For thousands of years, people have known the benefits of meditation. Now, modern science is backing this up with a multitude of studies that show specific benefits of the practice of meditation. Among the many benefits appears to include reversing aging in the brain and improving memory and concentration.
As we age, cognitive decline and memory loss are often taken for granted. Recent research shows that practicing meditation on a regular basis can actually help to prevent cognitive decline and memory loss. The practice has the ability to change the brain.
Research conducted by Andrew Newberg, M.D. showed that meditation changes areas of the brain that are associated with concentration, memory and verbal fluency. Participants in the study were taught meditation techniques and used them for eight weeks for the purposes of the study.
Brain scans were taken of the study participants before beginning meditation and at the end of eight weeks of daily meditation. In addition to the brain scans, participants were given cognitive tests. The results are nothing short of astounding.
The people involved in the study all showed improvements in cognitive function of between ten and twenty percent. The second brain scans showed changes happened in areas of the brain that are involved in concentration and memory.
The study shows that the brains of people become younger and healthier than brains of people who do not practice meditation. The benefits don’t only apply to the aging brain. Improving concentration and memory can benefit everyone from children at school to their parents at work and their retired grandparents.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours in meditation to reap the rewards. The participants in the study only practiced meditation for about twelve minutes each day. Twelve minutes is a small price to pay for improved cognitive function and possibly delaying cognitive decline in later years.