Practicing meditation to relax and free ourselves from stress is a practice that is increasing for its obvious benefits to our mental health, however, the modality that receives the most attention is conscious meditation, since its benefits go far beyond the elimination of stress.
Conscious meditation seems to help not only solve psychological but also physical problems, such as high blood pressure problems, chronic pain, psoriasis, as well as sleep problems, anxiety and depression, stimulates immune function and helps stop bulimia attacks.
- But on top of that.
- Meditation.
- Especially mindfulness or mindfulness.
- Has been shown to help improve brain function.
A new study from the University of California suggests that one of the effects of this whole approach and reorientation is increased brain connectivity. Researchers compared volunteers’ brain activity after eight weeks of training to reduce mindfulness-based stress with that of volunteers who did. Do not experience this type of practice.
Functional MRI showed stronger connections in several regions of the brain, particularly those related to attention and auditory and visual processing.
In another subsequent study, conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers used MRI imaging to document before and after changes in gray matter in the brain. Researchers found that meditation can literally change the brain, make it grow significantly and thus improve all brain functions.
The researchers say they found differences in brain volume after eight weeks of meditation, in five different brain regions of the two groups studied. In the group that practiced meditation, there was thickening in four regions:
The main differences were found in the posterior cingulate cortex, implying a wandering mind and self-sufficiency.
They also found differences in the left hippocampus, which facilitates learning, cognition, memory, and emotional regulation.
The union of parietal timing, combined with perspective, empathy and compassion, had also increased.
Finally, changes have been observed in the brainstem bridge, an area at the base of the brain where a large number of regulatory neurotransmitters are produced.
They also found changes in the amygdala, the part of the brain where reactions related to fight or flight are triggered, which is important for anxiety, fear and stress.
This area has seen its small size in the group that followed the stress reduction program based on mindfulness, also known as mindfulness, a type of conscious meditation. Changes in the amygdala are also related to a significant reduction in stress levels.
So far, scientists can only speculate on the relationship between these changes in the brain and the health benefits associated with conscious meditation; however, this research adds to growing evidence that meditation practices can alter the body to a fundamental level, including genetics.
In this sense, the relaxation response caused by meditation is studied, and how the state of deep relaxation it achieves with techniques such as mindfulness and yoga can alter certain sets of genes in people who practice them regularly; these genes could be involved in how the body controls free radicals, inflammation processes and cell death.