It’s hard to just sit, doing nothing. Even though most people have a vague sense that meditation can help them slow down, tune in and be more present, making time to sit still is surprisingly challenging.
But perhaps now there’s more incentive to hunker down on a cushion and just be. While there has been no shortage of studies on meditation—with more than 1,000 research papers published since the 1950s—only recently have scientists been able to measure meditation’s physical effects on the brain. New research suggests that a regular meditation practice can actually change the brain’s structure and have a tangible impact on one’s quality of life—in as little as eight weeks.
Britta Holzel, a neuroscientist and lead author on a study of how mindfulness causes changes in brain structure published in the January 2011 journal of Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging, is on the vanguard of this cutting-edge field of meditation neuroscience research.
“In a recent study, we found that participation in the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (which includes daily meditation practice) led to increases in gray matter concentration in several regions of the brain, including the hippocampus (important for learning and memory processes and very susceptible to stress),” Holzel says. “We also found that a decrease in self-perceived stress was correlated with structural changes in the amygdala, a brain region involved in fear and stress responses.”
Simply put, the study suggested that a consistent meditation practice can enlarge and strengthen the part of the brain associated with memory, ability to focus and empathy.
Why mindfulness?
Not all kinds of meditation have equal effects. These recent studies focus specifically on the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) technique pioneered by Jon Kabat Zinn. Holzel breaks down mindfulness into four key components: attention, body awareness, emotional regulation and a change in the perspective of self.
While meditation runs the gamut from mantras to visualizations, mindfulness meditation emphasizes emotional regulation and lends itself to quantifiable results. Holzel defines mindfulness as “deliberately paying attention to experiences in the present moment in a nonjudgmental, accepting way.”
Sustained attention
The heart of mindfulness consists of the vigilant tracking of the breath, observing body sensations and nonreactivity to one’s inner experience. “Paying attention to your body and breath is so helpful,” says Catherine Kerr, director of translational neuroscience at Brown University’s Contemplative Studies Initiative. “You can actually feel your brain focusing on your body—it works as an intentional spotlight moving through your body that you can control.” With awareness comes intention and even happiness, says Kerr, “because becoming better informed about your underlying pressures makes you happier, since you can administer self-interventions more effectively.”
Numerous studies have shown that mindfulness reduces stress, anxiety, depression and addiction, as well as boosting the ability to ward off disease. A study published in 2007 in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity showed that people who participated in an eight-week MBSR program had less stress, decreased blood pressure and improved immunity.
Kerr speaks of mindfulness as a crucial life skill that improves attention and working memory, both of which job performance depend on. “It’s actually quite stressful to commit little cognitive errors throughout the day,” she says. “Shifting your focus inward helps you process information more effectively and respond to the sensory environment in new ways.”
Start where you are: Amishi Jha, associate professor of psychology at the University of Miami, says even short periods of practice, if done daily, can improve concentration. Her study, published in 2007 journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, showed that meditating 30 minutes can impact what those in the field call “orienting”—our ability to move and focus attention.
While 30 minutes may seem daunting, Kerr advises starting small. One way you can start to build awareness throughout the day, she says, “is to focus on your feet and their current sensations.” Little by little, you can build up to sitting in five-minute increments. “Once you get the idea that connecting to your body is a great resource that’s always available, as opposed to something you just do in a monastery, you may find yourself not wanting to stop.”