GUEST BLOG: FIVE SCIENTIFIC REASONS TO PRACTISE MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

By the wonderful Dr Elise Bialylew, Founder of Mindful in May

Living our best life requires an investment in our health. It requires a lifelong commitment to practices that keep the mind and body replenished and nourished for the increasing demands of this world. It is of great concern that The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that depression is to become the second leading cause of global disease by 2020.

As a doctor working in mental health for 10 years, I discovered mindfulness meditation both as a way to better support my own health, and also help my clients flourish in their lives as well. The practice had transformative effects on my own life, and the research I discovered compelled me to teach those who came to me looking for ways to enhance their wellbeing and happiness. I created Mindful in May, the global online mindfulness challenge in 2012 and since then thousands of people have learned mindfulness and raised money to bring clean water to developing countries.

Meditation practices were once shrouded in a mystical cloak of spirituality, but these days innovative companies like Google and Twitter have become early adopters of mindfulness meditation practice by bringing it to their employees as a way of enhancing workplace wellbeing and effectiveness.
Here are five compelling scientific reasons why mindfulness is not just a fad, but will continue to be integrated into our home and work life.

1. Enhanced immune function.

Dr. Richie Davidson, from the Center For Investigating Healthy Minds concluded in a study in 2003 that a short term mindfulness training program resulted in participants developing a stronger immune response when challenged with the flu injection. And a healthy immune system often results in optimal physical health, overall.

2. Parts of the brain correlated to positive emotion are activated.

Research has demonstrated that people who suffer from depression and negative mood states have more electrical brain activity on the right side of the brain, compared with those who have more a positive, resilient attitude in life.

There was a study that demonstrated that with regular mindfulness practices, the electrical brain activity shifted from right to left, “left-sided anterior activation,” indicating a transition to more positive emotional states. Simply put, meditation leads to greater happiness.

3. Growth in higher-functioning regions of the brain.

A study by Dr. Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Harvard University, revealed a correlation between regular mindfulness meditation and growth in the thickness of the pre-frontal cortex, a high-functioning area of the brain responsible for functions like focused attention and regulating the emotional responses. This research also suggested that meditation may impact reduce age related decline in brain structure.

4. Protection against age-related DNA damage.

A groundbreaking study by Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD explored the effects of mindfulness meditation on an enzyme in the body called telomerase, which functions to protect DNA from age and stress-related damage. Interestingly enough, telomerase was increased in the group of regular meditators, suggesting that meditation can protect the cells from age-related damage.

5. Overall mental health is improved.

A rigorous study by Teasdale and Segal revealed that mindfulness meditation could reduce the rate of relapse of depression by up to 44% in people who had suffered previous episodes. This effect was comparable with staying on a maintenance dose of anti-depressants.

All of this research points to the fact that mindfulness meditation may be a key tool in helping us to combat the W.H.O prediction and take back our happiness and well-being.

Learn about the Mindful in May X Dream Life Mindful Journal collaboration here…

Learn about the Mindful in May X Dream Life Mindful Journal collaboration here…

Learn about the benefits of mindfulness and How to Use the Mindful in May X Dream Life Mindfulness Journal here…

For a limited time join the Mindful in May campaign and learn from the world’s best mindfulness and well-being experts.