Meditation Research…Survey says….

Ricard: ‘Meditation is not just blissing out under a mango tree but it completely changes your brain’

In the previous post we spoke about ten benefits of meditation. There are actually many more!

Here are a few: Improved sleep, reduced need for as much sleep, improved capacity for focus, concentration and attention, enhanced mental clarity and greater capacity to manage stress and emotions.

Matthieu Ricard, a French genetic scientist, author of The Art of Meditation, advisor to the Dalai Lama and a “prime research subject” at the University of Wisconsin makes these statements about meditation:

“You can then use meditation to gain some space from negative emotions. Ricard says: ‘You can look at your experience like a fire that burns. If you are aware of anger you are not angry… you are aware. Being aware of anxiety is not being anxious… it is being aware. By being aware of these emotions you are no longer adding fuel to their fire and they will burn down.”

“You will see benefits in stress levels and general wellbeing as well as brain changes with regular practice in a month. Those who say they don’t have enough time to meditate should look at the benefits: ‘If it gives you the resources to deal with everything else during the other 23 hours and 30minutes, it seems a worthy way of spending 20 minutes. “

Read more: Daily Mail Online–Is this the world’s happiest man? http://dailym.ai/1eggoT9

University of Wisconsin Research
In the previous post we also mentioned that there was a lot of research happening re: meditation and how it affects our brain, body and consciousness. At the University of Wisconsin they have been engaged in using modern technology to understand and observe brain changes in Buddhist Monks. Buddhism has a long history of using “inner technologies” to enhance human function and expand consciousness. Highly trained monks who have the capacity to manage their mind/consciousness with skill are an amazing group to help us understand our untapped potential.

Here are some interesting and important comments on the research and links to articles with more detail.

“Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison based on his research, likens meditation to certain other trainable skills that produce changes in the brain and body, such as playing a musical instrument or being proficient in a sport. His research group has studied meditation extensively in subjects ranging from Tibetan Buddhist monks who have meditated intensively for decades to college students with no previous meditation experience.”

Dr. Richardson states, “The growing body of evidence on compassion, loving kindness, attention, and other related characteristics; on mental training that could enhance them; and on the effects of such training on the brain and body, all provide a scientific underpinning for the contemplative practices of many of the great classical meditation traditions

To read more about Dr. Davidson’s research click here: http://bit.ly/1g9o9ia