I am so fascinated by the brain, the mind, and how we can benefit it. Meditation is one of those things. A practice that can so simply integrate into your daily routine that provides such a myriad of benefits. For me to commit to anything I need to know why (hello Gemini Sun), I’m a questioner, and I’m curious. I want to know why I’m doing the thing to be able to stick with doing the thing in the first place, so that brings us to here – unpacking the science behind meditation so you too can know why and how this can support you mentally, physically and emotionally.

Mindfulness practices have been shown to protect us against the negative effects of rumination and can help relieve the burden that chronic stress can bring. For the brain, meditation increases the production of gamma brain waves and its these gamma waves that create this neuroplasticity which enhances our ability to learn new skills, increases our resilience and tolerance and is referred to as a marker of youth.  

A study was conducted on a group of people who had never meditated. They were instructed to meditate for 40 minutes per day, a total of 8 weeks. The results were incredible, four different brain regions were affected: the hippocampus which effects our learning and memory, the pons which is a part of the brain stem where many neurotransmitters are synthesized, the parietal junction which is associated with feelings of empathy and compassion, and the posterior cingulate which is responsible for our ability to let our minds wander. In addition, there was also an observed decrease in size of the amygdala which has a role in the stress response, this was associated with a reduction in stress hormones (1).

Even the simple act of slowing our breaths can take our body out of this sympathetic dominant state, our fight or flight response and get us back into our parasympathetic state, the rest and digest. This reduces the effects of stress on the body (2).  

Studies by Elizabeth Blackburn (Nobel prize winner) demonstrates how mindfulness and meditation can buffer the effects of stress on telomere length, which can reverse aging in some tissues. Telomeres can be thought of as little caps on the end of our chromosomes, like the plastic caps on the ends of shoelaces. Telomeres protect our DNA from damage and shorten naturally overtime as cell replication occurs, the length of our telomeres is a measure of biological age. This process of shortening continues until there’s no telomere left which results in cell death. Stress accelerates this telomere shortening, and mediation counteracts it.

Including medication into your schedule can be easy, and time efficient. You can start with as little as 1 minute a day and build from there. You can use different triggers to slow your breathing to tap into a parasympathetic state – while the kettle boils, while you shower, while you’re commuting to and from work – something you do every day can be your cue to check in, slow the breath, and be more mindful. Demurer even. I began with a 5 minute guided meditation each morning upon waking, and Ive increased to 20 minutes over time. I do it first thing before anything else with my LED mask – multitasking by doing my skincare alongside my mind care.

Anyway, hope this helps! Xx

 References

1.     Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36-43.

2.     Jerath, R., Edry, J. W., Barnes, V. A., & Jerath, V. (2006). Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Medical hypotheses, 67(3), 566-571.