A few decades ago, it was believed that our brain’s potential is set at birth, but according to the newly discovered principle of neuroplasticity, you have the ability to improve and strengthen your brain. And the best way to upgrade your brain is through meditation. By upgrading your brain, you have a potential of transforming your life in many positive ways. Here are the 5 key regions of the brain you can enhance through meditation and how it benefits you.
1. The Parietal Lobe
When you are lonely, the parietal lobes of your brain get overheated. The same area of the brain cools off immensely when you meditate, thus, curing your loneliness. Meditation helps you feel more connected to yourself and to other people. When you achieve a feeling of oneness through meditation, it releases a cascade of psychological and physiological benefits, which, in turn, make you a healthier and happier person.
2. The Corpus Callosum
Your brain is divided into 2 hemispheres, the left and the right. The left hemisphere is associated with logic and reasoning, while the right is associated with creativity and intuition. Most people create an imbalance by using one hemisphere more than the other. According to brain imaging studies, people who are highly successful use both halves of their brain in a balanced manner. Each hemisphere of your brain is connected by a cable of nerves called corpus callosum. Meditators’ corpus callosum is stronger, thicker, and more connected. By creating a proper link between the hemispheres of your brain, you will have increased focus, better memory, clearer thinking, deeper thought, and more creativity.
3. The Hippocampus
At least 1 in 6 people suffer from depression at some point in their life. The hippocampi of such people become atrophied over time. As people live with depression, the deterioration continues. Through meditation, this can be reversed. Only after about 8 weeks of meditation, the neural thickness, density, and overall size of both your hippocampi can grow. Not only will you start feeling better about yourself but your memory will also improve as the hippocampus is also the brain’s memory center.
4. The Posterior Cingulate Cortex
With so many things going on in your life and around you, it is easy to get distracted. It is difficult to understand how you are actually feeling at one particular time. You tend to lose your connection with the present moment and fail to appreciate it most of the time. The region of your brain that is responsible for making your mind wander is called the posterior cingulate cortex. When you meditate, this region gets deactivated and makes you more mindful person. By focusing your mind on the present and accepting each moment without judging it, you cancel out many of the reasons for unhappiness. So, you can train your brain to be happy through meditation.
5. The Prefrontal Cortex
You can become much smarter than you currently are through meditation. Your prefrontal cortex is the happiness center, thought orchestrator, and the main controller of the brain. Your intelligence will grow if you are able to increase the thickness, density, and neural activity within your left prefrontal cortex through meditation. Once you do so, you will feel less depressed and anxious, your decision making will improve, you will have stronger willpower, better health, and more processing power.
Meditation is a great way to improve your mental, physical, and emotional health. The best part about it is that anyone can do it. You just need to set out some time from your busy schedule and make it a part of your daily routine. The benefits are bound to get you hooked on it.
