How does Mindfulness Benefit Your Brain?

Mindfulness has been known to be effective to both the brain and body. It helps people achieve better results and perform better in different areas of life. Mindfulness also has a strong link with cognitive functions and mental health.

Mindfulness benefits us on the inside and outside. Not only does it allow us to positively connect with our inner-self, but also our environment.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present and aware of where you are, what you’re doing and what’s going on from moment to moment.

Think about mindfulness as a form of mental exercise. When you are being mindful, your awareness is directly on what you’re experiencing, whether through senses, thoughts or emotions.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindful meditation is claimed to have some extraordinary benefits on the brain. Deep meditation slows down your racing thoughts as it usually involves breathing practice, focused attention and full awareness of your mind and body.

Many studies have found that mindful meditation increases the density of the grey matter volume in the cortex. When the grey matter increases, the brain processes information more effectively. This also improves essential cognitive functions like memory and attention span.

Mindful meditation doesn’t mean you have to be in the lotus position, focusing on an incense stick or chanting in a foreign language. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of full meditation or have physical limitation, find the practice that suits you best. A quiet time alone in your bedroom or a park bench will do as well.

It’s the relaxation of the mind and body that we aim for.

Mindfulness and Your Brain

There is a growing body of research suggesting that when practicing mindfulness meditation, the physical structure of the brain also changes.

With around 100 billion neurons in the brain, each one connects with other neurons to form a complex network that enables them to communicate with each other. When practicing mindfulness, we also train the brain to refocus .

Research shows that brain waves are lowered and many areas of the brain are also activated through mindful meditation. Lower brain waves, especially alpha waves, also known as relaxation brain waves, are dominant at the beginning of the meditation. This results in a calmer but stronger neural connection and better overall brain function. You can read more on the alpha brain wave and its benefits on learning here.

Mindful meditation promotes calmness and strong neural connection to the brain.

Now you get an idea. Mindfulness is a meditation for the mind and body. It also directly benefits the brain performance and efficiency. There are several mindfulness paths to follow. Explore your options by looking around your environment. What works for some people may not necessarily work for others. Create your own space for a mindfulness practice with your personal touch might be a good way to start. It’s essential that you enjoy it and make it a part of your routine. Your brain will thank you.

DeepGamma