The Science of Meditation

Hi, my name is Ambuj,

Welcome to Mindful life, and it's a beautiful Friday morning.

I was looking back a few days ago at one of my favorite books. The author of this book has been called the happiest person in the world. I can as well think of another person who has had that same title, who was on the front page of Time magazine once. They both happened to be Buddhist monks. To be honest, I quite like them going up against each other, smiling to see who can give the biggest smile 😀. 

Interestingly, we don't talk a lot about science on this blog, even though I have done my master's in science from a national institute. But there is something interesting to looking at what's happening beyond the mind, perhaps in the brain, in the body as we train the mind. No matter what nature the training takes, whether reflection, contemplation, meditative, learning, etc. Indeed, in these peer-reviewed studies, they have ended up coming out with the ideas of the happiest person or most compassionate person. They are looking very specifically at what's happening in the brain and different brain regions. The brain areas are associated with feelings of positive well-being where we perhaps might be less reactive, where we might be more focused. I believe it is interesting that the bottom line is how we feel, and it's not how we read about it in a scientific paper. But it is helpful to know because somedays you sit down and it doesn't necessarily feel like anything is happening. It doesn't feel like anything is changing, and to know that actually, even in those moments, something is still evolving, something is happening, that the brain is being rewired in some way. I think it can bring a lot of comfort and benefit. And hey, maybe you know someone you think would benefit from meditation. I am not suggesting that you go and tell them about it or push it on them. But you know you could casually leave a scientific paper or a book around the house. " Hey, look, when you meditate, these things happen." 

And it is interesting because it is the brain as well as the mind, they are not the same thing, but they are connected. We know when we sit and meditate, the brain itself is changing. Those areas of the brain, the cortex in the brain, are getting thicker and stronger as it receives more blood flow. The easiest way to think about it is by the analogy of going to the gym, which I relate a lot with. As you workout, you train your muscle; it gets more blood flow, breaks down, builds back up again, gets thicker, and gets stronger and more muscular. The same thing is happening in our minds. So when we sit down, regardless, as long we are training with the right intentions, and we are practicing that skill of realizing when the mind has wandered off, bringing it back again to the task at hand. 

We are rewiring the brain; we are changing the physical shape of the brain and providing the conditions for the brain to change. And as a consequence of that changing of it getting thicker and more robust, we spend more time there. And as we spend more time there, it becomes more familiar and becomes more part of our lives. And in time, we learn to rest more in that space.

So have confidence as you go into this weekend that even if you feel like you have fallen off the wagon somehow, you find yours unable to focus. Whatever ideas you have in your mind, let go of those having the confidence knowing we know from science/research. We know from the monks and priests that change is taking place regardless and that change typically leaves us feeling happier, healthier, and more compassionate in our lives.

Have a great day and a good weekend.

Thanks for reading to the end. I will see you back here tomorrow.