Mindfulness Meditation & Relaxation
A new article in the NY Times discusses how mindfulness meditation may provide great health benefits including:
- reduced anxiety and stress (less gray matter in the amygdala)
- improved learning and memory (by increased gray matter in the hippocampus)
- improved/increased empathy
- longer attention span
- more energy
- possibly reduced blood pressure
The idea behind mindfulness meditation is to allow your brain to focus on the ‘here and now’ rather than letting your thoughts drift elsewhere. Here and now areas of focus can include your breath, how the floor or chair feels, temperature, an object, or imagery.
The ability to relax is important in effectively managing stress and anxiety. When we feel stressed, our bodies react with what is called the “fight or flight” response. Our muscles become tense, our heart and respiration rates increase, and with too much exposure to stressful situations, our normal physiological stress systems become exhausted. You may have heard the phrase “adrenal fatigue“, which may be a result of chronic stress.
Without the ability to relax, chronic stress or anxiety can lead to burnout, anger, irritability, depression, medical problems, lost time from work, relationship issues, and more. Allowing yourself to deeply relax is the exact opposite of the “fight or flight” response. It allows your body the ability to experience a decrease in heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and oxygen consumption.
There is much research already done to support the claim that meditation benefits ones health, but there is much more needed to confirm just how meditation and relaxation techniques directly affect the brain’s health over time.
