Meditation and the effects on the brain

NewScientist.com recently published an article which explains how meditation has proven to "Build up the brain". The article explains how a group of 10 people were given a reaction test. Each test was given before and after 40 minutes of meditation, sleeping, reading, and converstation. Wouldn't you know that meditating showed the fastest reaction times.
Another benefit from meditation is that the brain size actually increases the more one meditates. Pretty interesting. Maybe I can play golf a little better if I meditate beforehand.

There is still much research being done, such as at Mass. General Hospital by Sara Lazar and her colleagues.


Check out the article I'm going to go meditate

There are many studies performed on this, i wish you would post more.
It has been noted that meditation reduces heart rate amont many other ailments. Thank you for great post!
Here are some benefits:

· Decrease in heart rate

· Decrease in blood pressure

· Decrease in oxygen consumption

· Decrease in lactic acid in the blood (lactic acid is associated with stress)

· Increase in smooth blood flow



brain.web-us.com...

www.how-to-meditate.org...

www.aimwell.org...



[edit on 2-12-2005 by psilocin]

As there are definite benefits imo, you should also be careful:

"Meditation
The second thought stopping technique is meditation. If you spend an hour to an hour and a half a day in meditation, after a few weeks, there is a great probability that you will not return to full beta consciousness. You will remain in a fixed state of alpha for as long as you continue to meditate. I'm not saying this is bad--if you do it yourself. It may be very beneficial. But it is a fact that you are causing your mind to go flat. I've worked with meditators on an EEG machine and the results are conclusive: the more you meditate, the flatter your mind becomes until, eventually and especially if used to excess or in combination with decognition, all thought ceases. Some spiritual groups see this as nirvana--which is bull#. It is simply a predictable physiological result. And if heaven on earth is non-thinking and non-involvement, I really question why we are here."

(taken from )www.ctyme.com...