While many who practice meditation regularly regard it as more of a spiritual practice, science is proving that there are real, observable benefits to meditation. As I have begun my own meditation journey, I am interested in the potential mental and physiological effects that focusing the brain can have.
Meditation is the practice of deeply focusing your mind in order to reach a state beyond thought. Many who practice meditation do so daily, sometimes multiple times a day in order to reap the benefits of improved cognition, mental clarity and control over one's thoughts and emotions. These results were observed in a small study titled, 'Stress reduction through mindfulness meditation.'
While these benefits alone make meditation a worthwhile investment of one's time, there are physical benefits that can be observed as well, such as in the insular cortex.
Cortical thickness in regions that are associated with sensory processing, attention and introception was observed in experienced practitioners of mindfulness meditation, or Insight meditation. Based on the observations found in this study, there is also evidence that meditation might prevent age-related cortical thinning as well.
As a sufferer of chronic pain, I have a decided interest in finding methods of pain management that don't rely on prescription medication. The evidence that meditation can reduce chronic pain is less apparent, or as the authors of this study say "low-quality," but it is still observable and worthy of continued study.
Many meditation practitioners may feel slightly affronted at the idea of meditation being reduced to numbers and percentages of "cortical thickness," but I feel that these results are encouraging. As we in the West seem to trust in science above all else, seeing measurable benefits to this daily habit may encourage it's adoption.
Stay positive, my friends.
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