Train Your Brain to be Happy: The Many Health Benefits of MeditationKriti Malik , NDTV, Modified: September 23, 2015 14:52 ISTTweetPinExt.pngsubmit to redditprintcommentsTrain Your Brain to be Happy: The Many Health Benefits of MeditationWe live in a world marred by distraction. Our minds are always racing, and we constantly seek some thing or the other to meet our needs and desires. As Buddha says, we're hurling from one pleasant experience to the next - "What's for lunch?", "how will my boss like the new proposal I printed out and left on his desk hours ago?", "how do I want to plan my weekend?" - it's an endless rant which doesn't pipe down till you hit the pillow.Eckhart Tolle refers to this as your inner voice, an inner narrator who constantly seeks perfection, validation or consciousness. He says, "Once you identify that your mind won't stop, you need to find an anchor for presence. One that'll cut through the momentum that is your racing thoughts." If you're thinking, why break the chain of thought, why worry about it all then Dan Haris, author of 10% Happier answers this perfectly. He says, " We spend a whole lot of time on our bodies, our stock portfolios and home decor. But very rarely do we spend time fine tuning the filter through which we experience it all: our minds." Meditation has been identified as a practice that makes you stronger, better and more efficient at work. It helps you become more focused and less confused. It disciplines your mind and encourages a culture of mindfulness or living in the present. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't promise to pull you out of misery but instead put you on the path of positive thinking. And Ariana Huffington, Novak Djokovic, Katy Perry, the rich and successful on Wall Street, and the young and restless in Silicon Valley will tell you that it absolutely does!In 2014, Bloomberg published an article 'To Make a Killing on Wall Street, Start Meditating'. It quoted real life examples of hedge fund managers and stock brokers who turned to meditation when they were drowning in stress, anxiety and monthly targets. It obviously worked because not only traders and bankers across the country started to adopt the practice, but even corporate America as a whole. An article in The New Yorker reported that Aetna, General Mills, and Goldman Sachs all offer their employees free in-office meditation training.In fact, Google employees have an in-house course called 'Search Inside Yourself'. With the help of meditation, it's designed to teach employees how to manage their emotions, and make them better workers in the process. According to an article that came out in the online magazine Wired, meditation or quiet contemplation is seen as the new caffeine, the fuel that allegedly unlocks productivity and creative bursts.The origins of meditation can be traced back to Hindu texts from 1500 BC which tell the story of Siddhartha, a Hindu prince who gave up his throne and riches to contemplate on human suffering. He emerged 49 days later, enlightened and gave the world meditation. Later known as Gautama Buddha, he roamed the streets wearing rags and taught his disciples that practicing meditation was crucial to preparing the minds for enlightenment. For hundreds of years, meditation was practiced only in monastries but eventually came to be known as a cornerstone in spiritual development not just in Buddhism but across other religions as well.The Many Health Benefits of MeditationTill a few years ago, meditation was known to be a practice only spiritual yogis or savy hippies would adopt. There was never any kind of scientific evidence to show that meditation contributes to your well-being. There were no quantifiable benefits, so to say.Jay Michaelson said that till around 1983 there were only three peer-reviewed scientific studies of meditation and in 2013 the number rose to around 1300. Fast forward to today and you're sitting on some fantastic scientific research which shows how meditation isn't just a tool for personal development but has real health benefits.Dan Harris points out some crucial ones in his Google talk: meditation lowers your blood pressure, boosts the immune system, mitigates depression, anxiety and ADHD. Sometimes, it also helps with seemingly unrelated things like IBS. Let's dive deeper, shall we?1. Meditation Improves Brain Function - Harvard Medical School was one of the first schools to prove their hypothesis that meditation can produce a positive change overtime in the brain's gray matter. They conducted an 8 week long study where 16 students practiced mindful meditation, self-awareness exercises for the course of the study. Researchers took magnetic resonance (MR) images of their brains 2 weeks before the study and then after the study. They found increased gray matter density in the brain which is known to be important for learning, memory, self-awareness, compassion and introspection.2. Meditation Can Protect the Brain - A 2015 study from the UCLA Brain Mapping Center proved how meditation can protect the ageing brain. "The brain starts to decline in your 20s and continues to decrease in both size and volume. Regular meditation can help keep away normal cognitive decline that occurs with ageing and is also an effective way to prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinsons and Dementia."3. Meditation Can Treat Depression - A few months ago, researchers from Oxford University published a study which suggests meditation as a good way to treat mild to moderate depression. They also found it to work as a strong medication for people suffering from recurrent depression.4. Meditation Helps Relieve, Stress & Anxiety - Everyday we find ourselves buried knee deep in work: Exhaustive to-do lists, being stuck to our computer screens, smartphones, emails etc. We feel over-worked, anxious and exhausted. Researchers at Joh Hopkins found that meditation works on so many levels and can actually help people deal with everyday stress and anxiety. One of the researchers explains how "When you're stressed or anxious you tend to have unproductive worries that can often be nagging. Mindful meditation teaches you to identify that thought as useless, as just a thought and not part of who you are."5. Meditation Helps You Fight Insomnia, Sleep Better - Mindful meditation evokes a relaxational response in people said Dr. Benson, director of the Harvard-affiliated Institute for Mind Body Medicine. A 2015 study conducted at Harvard and published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) suggested that mindful meditation worked really well on insomnia, fatigue, lack of sleep and depression.6. Meditation for Pain Management - In 1965, Kabat Zinn, a graduate student in molecular biology at M.I.T came up with an 8 week program called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, or M.B.S.R. which helped patients being treated from severe medical conditions at the university hospital manage their pain. He said, "Meditation helps find new ways to be in a relationship to their pain-mainly, to separate physical sensations from the emotions and fears surrounding them." This wasn't the only study which identified meditation as a way of pain management. A 2013 study published in the journal Pain also spoke about meditation as a way to manage chronic neck pain.How to MeditateIf you tell yourself to meditate 10 minutes a day over and over again, it's likely that you won't end up doing so. Just like physical exercise or bushing your teeth, meditation needs to become habitual. Something that you do out of necessity and not need. Find a comfortable position and quiet spot and start to breathe in and out, really slow. Focus on your breathing or on the energy in your hands, legs, your body. Eckhart Tolle suggests that once you find a different focus it'll anchor your thoughts and give you a break from what you'd usually think.Meditation Can Protect the Brain: StudyNDTV Food, Modified: February 25, 2015 18:59 ISTTweetPinExt.pngsubmit to redditprintcommentsMeditation Can Protect the Brain: Study The discipline of meditation is hard to master but once you cross the bridge you'll be in for a real surprise. Anxiety will whiter away, depression will make a u-turn, you'll feel light, healthy and happy. And now another benefit of meditation has come to light. According to a new study from the University of California at Los Angeles Brain Mapping Center, daily mediation can slow age-related memory loss thus reducing the risk of developing mental illness and neurodegenerative disease. The study was published in the journal 'Frontiers in Psychology' and said that the brain of those who've been meditating for a number of years was less affected than that of those who do not meditate. (Mindful meditation helps lower blood pressure) "We observed a widespread effect of meditation that encompassed regions throughout the entire brain," explained Florian Kurth, co-author and postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles. Researchers believed that the brain begins to decline in the 20's and continues to do so through old age. Meditation might be an effective way to prevent neurodegenerative diseases that come with age. And what makes it even more interesting is that it's a practice which has zero side effects. For the study, the scientists looked specifically at the association between age and grey matter. They compared 50 people who had meditated for years and 50 who did not. People in both groups showed a loss of grey matter as they aged. But researchers found that among those who meditated, the volume of grey matter did not decline as much as it did among those who did not. As baby boomers have aged and the elderly population has grown, the incidence of cognitive decline and dementia has increased substantially as the brain ages. "In that light, it seems essential that longer life expectancies do not come at the cost of a reduced quality of life," added Eileen Luders, assistant professor of neurology. The researchers, however, cautioned that they cannot draw a direct, causal connection between meditation and preserving grey matter in the brain. Too many other factors may come into play, including lifestyle choices, personality traits and genetic brain differences. Authors concluded by saying that "Still, our results are promising. Hopefully they will stimulate other studies exploring the potential of meditation to better preserve our ageing brains and minds."Meditation Could Prevent Insomnia and Help You Sleep BetterIANS, Modified: February 25, 2015 18:43 ISTTweetPinExt.pngsubmit to redditprintcommentsMeditation Could Prevent Insomnia and Help You Sleep Better Regular meditation may improve sleep quality and also prevent insomnia among older people, finds a new research which was published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.Mindfulness meditation practices - in which people learn to pay better attention to what they are feeling physically and mentally from moment to moment - resulted in improved sleep quality for older adults with moderate sleep disturbance in a clinical trial.(What is Mindfulness Meditation?)"According to our findings, mindfulness meditation appears to have a role in addressing the prevalent burden of sleep problems among older adults," said David Black from University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Moderate sleep disturbances in older adults are associated with higher levels of fatigue, disturbed mood such as depressive symptoms and a reduced quality of life.The researchers conducted the small clinical trial in Los Angeles in 2012 and their analysis included 49 individuals (average age 66). The trial included 24 individuals who took part in a standardized mindful awareness practices (MAPs) intervention and 25 individuals who participated in a sleep hygiene education (SHE) intervention.Participants in the MAPs group showed improvement compared to those in the SHE group. The MAPs group also showed improvement as compared to the SHE group on secondary measures of symptoms of insomnia, depression, fatigue interference and its severity.Mindful Meditation Helps Lower Blood PressureNDTV Cooks, Modified: December 02, 2014 11:06 ISTTweetPinExt.pngsubmit to redditprintcommentsMindful Meditation Helps Lower Blood PressureAdding to the conventional methods of tackling hypertension and high blood pressure, there is a brand new technique called mindfulness-based stress reduction technique. MBRS can be incorporated in your daily lifestyle along with physical activity and weight management to reduce the effects of high blood pressure.According to a recent research having a positive attitude towards life, keeping your mind free of excessive stress, anxiety and following ways to de-stress and relax is extremely important for curbing blood pressure and warding off hypertension. The MBSR includes mindfulness meditation skills along with healthy discussions on stress, coping and homework assignments designed for patients to document their mood and anxiety levels.A team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine, conducted a trial on hundred patients ageing between 30-60 years who were not taking any medications for hypertension. The programme included an eight group session of 2.5 hours each. The participants were expected to practice the technique six days a week for 45 minutes. Throughout the programme the participants had a therapist guiding them through body scan exercise where the participants "inventoried" how they felt in all parts of their body, sitting meditation and yoga.The technique resulted in substantial and statistically significant reductions in the primary outcomes. The MBSR resulted in a 4.8-mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and a 1.9-mm Hg reduction in diastolic blood pressure (DBP), researchers noticed."This was one of the first prospective randomised trials of MBSR as a nonpharmocologic treatment option," said Richard Josephson, a professor at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine.More trials can be conducted to further evaluate the effectiveness of MBSR as it could have broad applications for multiple maladies, researchers concluded.The findings appeared in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.What is Mindfulness Meditation?Robert Booth, guardian.co.uk, Modified: August 26, 2014 12:53 ISTTweetPinExt.pngsubmit to redditprintcommentsWhat is Mindfulness Meditation?The 'three-minute breathing space' exercise is a common introduction to the disciplineIntroductory courses will invite participants to sit comfortably on cushions or a chair, with an erect posture and eyes closed. A common exercise is the "three minute breathing space" which contains key elements of mindfulness meditation. The first minute is spent focusing on where you are sitting, the contact between your body and the seat and the sensation of your feet on the floor. In the second minute the idea is to bring your awareness to your breath as you let it in and out. The idea is to let your focus rest on one breath at a time to develop "moment to moment" awareness.Inevitably, your mind will wander and the course leader will invite you to simply acknowledge where it went and gently bring your attention back to the breath without being critical that this has happened. Practitioners identify awareness of the mind wandering as a key insight, because it helps you realise that thoughts can be seen as phenomena that are separate from you.The third minute involves expanding awareness from the breath and across the rest of your body, observing how it feels, but breathing, moment to moment.How to Think like a Creative GeniusNDTV Cooks, Modified: October 30, 2014 12:34 ISTTweetPinExt.pngsubmit to redditprintcommentsHow to Think like a Creative GeniusCognitive psychologists at the Leiden University in Netherlands, believe that meditation can have long-lasting benefits on human cognition. This could even include the way conceive new ideas. Lorenza Colzato and Dominique Lippelt stress upon the fact that certain meditation techniques can promote creative thinking, even if you have never meditated before. The study was published in the journal Mindfulness and states that not all meditative forms may render similar effect on human creativity.The study involved forty individuals who were told to meditate for 25 minutes before doing their thinking tasks. The group was a combination of both experienced mediators as well as those who had meditated before. The study aimed at investigating the influences of different types of meditative techniques on the two main facets of creativity - divergent and convergent thinking.Divergent thinking allows the generation of multiple ideas. It is measured by using Alternate Uses Task method - wherein participants are required to think up multiple uses for a particular object. On the other hand, convergent thinking is a process whereby only one possible solution for a particular problem is generated. Convergent thinking is measured using a method where three unrelated words are presented and the participants are then asked to identify the common link between the three. This method is called the Remote Associates Task method.The participants were seen to have performed better in divergent thinking (thinking up as many possible solutions for a given problem) after Open Monitoring meditation (being receptive to every thought and sensation). Similar effects were not seen on divergent thinking after the participants practiced Focused Attention meditation which involves focusing on a particular thought or object.Mindfulness: An Effective Mental Health Treatment But Not a PanaceaKate Bermingham, guardian.co.uk, Modified: May 15, 2015 14:48 ISTTweetPinExt.pngsubmit to redditprintcommentsMindfulness: An Effective Mental Health Treatment But Not a PanaceaIts cheap with a wide range of health benefits but theres a shortage of teachers and NHS provision is patchyIt may be an ancient Buddhist practice, co-opted and misrepresented by celebrity practitioners, but scientists and health practitioners have found that mindfulness has specific benefits for mental health patients. The medical profession, too, is beginning to take it seriously.Consultant psychiatrist Dr Florian Ruths explains why: MBCT [mindfulness based cognitive therapy] is a powerful intervention it isnt fluffy or alternative. The MBCT course is based on solid scientific research, and Nice [the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] has recommended it since 2005 for keeping patients with recurrent depressive vulnerability depression-free.Related: I work in mental health but colleagues don't understand my depressionLast month, research found that MBCT may be as effective as medication for treating recurrent depression, and may work even better than medication for patients with a history of childhood abuse.The Oxford Mindfulness Centre, part of the University of Oxfords department of psychiatry, has found that the MBCT course reduces the risk of relapse into depression by 44%. There is emerging evidence to suggest MBCT is also effective for treating generalised anxiety disorder, stress and other mental health conditions. Cancer patients have also benefitted from it.But despite these findings, mindfulness isnt appropriate for some patient groups as Dr Christina Surawy, a clinical psychologist, warns: MBCT isnt suitable for patients who are in the grip of a drug or alcohol dependency, as they wont be able to fully engage with the therapy. Also, patients who are recently bereaved may find MBCT too overwhelming. Ruths echoes these concerns, adding that it is not useful for patients during an episode of severe depression. These patients should wait until they recover to a mild or moderate state before engaging with MBCT.Ruths adds that unlike some drug treatments, side effects are very rare with MBCT, though minor side effects, such as a temporary drop in mood before an improvement in mood, are more common but manageable. He emphasises that it is important for MBCT therapists to be properly trained to deal with any side effects and support their patients appropriately.Related: As a nurse I dont feel equipped to treat patients with mental health problemsThe shortage of properly qualified MBCT teachers, and the need to widen access to mindfulness-based interventions for people with long-term conditions, was noted in this years mindfulness all-party parliamentary groups interim report, Mindful Nation UK. The report described mindfulness as an effective, low-cost intervention with a wide range of benefits.Amid the rush to train enough MBCT teachers to meet rising demand, efforts are being made to avoid any decline in quality of practice. The UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teachers has produced good practice guidelines that all MBCT teachers should abide by.Dr Clara Strauss, research lead at Sussex Mindfulness Centre, emphasises that MBCT teachers in training learn to have an attitude of acceptance: Mindfulness is not about getting rid of negative thoughts, its about learning to sit with and tolerate all of our experiences, including difficult experiences, with kindness and compassion towards ourselves.An inexperienced teacher may respond to a persons struggle with difficult experiences with inadvertent judgment, encouraging the person to try to avoid or change these, and so it is crucial that MBCT training is thorough and that the good practice guidelines are followed. A cornerstone of the good practice guidelines is that MBCT teachers have an established personal mindfulness practice and appreciate the common nature of human suffering, rather than teaching from a purely intellectual stance.Professor Willem Kuyken, director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, leads the Aspire Project, a study set up in 2013 to investigate patients access to MBCT across the UK. He says access to MBCT throughout the NHS is patchy and effectively a postcode lottery.Related: Mental health charities can help people where the NHS cannotTo improve access to MBCT we need a combination of top-down action, such as getting commissioners and senior managers on board, and bottom-up action ... pro-active mindfulness teachers and trainers setting up high quality local services and encouraging GPs to refer patients who would benefit from MBCT treatment, he says. But Kuyken acknowledges the tough financial climate means mental health trusts often cant make MBCT a priority: Their core business is treatment of serious illness rather than prevention of relapse, which can mean that therapies like MBCT get sidelined.Despite pressure on resources, there are successful NHS examples of mindfulness-based service delivery, including the Nottingham Centre for Mindfulness. Set up in 2010, the service has trained approximately 100 MBCT teachers (mainly nurses, doctors and psychologists) and treated more than 1,000 patients.Tim Sweeney, MBCT clinical lead at the centre, described its progress: The patient population has welcomed MBCT. Verbal and written feedback from patients has been largely very positive and measures of depression and anxiety on average show a significant reduction following the course.In the face of budget cuts, its been relatively straightforward to integrate MBCT into our trust. Its a no-brainer: the arguments in favour stack up for both patients and staff. Its effective, and can be made readily available to large numbers of people as a group intervention Its rare for patients to find it unhelpful, and research has found that the results are comparable to ongoing anti-depressant drug treatment.Mindfulness based cognitive therapy may be as effective as medication for treating recurrent depression, research has found. Photograph: Fredrik Skold/Alamy