Astrological Musings

Meditation increases the size of your brain

Wednesday May 20, 2009

Categories: Healing, Mental health
brain.jpgIf you needed an excuse to begin meditating or expand your practice, this could be it:

Push-ups, crunches, gyms, personal trainers -- people have many strategies for building bigger muscles and stronger bones. But what can one do to build a bigger brain?


Meditate.

That's the finding from a group of researchers at UCLA who used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of people who meditate. In a study published in the journal NeuroImage and currently available online (by subscription), the researchers report that certain regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger than in a similar control group.
Specifically, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus -- all regions known for regulating emotions.

"We know that people who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behavior," said Eileen Luders, lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging. "The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities."

Research has confirmed the beneficial aspects of meditation. In addition to having better focus and control over their emotions, many people who meditate regularly have reduced levels of stress and bolstered immune systems. But less is known about the link between meditation and brain structure.

In the study, Luders and her colleagues examined 44 people -- 22 control subjects and 22 who had practiced various forms of meditation, including Zazen, Samatha and Vipassana, among others. The amount of time they had practiced ranged from five to 46 years, with an average of 24 years.

More than half of all the meditators said that deep concentration was an essential part of their practice, and most meditated between 10 and 90 minutes every day.

Dr. Andy Newberg has done similar research on Tibetan meditators.  The brain of the meditators expanded in areas which regulate emotion and this could account for the increased adaptability of people who meditate to stress.  And then there is the additional benefit of connecting more deeply with the Source that lies within us, and what better time to accomplish this than during the conjunction of Chiron and Neptune!

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Comments
Adele
May 21, 2009 9:00 AM
http://yogababecafe.com

Thanks for this post. I've read about the mulit benefits of meditation but had not heard of this one before. I passed your link on to a bunch of people.

Charles Cosimano
May 21, 2009 3:48 PM

Reading Beliefnet shrinks it. tee hee hee

Ok, I just could not resist that one.

Mary H Ruth
May 21, 2009 7:17 PM
http://www.asthemoonclimbs.com

Now Lynn, it's odd to read a post about meditation on an astrology blog. Though I'm happy enough to see it. Is there a natural connection between the stars and meditation?

I've been meditating something like 20 minutes a day for 20 years. I continue for no other reason than that I like doing it. I continue pursuing astrology because it's fascinating, which is a different reason altogether.

Lynn
May 22, 2009 7:15 AM

Mary, meditation is a spiritual exercise and astrology is the study of the stars in order to understand the world from a spiritual perspective. So astrology and meditation are connected in the same way that links tai chi, numerology, prayer, chi gung, ritual - all are methods to understand the underlying connection between Self and Spirit.

Betsy
May 22, 2009 12:16 PM
http://betsy@betsygutting.com

Thanks for this information on the benefits of meditation. I teach guided visualization and breathwork to lawyers and professionals. More information to "romance their left brain" is always helpful!

I see the link between astrology and meditation as this -- they are both practices that help you understand, love and accept yourself more fully.

Thanks again,
Betsy

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About Astrological Musings

Lynn Hayes has been a practising astrological consultant in beautiful North Carolina for over 25 years, working with clients all over the world both in person and by phone. She focuses on therapeutic and healing approaches which encourage greater empowerment and personal growth. Visit www.astrodynamics.net for more information.

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