Getty Images Over the December holidays, my husband went on a 10-day silent meditation retreat. Not my idea of fun, but he came back rejuvenated and energetic.
He said the experience was so transformational that he has committed to meditating for two hours daily, one hour in the morning and one in the evening, until the end of March. He’s running an experiment to determine whether and how meditation actually improves the quality of his life.
I’ll admit I’m a skeptic.
But now, scientists say that meditators like my husband may be benefiting from changes in their brains. The researchers report that those who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. The findings will appear in the Jan. 30 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.
M.R.I. brain scans taken before and after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes.
But how exactly did these study volunteers, all seeking stress reduction in their lives but new to the practice, meditate? So many people talk about meditating these days. Within four miles of our Bay Area home, there are at least six centers that offer some type of meditation class, and I often hear phrases like, “So how was your sit today?”
Britta Hölzel, a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the study’s lead author, said the participants practiced mindfulness meditation, a form of meditation that was introduced in the United States in the late 1970s. It traces its roots to the same ancient Buddhist techniques that my husband follows.
“The main idea is to use different objects to focus one’s attention, and it could be a focus on sensations of breathing, or emotions or thoughts, or observing any type of body sensations,” she said. “But it’s about bringing the mind back to the here and now, as opposed to letting the mind drift.”
Generally the meditators are seated upright on a chair or the floor and in silence, although sometimes there might be a guide leading a session, Dr. Hölzel said.
Of course, it’s important to remember that the human brain is complicated. Understanding what the increased density of gray matter really means is still, well, a gray area.
“The field is very, very young, and we don’t really know enough about it yet,” Dr. Hölzel said. “I would say these are still quite preliminary findings. We see that there is something there, but we have to replicate these findings and find out what they really mean.”
It has been hard to pinpoint the benefits of meditation, but a 2009 study suggests that meditation may reduce blood pressure in patients with coronary heart disease. And a 2007 study found that meditators have longer attention spans.
Previous studies have also shown that there are structural differences between the brains of meditators and those who don’t meditate, although this new study is the first to document changes in gray matter over time through meditation.
Ultimately, Dr. Hölzel said she and her colleagues would like to demonstrate how meditation results in definitive improvements in people’s lives.
“A lot of studies find that it increases well-being, improves quality of life, but it’s always hard to determine how you can objectively test that,” she said. “Relatively little is known about the brain and the psychological mechanisms about how this is being done.”
In a 2008 study published in the journal PloS One, researchers found that when meditators heard the sounds of people suffering, they had stronger activation levels in their temporal parietal junctures, a part of the brain tied to empathy, than people who did not meditate.
“They may be more willing to help when someone suffers, and act more compassionately,” Dr. Hölzel said.
Further study is needed, but that bodes well for me.
For now, I’m more than happy to support my husband’s little experiment, despite the fact that he now rises at 5 a.m. and is exhausted by 10 at night.
An empathetic husband who takes out the trash and puts gas in the car because he knows I don’t like to — I’ll take that.
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I have been thinking a lot about this meditation stuff lately & as hard as it is for me to turn my brain off for even 2 minutes - I am always thinking of something, stupid or not - I think I need to give it a try. Who knows - it may be the answer to questions I don't even know about yet!!! 
Do you meditate? If yes, how did starting it make a difference in your life. I NEED TO KNOW & others too!!!
You can still enter the GIVEAWAY too!
OM all about the meditation and the self-love.
It is so very trite in a way BUT so very true that if *I*do not love me---no one else can.
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Miz, you are right on!
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I do not meditate in the truest sense of meditation. I do spend allot of time in self thought, self conversation. This is where I come to terms with many things, get the mind out of a funk & refocused on what is needed, rebooted you might say. But to just sit in silence in a prescribed pose thinking through prescribed thoughts, I can say I have never tried doing so.
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Patrick, that might be a great start for us newbies!!!! Thx for sharing!
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I'm not sure about the 10 day of not talking but only in my head would work. I can't wait to hear your follow up!
I am gone for a week so maybe when I get back I will hear about it
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Oh, I would never be able to do 10 days of no talking!
Have fun wherever you are going!!!!
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I got Supreme 90 for Valentine's day!
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Pauline, is Supreme 90 like p90x or Insanity workout? If yes, that will work ya out big time!!! What is Mother culture?
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I am with you. I can't turn my brain off and I don't really like quiet. I use my time at the gym as my time. Put my headphones on and tune everything else out.
You are right on about giving to ourselves on valentines day. I am going to make a bigger effort today and do more for me. I fully believe that by taking care of ourselves first we are better at taking care of others.
I have been reading the posts about your mom and love the tribute you have made to this cause. Have a great day!
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Rachael, thank you so much for that comment about my mom! It is such a horrible thing, cancer. This one, no great advancements right now & little funding due to the rarity. It keeps growing back in a large % of people....
I am like you.. the gym is my sanctuary.. sometimes I don't even hear the music I listen too due to my focus!!!
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I am with most of you, in the can't turn my brain off thing, but I am willing to give it a try. Thanks for a great post
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I think I need to try!
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Love this post! I am working on my own post about meditation. You and I are often on the same wave length.
I so believe in the benefits of mediation. Guided imagery cd's work well for me as they keep my mind from wondering off thinking about chores or something other than relaxing and enjoying the moment.
I took a spiritual guided meditation class for a few months and I can tell you that was the most relaxed, calm I have ever felt. It was as I was at the end of recovering from some serious surgery and it helped me get through a rough time for me physically and mentally.
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Tami, too funny! We are in sync.. my show one is coming up either tomorrow or Thursday.... still have to finish it! You certainly have worked on the meditation! As I said in a different comment, I really think I NEED it!
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I've tried to meditate lately as Ifigure I could use the destressing, but I find I just fall asleep...so I'm guessing at the moment naps are more important
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Geosomin, You are so friggin busy that your sleep/naps are way more important!!!
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I've done mediation, both guided and non guided. Guided is a good way for beginners to do it. It's a meditation thing, if you haven't done it, you won't understand. Just do it. In the big scheme of things that people say they can't do, meditation in pretty easy to try. Just do it the right way and you will be surprised at how easy it is. It's not meant to be work or hard. No excusaes for not trying it.
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DR. J - you got me, the no excuses thing!
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I don't meditate. Karen at Wasiting Time wrote about this recently, and I was very dismissive about it. Now I'm a little sorry for that. Although I have no trouble initially falling asleep, I usually awaken after about 3 hours and have a difficult time falling asleep again. Maybe I should try medidation when that happens as a way of relaxing and possibly sleeping again.
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It may help Marsial.. I have trouble with sleep due to hormones.. but life is stressful right now & maybe it will help plus get me more focused...
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