Meditation: Effects on the Brain

1. Meditation:Effects on the Brain Kim Benzin Joe Brender

2. What is meditation? • Meditation is defined as a type of practice in where the people meditating control their minds or encourage a mode of awareness to understand an advantage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation).

3. Technique:Transcendental Meditation • Transcendental meditation is one of the many forms. It is an effortless technique. For twenty minutes every day, the practitioner sits comfortably with their eyes closed. This is the most common style of meditation and the most effective (http://www.tm.org/meditation-techniques?leadsource=CRM761).

4. Meditation: Pros • People who mediate are known to have improved health and mental benefits • Can reverse stress response • Heart rate slows down and blood pressure lowers • Creativity level raises • People who mediate find it easier to quit bad habits such as smoking • Meditation is free and always available (Scott).

5. Meditation: Cons • There are very little cons of meditation, one of them is that it requires practice • Meditation is hard to get into the habit of • Is difficult for people with busy lifestyles and little free time (Scott).

6. Effects on the Brain • Scientists have recently taken a large interest in studying the effects of meditation on the brain. Recent studies have shown that it creates an emotional stability and completely changes the way the brain works (Allison). • Researches found that meditation “increased activity in the brain regions used for paying attention and making decisions” and allows a longer span of concentration (http://www.news.wisc.edu/13890).

7. Effects on the Brain: Continued MBSR, which stands for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, is one of the most broadly used training programs. MBSR has had recent reports to have positive effects on the well-being. In brain studies, the gray matter concentration is “attributable to participation in an MBSR program” (Hozel).

8. Meditation Effects on the Body’s Natural Chemistry • GABA is gamma amino butyric acid. People who meditate regularly have noticeably augmented levels of the “neurotransmitters GABA”. This is important because GABA is one of the main inhibitory neurotransmitters in someone’s vital nervous system. GABA is most commonly known for alleviating mood disorders such as anxiety, tension and insomnia. GABA is a very important chemical to have in the body. It also helps people with addictions such as: drugs, tobacco, shopping, and gambling. People with low GABA rates are more likely to become addicted to these things. • http://www.eocinstitute.org/dhea_gaba_cortisol_hgh_melatonin_serotonin_endorphins_s/48.htm