If the first thing you think of when you hear ‘meditation’ is relaxation, you’re not alone. While it’s true that meditation can help you unwind, it’s energizing enough to wake you up in the morning and prepare your mind to face the day and engage enough to benefit even the youngest meditators. Understanding the science behind meditation helps you to choose the guided meditations that best serve you and your present needs, helping to activate your brain and get the most out of each practice.
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Siddha Meditate is the tool and support system that you need to develop a routine of meditation, allowing you to discover and embrace your individual strength and build your mental fitness as you establish a long-term routine of meditation. We offer a range of psychologically-driven Mental Health meditation classes , perfect for helping your brain and long-term mental health regardless of your symptoms and struggles.
Has meditation been scientifically proven?
Meditation has been a source of psychological and cognitive inquiry for generations. In the 1960’s Indian psychologist Dr. B.K. Anand, researched the mind-body connection that occurs in meditation. He found that meditation creates a very focused headspace, such that practitioners were so concentrated that they weren’t distracted by intense stressors like hot glass touching their skin. Since this foundational discovery, meditation has been found to support with a number of mental, physical, emotional health related concerns and betterment. The science behind meditation reveals how these practices foster resilience and adaptability by engaging key areas of the brain, further emphasizing their transformative potential.
If you’re interested in meditation history you can read “The History of Meditation: From Ancient Traditions to Modern Practices“
Meditation activates your brain by training it to observe thoughts without getting attached to them. Instead of clinging to distracting thoughts, you learn to let them pass, gently bringing your focus back to your breath or other essential aspects of your being—such as your physical sensations, past and present experiences, imagination, and habits. When you practice meditation and develop a habit of meditation, your mind becomes conditioned to stay stable and engaged regardless of circumstances, mood, or obstacles, an experience and process that we call mental fitness. Insights from meditation research highlight how this practice rewires the brain, promoting greater focus and emotional stability over time.
What are the proven benefits of mediation for the mind?
Mental fitness is achieved with a habit of meditation because it activates neurons across various areas of the brain, each contributing to your individual needs and experiences.[1] Meditation can be especially transformative for your mental health, as it trains the regions of the brain responsible for your emotions, self-control, and decision making to work more effectively and without unnecessary pressure or stimuli.[2] A Joyful Mind explains that based on extensive research finds that meditation to reduce anxiety, depression, and pain.
How does meditation support me through depressive thoughts or feelings?
Meditation doesn’t invalidate negative or fearful thoughts (which is shown by a decrease in amygdala activity during practice). Instead, your practice of meditation provides you with the opportunity to watch difficult thoughts pass and helps your brain to work through them by increasing the activation of your intellect and memory (shown in an increase in grey matter volume and uptick of neural activation the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and other brain regions that support with focus and self-control).
When these regions of the brain are activated, you’ll use your sense logic and emotional regulation to process and get through negative self-talk and other symptoms of depression while minimizing your chance to exaggerate or hold onto fear.[3]
How does meditation help me to manage my anxiety?
Research on the science of meditation has found that meditation helps your brain to harness the parts of your brain that process self-control, helping your brain to work through the things that you are in your reach and be honest and realistic about the things that aren’t. A literature review of 200+ published anxiety and meditation studies found that patients who used meditation to treat their anxiety symptoms significantly reduced their symptoms as compared to peers in control groups. Our Building Inner Resources to Overcome Adversity class, helps you to build a repertoire of tools that help you to work through the obstacles, including those that increase your anxiety.
How can meditation improve my focus?
Meditation itself is an exercise in focus, so meditation benefits your ability to focus in all areas of your life because meditation helps you to practice concentrating on something tangible (like your breath) and is gentle enough to help you release judgement when your focus lapses. This occurs on a psychological level because meditation research finds that your practice unlocks the Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) which is the part of your brain’s executive attention and control.[4]
How does meditation help me improve my relationships with myself and others?
Meditation studies have shown that even when you practice by yourself, you are building up your compassion and skills that serve your connections to other people. But the sense empathy that meditation benefits in the brain starts with you, helping you to better understand and care for yourself.
Meditation for understanding and accepting your strengths
Each time you practice meditation, you are strengthening your mind-body connection, deepening your ability to listen to your body and mind’s needs. This increased level of understanding helps us to build our level of consciousness, activating our sense of empathy within the neocortex (a region of the prefrontal cortex that supports memory, perception and attention),[5] a process which helps us to build our self-confidence as we build a habit of meditation.[6] The science of meditation further reveals how these neural changes foster personal growth, enhancing both emotional intelligence and mental clarity.
Meditation for respecting your body
The self-confidence that you build as a benefit of meditation helps you to deeply accept your body, regardless of negative self-talk or internalized and harmful beauty standards.[7] Our Gratitude for Your Body as You Drift Into Sleep class is inspired by this established benefit of meditation, helping you to accept your body as it is by bringing your body to the sensations of the body and teaching you to care for your whole being.
Meditating to improve interpersonal communication with kindness and boundaries
The science behind meditation demonstrates that these deeply personal benefits of the practice extend to your interpersonal relationships. Meditation helps you to notice and make the most of the support that others extend to you, helping you to feel more secure in your existing relationships by helping you to establish boundaries and express your needs.[8]
Meditating with others: understanding the benefits and setting an example
When meditating with others, especially your family members, partner and close friends, you’ll both experience the benefits of meditation, and you’ll strengthen your interpersonal relationship. The science behind meditation finds that this is especially true when one or both of you have an established meditation habit,[9] so if you are already a meditator, include loved ones in your practice to share the power of meditation with others!
This article explores the scientifically established benefits of meditation, from mental health support to the sense of compassion that your practice helps you to promote and prioritize. Specifically, it explains how the psychology of meditation makes it a tremendous tool in treating anxiety and depression and improving your focus, confidence and interpersonal relationships.
Siddha Meditate is a mental fitness app, designed using the science behind meditation as an active process in mind, harnessing the sense of focus that you develop in your practice to help you strengthen your mind. We make developing a habit of meditation intuitive and achievable by integrating a calendar feature directly into the interface, making it feasible to meditate every day and get back at it when you miss a day. By exploring the benefits of meditation, users can experience improved focus, emotional resilience, and a deeper connection to their overall well-being. Start a seven-day free trial now to see what a habit of meditation can do for you and your life!
FAQ about Science of Meditation
1. What is the science behind meditation?
Meditation has been a subject of psychological and cognitive inquiry for generations. In the 1960s, Indian psychologist Dr. B.K. Anand researched the mind-body connection during meditation, discovering that it creates a highly focused mental state. Practitioners were so concentrated that they weren’t distracted by intense stressors like hot glass touching their skin. This foundational discovery has led to numerous studies exploring how meditation supports mental, physical, and emotional health.
2. What are the proven benefits of meditation?
Extensive meditation research has identified several benefits of regular practice. Meditation activates the brain by training it to observe thoughts without attachment, enhancing focus and emotional stability. Developing a meditation habit conditions the mind to remain stable and engaged regardless of external circumstances, contributing to overall mental fitness.
3. What is the brain science behind meditation?
The science of meditation demonstrates how regular practice activates various areas of the brain to enhance focus, emotional stability, and self-awareness. Research shows that meditation engages the neocortex, which supports memory, perception, and empathy, while also reducing activity in the amygdala, the region responsible for fear and stress responses. By training the brain to observe thoughts without attachment, meditation fosters mental fitness, allowing practitioners to remain calm and engaged regardless of circumstances.
4. What happens biologically when you meditate?
When you meditate, several biological changes occur. Meditation research has revealed that there is an increase in grey matter volume in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, areas of the brain associated with memory, self-control, and decision-making. At the same time, amygdala activity decreases, reducing stress and promoting emotional regulation. These changes help your brain process difficult thoughts, regulate emotions, and build resilience, contributing to the long-term benefits of meditation.
[1] “The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging” The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging
[2] See previous footnote.
[3] “Meditate don’t medicate: How medical imaging evidence supports the role of meditation in the treatment of depression” Meditate don’t medicate: How medical imaging evidence supports the role of meditation in the treatment of depression | Request PDF
[4] “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation” (PDF) The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation
[5] “Meditation Effect on Human Brain Compared with Psychological Questionnaire” https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nugraha-Utama/publication/290465566_Meditation_Effect_on_Human_Brain_Compared_with_Psychological_Questionnaire/links/5751922508ae10d933705a15/Meditation-Effect-on-Human-Brain-Compared-with-Psychological-Questionnaire.pdf
[6] “Online Training in Specific Meditation Practices Improves Gratitude, Well-Being, Self-Compassion, and Confidence in Providing Compassionate Care Among Health Professionals” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2156587216642102
[7] “Exploring the impact of a gratitude-focused meditation on body dissatisfaction: Can a brief auditory gratitude intervention protect young women against exposure to the thin ideal?” NCBI – WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic
[8] “Loving-Kindness Meditation Improves Relationship Negativity and Psychological Well-Being: A Pilot Study” Loving-Kindness Meditation Improves Relationship Negativity and Psychological Well-Being A Pilot Study
[9] “Inner tradition made visible: the interpersonal benefits and effects of meditation practice on close relationships” Inner tradition made visible: the interpersonal benefits and effects of meditation practice on close relationships
