Edition 17 — Meditation: a cure-all?
The science and logic behind meditation as a holistic cure-all.
Meditation.
What’s the fuss?
The science behind an effective habit.
If there’s one habit that lockdown encouraged us to pick up, it’s meditation. From Oprah to Bupa, and all the corporate emails in between — we know meditation is good for our mental health. So much so, you could say we are in the Renaissance of meditation and mindfulness. What was once reserved for Eastern cultures (and a handful of dedicated people in the West) is now widespread in the digital age. We’re here for it.
Although we know it’s good for us, do we know what it does, really? What are the scientific processes behind meditations positive impact on mental health? For a long time, we didn’t have the technology or scientific apparatus to measure meditations success. In 2021 we are able to quantify meditations impact on our health.
Science may have speculated once upon a time, but now we know for sure: our bodies and minds work in tandem. It is impossible to have a calm mind and a stressed body, and vice versa. This means we can wade through a long and stressful day of emails, Zoom calls, and group chats, without realising we are holding a whole lot of tension in our bodies. Headaches, ammirite?! With this knowledge, scientists and psychologists who have researched the mind/body relationship can say for sure that cultivating a meditation habit combats everyday stressors.
A major component of calming our bodies and minds is tapping into the 〰️ power 〰️ of our breath. When we breathe deeply into our bellies we are activating the part of our nervous system responsible for rest and digestion. Doing so sends a message to our brains that we are safe: No need for a fight or flight mode, kthx. Once our bodies have been told to relax, our brains follow quickly behind.
The act of meditation is to sit quietly and objectively notice everything: thoughts, fleeting emotions, feelings, judgements, and so on. Whether you are someone who regularly meditates, or if you are the kind of person who dips their toe in occasionally, you most likely know how loud thoughts can be when we are sitting in stillness. Mental chatter can be distracting but the good news is that we do not have to listen to, or identify with, disruptive thoughts. Learning to notice negative thought patterns and disruptive cognitive cycles has a lot to teach us about who we are, and how we move through the world.
Meditation helps us to objectively relate to well-worn thinking patterns that do not serve us. Recognising unhelpful thought patterns means we can increase our resilience and compassion during life’s difficult moments. In turn, we can soften into meeting our needs rather than spiralling out and reaching for vices and temporary highs that leave us feeling worse in the long run.
It goes without saying that with greater mental resilience we are better poised to handle mental stress and its physical byproducts. As such, the benefits of meditation are not just mental: there is a myriad of benefits for our physical health, too.
Stress causes high blood pressure, which means that the heart has to work harder to get blood pumping around the body. Long term strain on the heart can lead to an increased risk of a heart attack. Meditation is an easy, painless solution to relieve heart stress that has excellent proven results.
Objective thinking has a physiological impact on the brain and physical health, too. A recent study has demonstrated decreased brain cell volume in the amygdala, an area in our brains that is responsible for anxiety, stress and fear. Ergo, decreased brain cell volume in the amygdala reduces fear and anxiety triggers. Winning!
Meditation is a great way to give your body and brain a break from renegade thoughts. With a little practice, you will soon notice a gamut of physical and mental benefits. A foolproof way of changing your thought patterns and physical health is to give meditation a try. Resist falling into well-worn habits and notice what arises in moments of stillness. A little distance from your thoughts and mental habits might just be the prescription you need. ▪️
Want more?
A must-read list for diving deeper into meditation:
Radical Acceptance, Tara Brach
The Body Keeps The Score, Bessel van der Kolk
The Art of Living, Thich Nhat Hanh
10% Happier, Dan Harris
Total Meditation, Deepak Chopra