A recent study at Harvard University reported that meditation has the ability to change one’s brain structure. Researchers gathered 16 participants and took magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of their brains, prior to participating in an 8-week long meditation course. During the course, participants spent approximately 30 minutes a day in meditation. At the end of the eight weeks, researchers re-took the participants’ MRI’s, and discovered significant changes in the brain’s cerebral cortex.
Scientist’s compared the participants MRI’s with the MRI’s of non-meditators, and found the people who practiced meditation had undergone significantly more development in their cerebral cortex than the non-meditators. According to the study, the group, which underwent eight weeks of meditation, reported feeling significantly less stressed and noticeably happier.
Chad Ford, director of the McKay Center and intercultural peacebuilding professor, said, “Meditation is a couple of things to me. It is a way for me to let go, at the end of the day, and to find some sense of peace and calm. It’s also to encourage mindfulness to quit dwelling on the past or the future, and to find a way to just be present.”
Amanda Tice, a social worker and peacebuilding professor, said she discovered the value of mediation by working with a client who had suffered from a brain injury. Tice said, “My client’s doctor had suggested meditation as part of her recovery process. She would get so anxious and worked up, and I would immediately know that it was time for her to do her meditation. I started doing it with her, and it totally changed my life.”
Considering the amount of benefits meditation offers, fitting it into a daily routine seems like an obvious must, according to Tice. However, it is surprising how few people make the effort to practice it daily, she reiterated.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) reported only 8 percent of adults in the United States meditate. In a Huffington Post, author Philip Goldberg said, “I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone say, ‘I’ve tried to meditate, but it doesn’t work for me’ or ‘I’m not good at it.’ Having heard that meditation silences the mind, people try too hard to achieve that result, and that leads to strain.”
"It’s actually hard work,” said Chad Ford. “Try it. To me, it is the process of cleaning up the mind, and that’s really hard to do. It takes a lot of concentration, it takes a lot of focus, and it takes a lot of control. The hardest thing of all to control… is your own mind.”
Sophia Hutchinson, a sophomore majoring in intercultural studies, said, “I think there are so many different ways to meditate. Sometimes I have a hard time just sitting down, so I will go on a run without listening to any music. Learning to live in the present moment has helped me a lot with school, especially when I get stressed about grades. When I have a mindset of living in the present moment, it is a lot more rewarding than just having an end goal.”
Chad Ford concluded, “I think meditation is the single most important thing that I do. I also think mediation and prayer are often combined together. David O McKay was a big meditator... We are taught to pray and to ponder, but sometimes when we pray, our brains are everywhere, which makes it hard for us to have the time or energy or discipline to listen. Meditation helps take away the noise in our brains, and creates new space for communion with God.”
David O. McKay once said, “Meditation is one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord.” and students and faculty said they take that to heart.
Some of the most respected spiritual leaders of all time, including Buddha, Confucius, and even Jesus considered personal meditation to be one of the most important factors in attaining enlightenment and true joy.
Scientists are coming out in praise of the practice and its newfound health benefits. Studies confirm meditation attacks a myriad of physical, emotional, and spiritual problems that can stop people from obtaining higher levels of happiness.
Different traditional forms of meditation include guided meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qi gong.
Writer: Zoe Rounseville