Studies have shown the beneficial effects of meditation on our health and our brain. There are many types of meditation and invariably all of them have positive effects.

1. Studies have shown the beneficial effects of
meditation on our health and our brain. There
are many types of meditation and invariably all
of them have positive effects.
Understanding how meditation affects the
brain, and, by extension, human behavior, also
gives insight into the potency of this timeless
yogic practice. There have been
groundbreaking researches showing that, when
people meditate, they alter the biochemistry of
their brains, and this could be at the heart of
claims that meditation can improve health and
wellbeing.
Meditation practice changes the neural
physiology enabling the practitioner to respond
with equanimity to sources of stress. It doesn’t
make meditators sluggish or apathetic; it
simply allows them to detach from their
emotional reactions so they can respond
appropriately.
Some studies of meditation have linked
meditation with increased activity in the left
prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is
associated with concentration, planning, meta-
cognition (thinking about thinking), and
positive emotions (good feelings). There are

2. similar studies linking depression and anxiety
with decreased activity in the same region,
and/or with dominant activity in the right
prefrontal cortex.
The brain is an electrochemical organ using
electromagnetic energy to function. Electrical
activity emanating from the brain is displayed
in the form of brainwaves. There are four
categories of these brainwaves. They range
from the high amplitude, low frequency delta
to the low amplitude, high frequency beta.
During the normal sequential pattern of
descent from wakefulness to deep sleep the
brainwave frequency changes from fast beta
waves (above 14 cycles per second), to theta
waves (4-7 cycles per second) and, lastly, to
delta waves (0-4 cycles per second).
The difference between normal sleep and
meditation is that in meditation an
intermediate platform of alpha wave
predominance (7-14 cycles per second)
associated with relaxation is created between
the beta wave patterns of the wakeful state
and the slow delta rhythm of deep sleep. The
result is complete relaxation of mental,
emotional and muscular tension.

3. There are now more than 600 scientific studies
of the various benefits of Transcendental
Meditation (a type of meditation technique)
that were independently conducted at 250
universities and institutions in 30 countries.
These studies, published in over 100 science
magazines, report of improvements such as
decrease in stress hormones like cortisol,
decrease in muscle tension, decrease of
elevated blood pressure, increase in memory
and concentration, stabilization of the
autonomic nervous system, reduction of
cardiovascular risk factors, increased self-
confidence, and stabilization of chronic
alcoholics.
Modern neuroscience is showing that our brain
is as plastic as our body. Meditation can help
train our brain, in the same way exercise can
train our body.