team of researchers from Wisconsin, Spain, and France reported in December 2013 the first evidence of specific molecular changes at a genetic level following a period of mindfulness meditation. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows rapid alterations in gene expression within subjects associated with mindfulness meditation practice,” says study author Richard J.