The Science Behind Mindfulness

Meaningful changes in the brain can be seen after completing an

8 WEEK MINDFULNESS PROGRAM

The Science behind mindfulness is really based on Neuroplasticity

The practice of mindfulness and meditation has been around for thousands of years but has gained interest in the science world primarily because we now have the ability to do the one thing that was never possible before - we now can see how mindfulness meditation practices changes the structure and function of the brain.

What this means is that the brain is plastic, or that it can be modified, changed and adapted structurally and functional throughout your life and in response to experience. We know if we repeat certain things over and over again, we gain new habits of the mind, effectively new wiring of the brain.

8 Ways Mindfulness Meditation can Actually Change the Brain

The meditation and the brain research has been rolling in steadily for a number of years now, with new studies coming out just about every week to illustrate some new benefit of meditation. The practice appears to have an amazing variety of neurological benefits – from changes in grey matter volume to reduced activity in the “me” centers of the brain, to enhanced connectivity between brain regions.

Below are some of the most exciting studies to come out in the last few years and show that meditation really does produce measurable changes.

  1. Meditation Helps Preserve the Aging Brain - study- more grey matter

  2. Meditation improves Concentration - mindfulness works! study

  3. Meditation reduces Anxiety and Social Anxiety - Oxford Study

  4. Its effects Rival Antidepressants for Depression and Anxiety - recent study Increased Awareness to manage depression and anxiety

  5. Meditation actually changes the Structure of the Brain - Harvard study increased thickness in Hippocampus and decrease activity in Amygdala

  6. Meditation Reduces Activity in the Brain’s default mode network - study on reduced mind wondering & enhanced cognitive performance

  7. Meditation helps with Addiction - relapse prevention study

  8. Short Meditation Breaks helps Kids - mindfulness study in schools

Pam Hauck