A recent medical research concluded that mindfulness meditation practice leads to increases in regional brain grey matter density.
Researchers in Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School investigated the effects of mindfulness meditation on the grey matter in our brain. They found that only after eight weeks of guided meditation program the grey matter in certain regions of the brain has increased in density.
The researchers concluded that the grey matter changes that were observed are involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective taking.
You can read the full article at: Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density from Psychiatry Research, Neuroimaging journal.
All this scientifically validates the well known effects of meditation that are routinely experienced by many practitioners. That is, regular mindfulness meditation:
- Reduces Stress, Anxiety and Panic attacks
- Improves Sleep
- Balances Emotional Wellbeing
- Helps to eliminate addictions
However, what strikes me the most is that this research illustrated the interconnection between our thinking and our bodies. We all know how a headache can make us moody or angry. But it takes some science to convince us that our thinking patterns shape the very cellular matrix of our bodies. This research project proved just that.
When one is relaxed and mindful of the thought processes, the meditator can change the structure of the body. Imagine, what can be achieved. An illness is thought away, or an injury is healed by the power of mind. Not to mention the thinking is clear and the stress of life is just breathed away.
Inhale, exhale, and watch your mind. That’s all there is to it.