Here's how long you need to meditate to see results for your body and brain
Research shows meditation reduces stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. A 2016 study found that long-term meditation practice was associated with structural changes of the “white matter” in the brain, which is responsible for “relaying sensory information” and can explain why meditation helps people stay in the present moment and may help combat age-related cognitive decline.?
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A more dated study found an increase in gray matter in the brain’s hippocampus, the areas associated with memory, emotional regulation, self-processing, and perspective taking, with regular meditation.?
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The practice also enhances attention, and increases the ability to cultivate awareness around emotions so they don’t bubble up later, says Maria Gonzalez, a mindfulness coach and author of Mindful Leadership: The 9 Ways to Self-Awareness, Transforming Yourself, and Inspiring Others. ?
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Practicing meditation regulates breathing, explains Dr. Elizabeth Seng, an associate professor of psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University, tells Fortune.?
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Unlike being in fight-or-flight mode, when our stress response jumps into action, meditation enacts the parasympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of calming our nerves.?
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Imagine a highway system with an infrastructure bill, Seng says. If you keep investing in roadways toward places you don’t want to go, those roads only get longer. Our mind works in the same way. The more we fester, catastrophize, and overanalyze, the windier that road becomes, meaning the more our mind gives it validity to keep going.?
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Mindfulness meditation can help us instead stop the unwanted pathways in their tracks and focus on a smaller dirt road of acceptance, presence, and gratitude, that in time will also extend the more we give it credence. We slowly create new connections in the brain that teach us to let unwanted thoughts pass by like a train car versus internalizing them and losing focus.?
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“You build more and more neural connections with these pathways, and therefore, it’s easier for you to go down this path,” she says.
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How long do you need to meditate to see results?
One study found improvements to memory, emotional regulation, and mood with eight weeks of 13 minutes of meditation a day.?
Gonzalez, who has trained numerous people in the practice, says as little as 10 minutes a day can make a difference. What matters most is dedicating yourself to the technique.
?Read Alexa Mikhail ’s full article here.
???Aging Well Tip of the Week?
To stay mentally sharp in retirement, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly. If you need a walking buddy and can afford the costs associated with pup upkeep, get a dog. Pet ownership can also protect against cognitive declines, according to the?Health and Retirement Study.?
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1 年Meditation can represent making a commitment to yourself and takes time like any other exercise to show results. But definitely worth the effort! As a formerly stressed professional who worked in finance, who now works full time as a Vedic meditation instructor helping other professionals with their insomnia, it’s something that I believe is truly life changing. There’s no one way of going about it, whatever method we choose is personal, but what matters is that we are making that time for ourselves to recollect and heal each day.