Rumi & the Mirror

By PHE-in-training, Madeline Kotoriy 

Recently a lot of research has been conducted on the ways in which mindful meditation affects the brain, and the results are pretty amazing! What exactly is mindful meditation? Well, it is one of many types of meditation, and it focuses on awareness of the present moment without judgment. It stems from a Buddhist tradition, but it can be practiced by anyone regardless of spiritual or religious beliefs.  It has become popularly associated with benefits like an increase in the quality of life, and better responses to stressful situations. Now, there is some scientific research to help explain why. According to the current findings, people who meditate on a regular basis can actually reshape their brain – that is pretty cool! This ability to change the structure of the brain is referred to as neuroplasticity. Sara Lazar, an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital, conducted an experiment in which a sample of people meditated30-40 minutes everyday for 8 weeks, and these were the results:

– Prevention of shrinking in the area of the brain that controls decision making

– Increase in size for the region of the brain that regulates emotions, memory, and learning

– Increase in size for the region of the brain that controls empathy and compassion

– Decrease in size for the area of the brain producing stress, fear, and fight-or-flight response

To find out more about the research and Lazar’s work, you can visit her website at (I highly recommend watching the Ted Talk linked under publications).

So now that you know the benefits of mindful meditation, don’t you want to give a try? You can start out small, meditating a couple minutes a day, and work your way up to whatever is most comfortable. Here are some tips to get started!

Find a comfortable place. It’s easier to settle your mind when you feel content with your surroundings. Straighten up that posture. Having a natural, but erect spine helps with breathing and focus (plus it never hurts to practice good posture)! Breathe! Starting with attention on your breath helps clear your mind of other thoughts, and it brings awareness to your body. Remind yourself that it takes practice! The more you practice, the better you get. So don’t be frustrated or discouraged if you find it difficult at first; it will get easier with time, you just have to stick with it!

For more tips on practicing your mindfulness and guided meditations, check out the following links:

Good luck, and work that neuroplasticity!