Meditation - train your brain!

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“Inner strength is not all or nothing.
You can build it like
a muscle.”

- Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

Meditation is for the brain what your squats or abdominal exercises are for the body. But what is behind it, what exactly happens in the brain and how does it work?

There are many different meditation variations and it pays off to try out some of them to see what suits you best. Studies show that regular meditation has a positive effect not only on the continuous observation of consciousness, but also on various body functions. 

For example, it reduces the stress-related release of cortisol. Significant improvements can also be seen in sleep disorders, symptoms of autoimmune diseases, PMS or asthma. Meditation has even proven to be helpful for controlling blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes; and of course in the area of mental health. On the one hand, for the prevention of depression, anxiety or panic. On the other hand as a supporting method to cope better with general emotional stress or to break away from established reaction patterns.

The range of effects is large, as is the range
of offers!

Which form of meditation is finally suitable for each person, according to experience, is quite different. This phenomenon is comparable to the preference of sports. While some prefer to work out while running or on a supercycle, for others only Yoga or Pilates is the right way to well-being. This means that one can also catch an unsuitable meditation technique and therefore not achieve the desired effect, which can cause frustration, disappointment and also insecurity.

Don't worry, it's not a miracle, it's really just a matter of practice.

Why meditation and what happens in the brain?

Regular meditation influences the grey matter, i.e. the nerve cell bodies and synapses in the brain.

For example, in the insula (a part of the cerebral cortex) there is the perception of one's own body, i.e. the processing of the so-called interoception. Furthermore, the ability to empathise with the emotions of others is also located in this brain region.

The hippocampus in turn is the most important control centre for personal memories, the visuo-spatial memory. 

This is where the ability to recognize events as connected is located.

However, the hippocampus is also - and this is particularly important - where the amygdala (alarm bell in the brain) is calmed and stress hormones such as cortisol are produced.

The prefrontal cortex, on the other hand, supports self-control and the planning of actions. It is considered the seat of working memory, and new types of problems are also solved in this part of the frontal lobe.

Regular meditation increases the activity of all these brain areas and thus has a mood-enhancing, calming and performance-enhancing effect. It promotes learning and also reduces cortical thinning due to aging. Probably the most essential element of meditation is the training of attention. Attention is comparable to a vacuum cleaner, which sucks everything into the brain through the so-called "experience-dependent neuroplasticity".

The constant optimization of this process is the basis for more control over what is to be processed in the brain. This also has the consequence that impressions can be increasingly filtered or ordered better and therefore it is also easier to learn to deal with everyday noise.

The points summarized here deal only very superficially with the innumerable benefits of meditation. For everyone who begins to meditate, it is a first step out of the constant hamster wheel and towards more real time for oneself. The minutes I take for meditation are sometimes the best time of my day. It feels like coming home. No matter where you are.

How to begin?

The best meditation is the one you actually practice! There are books, videos, audio files, guided meditations from many great teachers. 

It is important that you regularly incorporate your individually chosen program into your daily life. I also recommend everyone to stay with this choice for a longer time. You will feel when it is time to try something new.

So: Relax, come to rest a little before your meditation and try to create a feeling of presence with yourself. Be alone with yourself and be happy about this time out. In the first step, try to link your attention to something, to set an anchor, so to speak. For example, focus on the sensation of your breathing. If you find it difficult to close your eyes, you can also just concentrate on an object, for example a candle, and keep all your focus there.

The sensation of breathing as an anchor generally works very well because it is always available and you can always fall back on it. If that works, expand your attention, you can include the whole body, your thoughts, feelings, desires. Everything that's there. It's not about emptying your head, but to focus your own perception exclusively on the present. The sticking to thoughts should be avoided, as well as the attempt to create order or find solutions to problems. 

Being open for these moments is the start. Without stress, in peace and without judgment. Feel what it is like to be present, to be a body that breathes in peace.

At the end of each meditation let the feeling of calmness come to the center of attention again, be grateful and respectful to yourself for this time. Meditate as long as you want, even one minute a day helps.  10 minutes a day are a real benefit, 20 minutes a day are life-changing. Meditation is a skill that anyone can develop, in which one becomes better over time and consequently feels the benefits more and more. Pressure to perform is out of place here. What it needs above all is the courage to be gentle and patient with yourself.

Have fun! ❤︎

For more information on the topic you can contact me at any time!

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