Meditation has become a very conventional practice in the last few decades. In senior centers, communities, schools, offices and in many other places, meditation groups are being found to pop up. This has become a very mainstream practice and even Silicon Valley professionals have taken up meditation. New evidence points out that meditation has very beneficial effects on the mind and body, and can change the brain in many ways – for the better. What Does Meditation Do to the Brain? Read on and know.
How Does Meditation Affect the Brain?
It affects various parts of the brain in many ways:
- Frontal lobe – It is the brain’s most evolved area, and is responsible for self-conscious awareness, emotions, planning and reasoning. When you meditate, the frontal cortex takes a break.
- Thalamus – It watches over the senses, and is responsible for concentration by stopping other signals and channelizing some of the sensory information deeper into brain. It can significantly reduce the amount of information that flows into the brain.
- Parietal lobe – This brain section processes sensory data about the world around you, and gives you space and time orientation. Activity in this part tends to get reduced when you meditate.
- Reticular formation – This is the watchman of the brain, and receives the stimuli coming in. It makes the brain alert and prepared for responses. The signal of arousal is dialed back by meditation.
Meditation and Brain Waves
There are varied brain wave states, and the human brain can be in specific wave state as specific times of the day. Normally, we are in the beta state – when we are fully focused and awake. The theta state is associated with dreams and the delta state is the state of extremely deep sleep. It is through daydreaming and meditation that your brain can reach the alpha state.
What Does Meditation Do to the Brain? When you are in the alpha state, the brain wave patterns of both brain hemispheres are synchronized. When you do this consciously, you can get a wide range of benefits.
There is diminished stress and a feeling of relaxation. You can have a better sense of well-being, and feel better about yourself. There is a reduction in problems like migraines, headaches and insomnia. You can enjoy a better immune system, and a higher level of confidence. There is lower blood pressure, better creative visualization skills and heightened intuition. Your sleeping patterns can get better as well.