Meditation
Different ways to meditate
There are different ways to meditate, and since it’s such a personal practice there are probably more than any of us know about. There are a couple that are usually focused on heavily in scientific research, though. These are focused-attention, or mindful meditation, which is where you focus on one specific thing—it could be your breathing, a sensation in your body or a particular object outside of you. The point of this type of meditation is to focus strongly on one point and continually bring your attention back to that focal point when it wanders.
The other type of meditation that’s often used in research is open-monitoring meditation. This is where you pay attention to all of the things happening around you—you simply notice everything without reacting.
What happens in your brain when you meditate
This is where things get really interesting. Using modern technology like fMRI scans, scientists have developed a more thorough understanding of what’s taking place in our brains when we meditate, kind of similar to how scientists have previously looked at measuring creativity in our brains.
The overall difference is that our brains stop processing information as actively as they normally would. We start to show a decrease in beta waves, which indicate that our brains are processing information, even after a single 20-minute meditation session if we’ve never tried it before.
5 benefits of meditation to the body
As an individual becomes regular with practicing meditation, there is a visible increase in joy, peace, and enthusiasm. This happens because of the increased prana (life force energy) in the body.
- lowers high blood pressure
- lowers the levels of blood lactate, reducing anxiety attacks
- decreases tension-related pain (headaches, ulcers, insomnia, muscle, and joint problems)
- Increases serotonin production that improves mood and behavior
- strengthens the immune system
- increases energy levels