Meditation is good for you

(Something regular practitioners have known all along ....)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7319043.stm
Limited research

Research into the health claims made for meditation has limitations and few
conclusions can be reached, partly because meditation is rarely isolated -
it is often practised alongside other lifestyle changes such as diet, or
exercise, or as part of group therapy.

So should we dismiss it as quackery? Studies from the field of neuroscience
suggest not.

It is a new area of research, but indications are intriguing and suggest
that meditation may have a measurable impact on the brain.

In Boston, Massachusetts, Dr Sara Lazar has used a technique called MRI
scanning to analyse the brains of people who have been meditating for
several years.

She compared the brains of these experienced practitioners with people who
had never meditated and found that there were differences in the thickness
of certain areas of the brain's cortex, including areas involved in the
processing of emotion.

She is continuing research, but she believes that meditation had caused the
brain to change physical shape.

Buddhist monks

In Madison, Wisconsin, Dr Richard Davidson has been carrying out studies on
Buddhist monks for several years.

His personal belief is that "by meditating, you can become happier, you can
concentrate more effectively and you can change your brain in ways that
support that."

In one study he observed the brains of a group of office workers before and
after they undertook a course of meditation combined with stress reduction
techniques.

At the end of the course the participants' brains seemed to have altered in
the way they functioned.

They showed greater activity in the left-hand side - a characteristic which
Davidson has previously linked to happiness and enthusiasm.

This idea that meditation could improve the wellbeing of everyone, even
those not struggling with mental illness, is something that is exciting
researchers.

Professor Williams believes it has huge potential.

"It involves dealing with expectations, with constantly judging ourselves -
feeling we're not good enough," he said.

"And, that is something which is so widespread in our communities.

"All of these things are just thoughts. And, they will come up in meditation
and learning to recognize what they are as thoughts, and let them go, can be
enormously empowering for anybody."

There is, of course, a distinct possibility that this research will come to
nothing and that interest in meditation will turn out to be a passing fad,
but for now this ancient discipline is being taken seriously by scientists
as a tool with potential to make each one of us happier and more content.


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