How It Works: The Science of Mindfulness

 
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*ahhhhhh*

The feeling I have when I finish a morning mediation. I remember the first time I sat down for a meditation - feeling anxious just at the thought of sitting still... with my own thoughts... for even 5 minutes. It's taken me almost four years to get to a point where I find peace in sitting with my thoughts for 10 minutes.

But how is Meditation actually changing my brain chemistry? How is mindfulness improving my life?

Although recent interest in mindfulness meditation has recently taken off, I wanted to really understand HOW it can actually change brain chemistry. Being someone who needs real proof of why something works, I knew I wouldn’t be able to motivate myself to stick to consistent meditation even with every magazine cover and billboard broadcasting messages like; What Meditation is Right for Me? Meditation Tips for Beginners, One Minute Stress Relief Meditation, and 15 things Mindful People Do Differently.

First off, let’s define mindfulness: The ability to be fully present in the moment. It’s the quality of being present and fully engaging with whatever we’re doing at the moment. Free from distraction or judgment, and being aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.

Meditation is the practice of training our brain in this moment-to-moment awareness, allowing us to build up the skill of mindfulness so that we can then apply it to everyday life. Mindfulness is not a temporary state of mind that happens during meditation, but rather a way of living that helps us step back and be present in the moment in any situation.

Mindfulness doesn’t eliminate stress or other difficulties. Instead, it helps us become aware of unpleasant thoughts and emotions that arise because of challenging situations, giving us the choice of how to handle them in the moment (calm, smooth and empathetic vs. raise your weapons and fight!).

Okay… so meditation is like giving your brain some dumbbell’s and makin’ it sweat!

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But what does the science actually say about mindfulness:

- this is where it gets cool -

It can actually change the shape of our brains. Meditation studies using Neuroimaging found that 8 weeks of mindfulness meditations also changes our brains. Here’s what these 8-week meditators showed:

  1. Increased grey matter density in their brain. What the heck is grey matter?? It’s responsible for executive functioning such as emotional regulation, planning and problem-solving. More grey matter = more robust functioning.

  2. Increased cortical thickness which has an impact on our learning and memory processes. Thicker = more processing power.

  3. Lastly, the “fight or flight” center of our brain, the amygdala, that is in charge of how we feel stress, fear, and anxiety actually shrinks with a mindfulness practice.

All of this means that through meditation we can literally rewire our brains towards more positive thoughts and experiences long-term.

- plus a few more really cool stats about meditation after just 4 weeks -

  • Focus can increase by 14%

  • Wandering minds can be cut by 22%

  • It can help ease psychological symptoms of depression (by up to 46%), anxiety (by up to 31%) and pain-related stress

  • Increase in mental resilience

  • Increased satisfaction with life

And if that doesn’t convince you that this stuff works how about the physical benefits of meditation...

It can decrease the sympathetic nervous systems’ stress response (cue epinephrine and cortisol shooting through the bloodstream) which with prolonged activation can cause heart attacks and strokes, suppress the immune system, and constricts blood vessels. Meditation prompts the body to relax thereby activating the parasympathetic nervous system: this lowers blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen consumption = all of which result in higher energy levels and better immunity and sleep.

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So, after all this, I’m 100% bought in. This. Stuff. Works.

If you are too and you’re curious about where your ability to be mindful currently stands?

Need some extra inspiration?? Here are a few of my favorite videos related to mindfulness.

PersonalCaroline Reismindfulness, meditationComment