Meditation slows aging

A recent study by Harvard instructor Dr. Sara W. Lazar has shown that meditation can help to increase brain function, reduce the effects of aging on the brain, and improve concentration and memory, the Harvard Crimson reports.

Dr. Lazar’s work has shown that the thinning of the prefrontal cortex that normally comes with aging can be reversed through the practice of meditation. The group of 25 to 50 year olds that participated in the study meditated for an average of 40 minutes a day.

This is just one amongst many studies that demonstrate the physiological and psychological benefits of meditating. In 2003, researchers first showed that meditation changed patterns of activation in the brain, shifting the focus of activity from the stress-promoting right frontal cortex to the left side, which is associated with a sense of wellbeing and positive emotion. In the 2003 study, the participating group medittated for only 20 minutes daily.

Although the reports I’ve cited, involving periods of meditation of twenty to forty minutes, could potentially encourage some people to take up the practice of meditation, many others may find themselves deterred, being unable to imagine taking that length of time out of their busy schedules in order to “just sit there.”

So how long one should spend meditating each day, and is there any benefit to meditation if you can’t manage forty minutes?

I’ve found that some people notice distinct psychological benefits in the forms of reduced stress and greater happiness with only ten minutes of meditation daily, although most people seem to require around twenty minutes to experience benefits. Through my own experience I’ve found that any amount of meditation is better than none. One those days where, for whatever reason, I’ve only been able to meditate for five or ten minutes, I’ve found that my mental states can change perceptibly over that period of time, and that the benefits persist throughout the day.

So my advice is, just do it. If you can only manage twenty minutes a day, do twenty minutes. If you can only manage ten, do that. If three minutes is all you have, then spending three minutes is much, much better than not doing so.

Comments are closed.