Nowadays, a plethora of apps purport to promote mindfulness and meditation. It’s ironic that the very devices that are fragmenting our attention are also being used to foster focus and calm. However, long before mindfulness and meditation became buzzwords, sages in India, from days of yore, understood the significance of cultivating and maintaining deep concentration. Though the modern world has begun to embrace meditation, we don’t practice it with the same regularity or rigor as physical training. Perhaps, if we understand the tangible and intangible impacts meditation can have on our minds, brains and bodies, we may prioritize practicing it.
In their book Altered Traits, Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson note that ‘meditation’ is an umbrella term for a gamut of contemplative practices just as ‘sports’ refers to an array of physical endeavours. The duo describes different meditative practices and the benefits of each.
Types of mediation & their benefits
Jon Kabat-Zinn, pioneered the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre. Many patients who suffer from chronic and debilitating pain often rely on strong painkillers that often have unpleasant side-effects. Kabat-Zinn wondered whether the” body scan and other mindfulness practices” might help patients “uncouple the cognitive and emotional parts” of their pain. His research validated that though physical sensations were the same for patients, delinking the emotional aspects of the experience provided a sense of relief.
In another study conducted by Philippe Goldin and James Gross, participants with social anxiety disorder showed reduced activation in the stress circuitry of the brain after undergoing an eight-week MBSR program when presented with statements that would have otherwise triggered them.
Goleman and Davidson describe another meditation technique called Mindful Attention Training that was developed by Alan Wallace based on ancient Tibetan Buddhist practices. This involves first focusing on our breath, and then observing the ebb and flow of the mind and finally resting in the “subtle awareness of awareness itself.” After an eight-week training program, participants showed less activity in the amygdala when shown disturbing images.
The authors also describe another Buddhist meditation practice called loving-kindness meditation which involves thinking about our near and dear ones and sending them loving and compassionate thoughts and feelings. Next, we extend this kindness to our acquaintances and finally, to everyone, including people who hurt or harmed us. A group of researchers found that people who were prone to judging themselves harshly developed self-compassion after practicing this type of meditation. Another study in Davidson’s lab indicated that compassion meditation can predispose people to behave more altruistically with others.
As paying attention with purpose lies at the heart of almost all meditative practices, it‘s no surprise that most of them also strengthen our attentional capacities. Goleman and Davidson cite evidence that shows that mediation can enhance various facets of attention including selective attention, sustained focus and meta-awareness.
While we have always appreciated the importance of contemplative practices in India, it’s heartening to see that modern science has also documented the many advantages of different types of meditation from pain relief to growing more resilient to becoming more compassionate and attentive.
Is there an optimal dosage?
Given our hectic lives, how often and how long do we need to practice? To remain physically fit, most of us recognize that working out regularly is imperative, otherwise our muscles atrophy. Similarly, to experience the benefits of meditation, we need to engage in sustained practice, even if it’s for just a few minutes a day or at least, most days of the week.
In a video created by Dharma Lab, Richard Davidson and Cortland Dahl discuss the optimal ‘dosage’ of meditation. They point out that even short periods of practice can rewire the brain if done consistently. Moreover, it’s more important to be regular with your practice than increasing the duration of your sessions. In fact, Davidson and Dahl suggest that longer sessions don’t necessarily yield greater benefits. Also, it’s useful to revisit short “moments of awareness” right through the day as you go about your routines. Your meditation doesn’t have to be limited to your formal practice. If you can snatch a few minutes of calm and silence, whether it’s in the dentist’s waiting room or while you are getting a haircut, try to connect with yourself.
Goleman and Davidson quote the Dalai Lama who says, “The true mark of a meditator is that he has disciplined his mind by freeing it from negative emotions.” While that might be a seemingly unattainable goal for most of us, we can at least aspire to increase our focus and resilience with sustained practice. Just as running or working out are part of everyday routines, let’s try to inject a few minutes of intentional calm into our lives.
About the Author
(Aruna Sankaranarayanan is the author of Zero Limits and the co-author of Bee-Witched along with Brinda S. Narayan.)