The latest issue of The Week magazine reports on a study at UCLA where researchers studied the effect of meditating on the aging brain. What is common is that as we age, even from age 20, our brains shrink in volume and weight eventually resulting in the loss of some functional ability. The study compared the brains of people who meditate with the brains of those who don't.
It was a small study, only fifty people who had meditated at least four years and fifty people who were not meditators. The research showed that the ones who meditated had less reduction in grey matter, the neuron containing tissue that processes information. And it wasn't just certain areas, it involved almost the whole brain.
It could be coincidental. The ones who meditated may have other causative factors like diet or exercise. Or it could be the power of meditation.
Television anchor Dan Harris discovered meditation and used it to turn an anxious life around. He wrote 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works. When his book came out I saw him interviewed several times. He certainly was convincing.
There are classes to help you get in the meditating groove. But it isn't necessary to have formal instruction. As they say, it's all in the breathing. A quiet room, no interruptions, and the ability to focus inwardly should get you started. A free activity that might help you maintain some cognitive function and doesn't make you sweat...what could be better?
It was a small study, only fifty people who had meditated at least four years and fifty people who were not meditators. The research showed that the ones who meditated had less reduction in grey matter, the neuron containing tissue that processes information. And it wasn't just certain areas, it involved almost the whole brain.
It could be coincidental. The ones who meditated may have other causative factors like diet or exercise. Or it could be the power of meditation.
Television anchor Dan Harris discovered meditation and used it to turn an anxious life around. He wrote 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works. When his book came out I saw him interviewed several times. He certainly was convincing.
There are classes to help you get in the meditating groove. But it isn't necessary to have formal instruction. As they say, it's all in the breathing. A quiet room, no interruptions, and the ability to focus inwardly should get you started. A free activity that might help you maintain some cognitive function and doesn't make you sweat...what could be better?
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