American scientists have proven that meditation leads to structural changes in the brain, greatly enhancing the zones responsible for memory, learning and control over one's emotions.
The study has shown that the special kinds of breathing techniques will help enhance your grey matter and improve your emotions and memory.
Just 8 weeks of meditation can lead to structural changes in the brain. This was proven after the American scientists spotted the changes using an MRI.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Sara Lazar from Harvard University told the Daily Mail that every part of the brain grows after it is used. This mental exercise improves our grey matter.
In their experiments, Dr. Sara Lazar and her colleagues analyzed the brain activity of 16 volunteers during an 8-week conscious meditation course. The goal of the meditation was for human thought to focus on the physical sensations of the body.
The volunteers participated in special breathing exercises and light yoga while focusing their thoughts on certain parts of the body. This exercise was done for half an hour each day.
After, each of the participants underwent an MRI scan and the results were compared to those of people who did not take meditation classes.
There was thickening of the grey matter observed in several areas of the brain of those persons who did apply the meditation techniques. The regions included the left hippocampus, responsible for learning, memory and control over our emotions.
In the volunteers who did not meditate, there were no changes in brain structure.
According to Dr. Lazar, the end results clearly showed that meditation techniques are mental exercises that stimulate the neurons, thus forming thicker connections between them.
Besides increasing the number of brain cells, meditation is a way of overcoming stress. It is recommended to meditate at least 15 min. a day during the lunch break or before going to work.
