Spotlight: Meditation

Meditation Calms and Strengthens

An early clinical trial has linked mindfulness meditation with increased brain power.

As reported in the journal, Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging from January 2011, scientists conducted a clinical trial with 16 non-meditators. The trial employed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), one of the most widely used mindfulness training programs. According to the journal, “[Meditation] has been reported to produce positive effects on psychological well-being and to ameliorate symptoms of a number of disorders.”

Over eight weeks, the experimental group participated in daily meditation either with group instruction or independent, self-reported practice. The differences were clear; MRI scans at the beginning and end of the study, compared to a non-meditating control group, showed a change in density within the left hippocampus.

According the journal’s abstract report, “The results suggest that participation in MBSR is associated with changes in gray matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective taking.” Though the exact cause of the change in brain density can’t be directly attributed to meditation (as opposed to group instruction or other instructional activities), the results show a correlation between meditation and changes in the brain’s structure.

Science Illuminates the Tradition

This study demonstrates a truth that the Buddhists have known for 2500 years without the benefit of MRI. Shambhala.org explains, “Undertaken as a steady practice, meditation allows the mind to relax and settle. It encourages our inherent qualities of stability, clarity and mental strength to emerge.”

Shambhala meditation centers are scattered all over the world. Their approach to meditation draws from core Buddhist tenants, but has been made more accessible to Westerners. The centers are open to practitioners of any tradition and provide instruction and group events to encourage daily meditation.

How Do You Sit So Long?

The Shambhala approach is an encouraging and nurturing way to begin a meditation practice. Instructors (called Senior Students) explain how to arrange your body comfortably for long periods of sitting and how to breathe. “Position your spine on the cushion so your vertebrae are stacked on top of one another like a stack of gold coins,” says Chris Stockinger, student of the Shamballa method since 1983. “Sit like the queens [and kings] that you are.”

In a teaching session at the Fort Collins Shambhala Meditation Center, Stockinger explains that breathing is the key. “You are not forcing your breath to do anything,” he intones, “you are simply noticing that it goes in ... and out. If you find your mind wandering away, do not judge. Identify what is happening. Simply label it, ‘Thinking.’ And return your focus to the in ... and out.”

To begin meditating, sit on a cushion, with hips at a higher level than knees, ankles loosely crossed. Or sit in a chair with feet flat on the floor. In both positions, your spine is aligned, your head balanced atop the vertebrae. Eyes are open, with gaze lowered to a fixed point in front of you, maybe focus on that speck on the floor. Allow the energy in your center to flow freely. Concentrate on breathing in and out, in and out ... Remember that you are out of cat food, then mentally start making a grocery list ... oh!

“That is the flexing of the mental muscle,” instructs Stockinger. “The mind naturally wanders, the goal is not to shut it off or try to control its wanderings ... You cannot make your mind focus, but you can get out of its way. Movement is not regarded as a problem. Meditation trains and guides your mind slowly. You can’t try to make it happen.”

When the details wander in, simply notice that you have begun thinking and refocus.

Stockinger says, “If you try to control your thoughts, you may look quiet, but you are suppressing an emotion, which will take control of you. It’s not necessary to do that. If you are willing and able to be with yourself with a tender, open heart ... there is no need to feel bad about yourself.”

He cautions that it is also possible to be too carried away in your own mental space. Newcomers to meditation should seek some instruction the first few times. Stockinger suggests finding 10 to fifteen minutes every day to begin a meditation practice at home.

Shambhala.org stresses that the rudimentary steps of getting started are helpful because they lead you to a peaceful space, however one shouldn’t get too hung up on doing everything exactly right. “Gentleness is also necessary, or else meditation becomes a way in which we're trying to measure up against a hopeless ideal. It's important not to expect perfection or get hooked on the finer points of the instruction. The practice takes consistent effort, and it can also be joyful.”

Goal

Famous teacher, Thich Nhat Hahn, reminds readers of the purpose of meditation in the January 2012 issue of Shambhala Sun.

The basic thing we can do to help the world is to be healthy, solid, loving, and gentle to ourselves. Then when people look at us, they will gain confidence. They will say, “If she can do that, I can do that too!"

So anything you do for yourself, you do for the world. Don’t think that you and the world are two separate things. When you breathe in mindfully and gently, when you feel the wonder of being alive, remember that you’re also doing this for the world. Practicing with that kind of insight, you will succeed in helping the world. You don’t even have to wait until tomorrow. You can do it right now, today.

Whether your inspiration to meditate comes from science or ancient traditions, those who regularly practice will tell you that just being is worth the effort.

Corey Radman is a freelance writer living in Fort Collins. Her passion for story threads its way through all her work, which has been published at 5280 Magazine, Style Magazine, Northern Colorado Medical & Wellness, Get Born Magazine, and The Mom Egg. She can be contacted via her website at www.fortcollinswriter.com.