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To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first
discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to
Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him (Buddha)

Does modern science lend support to the logic behind Meditation Practices?
By Nestor Almada
From ancient times, yogis and monks
were aware that regular practice of
meditation can effectively reduce anxiety
and depression and enhance peace of
mind, but they didnt know why. Today,
meditation is an activity practiced by
millions of people and is being closely
studied by Scientifics and psychologist to
assess its effects on mental and physical
health. A sharp increase in research on
meditation is taken place and some
universities in the America are investing a
great deal of money in this area
(Davanger, 2014).
Scientist at the Wake Forest Baptist
Medical Centre (Zeidan et al., 2013) was
able to identify the brain functions
involved during meditation. An
experiment involving volunteer with
normal level of anxiety was instructed to
engage in four twenty minutes classes of
mindfulness meditation. The brain
processes were monitored with an arterial
spin labeling magnetic resonance
imagining. The majority of the participants
experienced a decreasing anxiety by 39%.
The study found an activation of the
anterior cingulated cortex and
ventromedial prefrontal cortex, areas
associated with executive levels of
functioning. It was also found that the
brain regions associated with meditation
related anxiety relief are consistent with
the principles of being in state of
mindfulness (Zeidan et al., 2013).
Feeling of empathy and compassion can
also be enhanced with meditation
(Wright, 2014). Experiments employing
the Cognitive Based Compassion Training
(CBCT) developed at the Emory Tibet
Partnership were carried out using
participants with no meditation
experience. 62% of them improved their
Reading the Mind and the Eyes Test
(RMET) by 4.5 %.( Mascaro et al. (2012). It
also found that the practice of CBCT
reduces emotional distress and enhance
physical resilience in response to stress in
both healthy adults and in high risk
adolescent in foster care (Mascaro et al.,
2012)
Training in mindfulness meditation can
also help patients with chronic pain and
depression (Kerr et al., 2013). A study
done by Brown University found that
meditation can increase control over
sensory cortical alpha rhythms that helps
to regulate brain processes associated
with sensations (pain) and memories
(depression). Kerr et al. (2013) used a
brain imagining technology called
magneto encephalography (MEG) to
demonstrate that alpha rhythms in the
cortex that is correlate with sensory
attention and the ability to regulate alpha

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brainwaves was significantly different
between meditators and non-meditators
(Kerr et al., 2013).
The practices of mindfulness meditation
have some cognitive benefits as well. It
improves Reading ability, working
Memory and task focus (University of
California, 2013). It also reduces mind-
wandering in tasks requiring
concentration. Meditation lead us to
experience more compassion for all
sentient beings .There is also scientific
evidence that meditation can alter the
calculus of the moral mind (Northeastern
University College of Science (2013).
Another study done by researchers in
Spain, France and America found that
medication can decrease the expression
of RIPK2 and COX2 genes and histone
deactylase genes associated with
inflammatory processes (Alvarez-Lopez et
al., 2014), suggesting that meditation can
alter genetic and activity, improve
behavior and thinking pattern.
In conclusion: Apart from improving
cognitive functioning, researchers found
that meditation have a positive effect on
mental and physical health, in enhancing
morality and in the development of
compassion by reducing negative affect
and calming the mind


References
Alvarez-Lopez, M.J., Cosin-Tomas, M., Davidson, R. J., Kaliman, P., Lutz, A., Rosenkranz, M.
A. (2014). Rapid changes in histone deacetylases and inflammatory gene expression in
expert meditators. Psychoneuroendocrinology (2014) 40, 96107.
http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/pdfs/KalimanRapidPNEC.pdf
Davanger, S. (2014). Nondirective meditation activates default mode network and areas
associated with memory retrieval and emotional processing. Frontiers in Human
Neuroscience, 2014; 8 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00086
Kerr, C. E., Sacchet, M. D., Lazar, S. W. Moore, C. I. & Jones.S. R. Mindfulness starts with
the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in
mindfulness meditation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2013; 7 DOI:
10.3389/fnhum.2013.00012
Mascaro, J. S., Rilling, J. K., Tenzin- Negi, L. &. Raison. C. L. Compassion meditation
enhances empathic accuracy and related neural activity. Social Cognitive and Affective
Neuroscience, 2012; DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss095
Northeastern University College of Science (2013, April 1). Can meditation make you a
more compassionate person? Science Daily. Retrieved June 15, 2013, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com- /releases/2013/04/130401111553.htm#.UWHflxiIS-Y.email

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Zeidan, F., Martucci, K. T., Kraft, R. A., McHaffie, J. G. & Coghill.R. C. Neural Correlates of
Mindfulness Meditation-Related Anxiety Relief. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience,
2013; DOI: 10.1093/scan/nst041
University of California - Santa Barbara (2013, March 26). Mindfulness improves reading
ability, working memory, and task-focus. Science Daily. Retrieved June 15, 2013, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2013/03/130326133339.htm#.UViRlRdMlFA.email