MEDITATION (mindfulness)

Change your brain for the better with 30 minutes of meditation a day. In one study on meditation, the researchers examined magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the brains of the study's participants that were take 2 weeks before and after an eight week meditation program. The participants meditated for an average of 27 minutes a day. The MRI analysis of the participants' brains showed increased gray-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, introspection, attention and emotional integration. The analysis also showed decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play a key role in fear, anxiety and stress. Grey matter consists of neurons, glial cells (supply neurons with nutrition and oxygen), synapes (how nerve cells communicate) and blood vessels.

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