Is it worth it to you to increase your brain performance?

For those of you who are regular meditators then you already know that meditation increases your sense of well being and calmness.

For those of you who think it’s a New Age hokey practice where you try to make your mind blank while focusing on a burning candle, scientists have a surprise for you. Research has confirmed positive changes to both the brain and the body due to the practice of meditation.

• lowers blood pressure
• enhances immune system
• reduces stress, tension and anxiety
• modifies negative emotions and moods
• increases ability to relax
• activates healing
• improves quality of sleep
• provides greater clarity of thought
• makes for better mental focus
• expands length of attention

Here is a framework for understanding meditation

1. It’s an ancient practice associated with numerous religious practices throughout history (a contemporary Western comparison would be deep prayer or reverie)
2. Scientific research indicates it alters the brain’s physical structure and how it functions
3. Only you have control over your own brain activity, no one else
4. Increased meditation experience increases mental skills and abilities
5. It allows the brain to alter thinking, emotions and physical responses outside of direct thought
6. The overall effects are consistent across variations in mediation practice
7. Benefits can be quickly gained without long term training or long hours of meditation
8. There are audio/visual aids that can increase the meditative effect

Image how meditation could allow you to maximize your brain performance.

It would be easier to …

• learn
• remember
• pay attention to what’s important

Your brain won’t …

• be cluttered with unimportant and irrelevant things
• have mind chatter going 90 miles an hour
• be on multi-tasking overload

Wow! There might just be something to this meditation thing after all.

Next — what meditation is actually doing to the brain