Memory and focus tend to wane as we get older. That’s a known fact, like it or not. If you’ve been following this blog and/or receiving me emails, you’ve learned a number of ways to strengthen your brain health and ward off cognitive decline. Here’s another one — meditation. There are many great things you can gain from this practice. Enhanced brain function is just one of them. Let’s take a look at a few of the benefits of meditating regularly.
Slowed Aging Process
Meditation has been shown to actually alter the connectivity pathways in your brain. The result is the actual slowing of cognitive decline that comes with age. Studies of meditation have demonstrated that memory loss can be reduced, and attention increased, in participants who take part in meditation or mindfulness programs.
Stronger Mind
Meditation causes you to focus your attention in specific ways and to block out distractions from the outside world. Doing so is one way to increase the levels of neurotransmitters and connections in your brain. Ultimately, your mind will be stronger, more alert and better-performing due to this regular practice.
Memory Retrieval
The process of meditating offers you many benefits. One of these is the ability to access long-forgotten memories. The mindfulness and focus attained during meditation give your brain the ability to ignore the outside distractions we’re bombarded with every day. Your mind is then free to go deep into its seldom-used recesses and call up memories you may have locked away.
Better Focus and Concentration
Meditation encourages mindfulness, the process of being in the moment. Every day we’re faced with tons of outside stimuli. It can be incredibly difficult to gather our thoughts and to pay attention to any one thing, even if that thing is really important. Through meditating, the neural pathways are strengthened allowing for increased focus. In fact, due to a process known as neuroplasticity, these neural connections are actually physically altered within the brain structure, leading to concrete changes.
Increased Memory Storage
The areas in which memory is stored are the frontal brain lobe and the hippocampus. Both regions light up on scans when measuring brain activity during meditation. This is evidence that the neural pathways are being stimulated. Your capacity for storing additional memories grows as you practice meditation and stimulate these areas of the brain on a regular basis.
There you have it. Meditation is great for your brain. Give it a try and see if you start to notice a difference in your focus, and in your ability to remember.
For more on meditation, check out the MEDITATION Page. And for even more, check out my reviews of 5 Top Meditation Products.
