New study reveals: Meditation Changes Brain Structure in Eight Weeks!

I checked the source and the article is from Massachusettes General Hospital (Harvard University). So it is very reliable.

www.massgeneral.org...

The problem is patience. They say it takes three weeks to get into the habit. I suppose you could imagine yourself having the patience to do whatever you want and alter your brain chemistry to do that.

The ancients have always knew this: you can alter your self (your brain chemistry or structure). The myth that you cannot change the structure is shattered with many documented studies.

Your self is very fluid

whenever i try to meditate my mind is always clouded with thoughts like "wow im not thinking anything at all!!" or i end up passing out.

reply to post by GypsK


I've been meditating since I was in my middle 20's, which would make it around 40 years now. I got interested in the idea of stopping conscious thought as much as possible to see what would evolve once my brain wasn't busy with everyday concerns. My only guidance was the assurance that meditation's positive effects are cumulative, & not instantaneous, like taking aspirin to cure a headache.

As my interests have changed and/or grown over the years, the meditative state has changed & grown with me. It's easy to get carried away with descriptions of memorable sessions, but I'll try to hold it to the short version. I've been able to understand how my mind works to pull up information learned earlier, & have evolved a personal "coding" method for storing new information, that will allow me to recall it later, no matter how much time has gone by.
I've rediscovered my old childhood ability to juggle algebraic quantities as needed, visually for want of a better term, to arrive at the correct answer without having to use formulas taught to me during attempts on the part of the public school system to drum that "nonsense" out of my head.

I've been able to better understand my negative reactions to situations & to some peoples' behavior, in order to change those reactions; I learned that if you can truly understand something or someone, they're less likely to frighten or anger you.

In stages over the years, I've worked on taking responsibility for my own life, something I've seen described as "the most frightening thing you can do". I'm not sure if that description is true, but it certainly comes close. In time, I've come to understand that the only thing that can make me act like a bonehead is myself. This deceptively simple statement covers much ground, & is perhaps the one facet of my understanding that, for me, at least, most needs frequent renewal.

The 60's-70's were a time of intense interest in spiritual matters & various belief systems for many of us in the US; coupled with the drug use that was common coin back then, the era produced a great number of what I like to call psychic voyagers. My own recreational pharmaceutical pastimes dropped away years ago, which has in no way stifled my enjoyment of exploring "other spaces" made available to me via meditation.

After meditating for a while, & starting to become familiar with this new "space" inside myself, I would occasionally have visions, or the sensation of being someplace else physically, or be able to track my dreams & follow sequential stories in them, of which I was previously unaware.

Although I'm now in my early 60's, people are usually surprised when I mention my age; I'm told, by most who are surprised, that they thought I'm in my 40's. There was a news item recently about a study that concluded that meditating may slow physical aging. Again, I don't know if that's true, but I've always felt that meditating kept me feeling younger. Perhaps the mind/body connection kicks in after a while; one can always hope...

As I said earlier, I started off simply, by trying to clear my mind of as much conscious thought as I could. From there, I followed whatever "felt good", or whatever piqued my curiosity from my readings, from Jung to Castaneda, until I began to recognize an inner "path", very much my own, yet sharing universal characteristics with the formalized meditative paths about which I read.

I own several Hemi-Sync (binaural beat) albums produced by the Monroe Institute, having become aware of them through my reading of Robert Monroe's books years ago. I find that they can enhance my meditative state if I'm in the mood to listen, but often still prefer to just "go still" and see what happens.

To anyone interested in starting to meditate, I would advise keeping in mind that, among other things, this is a path to the deeper recesses of your mind, & can be an invaluable tool toward a greater understanding of yourself. All of your insights won't be happy ones, & you will not like everything you find out about yourself. If you're making a sincere try at it, however, you will find plenty of material to enable you to work on your ability to stop bs'ing yourself, something we're all very good at doing.

If you feel you have any of what are loosely termed "extrasensory" abilities, meditation can better acquaint you with how you "do" them, & help you to become better at working with them. I won't go into personal details here, but as is the case with the rest of my post, I speak from experience.

If you're looking to start, you don't really need a guru, or a how-to book. Try focusing on your breathing as you relax as much as you can, or try to gently make your mind stop as much mental "chatter" as you can. Once you start on the meditative path, you may find that you "just happen" to come across people, books, movies, or documentary programs that will give you directions in which to go, or at least new paths to try, as well as confirmation that others share that which you have discovered within yourself. I found a delightful increase in this type of synchronicity in my life after I'd been at it for a while.

Where you want to take it from that point is, as they say, truly up to you.

my method. take it or leave it.
I lay down in bed and get comfortable so I wont need to move
I visualize a candle flame in a black void and use that as my focus
I close my eyes and concentrate on dan tien breathing like I learned from qigong
(inhale through the nose filling the lower abdomen, not the chest, exhale through nose)
After a few minutes I've pushed away all my thoughts and its just breathing and the flame in the void.
I Focus on my chakras starting at the bottom and working my way up. I focus on each chakra and imagine im polishing away any impurities or blockages. I visualize the energy flowing up from the earth through each chakra and out the top of my head forming a circuit with the energy of the universe.
I've been working on my chakras olmost daily for many many months now and each time I reach my third-eye chakra I get a tremendous surge of energy and the sense of expansiveness others have mentioned.
I also incorporate elements of goetia to protect my spirit from external forces, you can read about the circle of protection in the lemegaton (the lesser key of solomon)

reply to post by NewAgeMan

The Temples Of Syrinx Lyrics (in case you missed it)

We've taken care of everything
The words you hear, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes.
It's one for all and all for one
We work together, common sons
Never need to wonder how or why.
We are the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls.
We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls.
Look around at this world we've made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the Brotherhood of Man
Oh, what a nice, contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the Red Star proudly high in hand.
We are the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls.
We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls.

Ah just having fun (don't read into it it means nothing).

reply to post by GypsK, Internet Explorer, TheBirdisDone, searching_waiting, bulletproof_monk, Time2Think


Thank you all so much, guys. I still don't know why this happens to me, but surely now I know it's about time to face it. Maybe if I keep trying it will just go away...?

I also wanted to mention that if you have any interest in meditation and/or shamanism then you should check out some of Terrence Mckenna's books. Terence Mckenna talks about meditation. What a great man, It's so tragic that he died, a true genius and free thinker of our time.

reply to post by Deaf Alien

This is our modern agenda:
* Sleep
* Make money
* Eat (only top quality food )
* Make money
* Cheap digital entertainment
* Sex
* Sleep
* More sex
* Eat
* Make money

Rinse and repeat! Of course, this is just for the privileged employed....

Lack of patience is the problem, yes. In west, meditation is overrated .

I'll be sure to rub this into my brother's face who has ridiculed me for meditating all these years, because he was so sure meditation didn't really lead anywhere, it was all faith based/placebo to him being a man of science while I the younger brother was the superstitious religious lunatic mhuhaha

Next I would like science to prove there is actually something like a spirit controlling the physical body, which would be great because then we can all think for ourselves and it'll be scientifically endorsed! j/k

reply to post by SassyCat


Therein lies the conspiracy

They say that when we are in a conspiracy, we don't know it. Perhaps this is it? Never mind I can talk more about it but....

One thing the doctors and scientists were wrong about... we cannot alter the neurons in our brains. We cannot grow new neurons. "Old dogs can not learn new tricks" That's BS.

I am glad they have confirmed age old idea of meditation altering selves.

Originally posted by gougitousakusha
whenever i try to meditate my mind is always clouded with thoughts like "wow im not thinking anything at all!!" or i end up passing out.

lol! As for thinking silly thoughts, can't do much for you there.

If you keep passing out though, try meditating in the morning after breakfast, when it is impossible for you to fall asleep.

reply to post by NewAgeMan

It's powerful stuff, synchonizes the left and right hemispheres of the bicameral brainmind while stimulating the pineal and other glands as well.

Dude, I consider myself an open minded skeptic and have to ask, are you sure your not just persuading yourself ?

I've tried this binurial beat thing on several occasions and the result was always the same, I simply fell asleep.

It also purifies the nadi channels of the entire energy tree of the body temple.

What the effin hell is a nadi channel when it's at home ? I checked out a medical dictionary and nothing ,but there as some supernatural type references when googled but nothing of any substance.


Don't get me wrong,I'm all for giving things a fair crack of the whip but on a personal level nothing but kip, so advice from you practitioners of this stuff on how not to fall asleep would be welcome as long as it works.


I've recently had an interesting (to me at any rate) sleep paralysis whilst trying to do this meditation thing and can perhaps understand why some people can mistakenly believe they've been abducted by aliens. I won't expand on this unless asked so as not to bore but feel free to ask.

I have been meditating for some time and the healing in the brain and in the body are results not of mere relaxation but of godly healing or spiritual healing.

We live in a deluded world very far away of god and because of this, because of our belief in the flesh we believe in death and sickness, comming closer to the true world and detaching ourselves from this physical existence we are healed by the truth. A being that does not live in its innate natural state and opposes it will suffer and will experience hell. It is not our nature to become sick and suffer but we live this reality, do not worry however Kali Yuga will soon end even though it might end with death it will resurect into bliss when Satya Yuga is back in place.

People should all seek for God all the time, for man holds on to the physical as long as he can, and when the physical betrays him so deeply only then does he look for God. One must realize that this physical world of ours is not real, it is real in the sense that we see and feel it but it does not have worth innate in it, only the mind attaches worth to things of this world and because of this attachement we suffer. Look for God within you let all your attachements of the physical world go, these times are painful but are a great potential for spiritual growth take use of them and in the eyes of evil sit in silence and know that you are God. This world is headed for destruction and murder do not participate do not get tempted but stay in the place of love which unlike illusion cannot be threatened by anything.

Neither birth nor death exist, realize this and no pain will be perceived.




The concious state is very specific and is like a magnifying glass on this world, if you meditate you loose contact in little ways you are still concious but it can be that the world might dissapear for a few seconds. This is traveling into the subconcious where alot of knowledge is stored that you might not even know conciously the superconcious is where all knowledge lies, Edgar Cayce would tune into that state and be able to predict events and even decode dreams of his own and others.

The more you meditate the more you are in tune with these "higher" levels the more you are dettached form this world. And remember meditation is always easy and effortless, meditation is not a doing but a being.

i have started doing chakra medititation recently. i am still learning and not very good at it...
but wow
it does something...
it is like tere is a whole world inside me i never new was there..


kx

Is meditation possible for those people with a short attention span and if so any tips to make it easier? (in other words, if someone finds it boring when trying it is there a way to combat the boredom phase? I believe that once past that phase there would not be a problem getting into the habit of not being bored as you would be past that point)

Not sure if that made total sense but a tip or two would be appreciated, there are many corridors of the brain to discover

reply to post by NewAgeMan


After a good binaural beat session yesterday, I noticed my skin felt so wonderful....like I just had a facial at a luxury spa. Perhaps your mention of a "flood of hormones" explains it.

I also noticed I feel incredibly more upbeat and centred after listening to binaural beats.

I highly recommend this site: Ultrasonic Ascension

I have been using meditation frequently to help cope with stress and depression and I've had great results from it. I've also had success from binaural beats combined with meditation. I've produced a few of my own using Audicity (free program) and a free downloadable plugin. It's quite easy to do and the sounds can be combined with ambient sounds or soothing music to make it easier to listen to. An example can be found here (free to download): The Dark Star Binary. Headphones are essential for this.

Also, I've also found a few podcasts specialising in meditation to be helpful. One of the best I've found was called A Quiet Mind - just google it or add a dotcom - very interesting guy.

So it changes the brain... are we sure this is a good change?

reply to post by Deaf Alien


Just waiting on my girl to chime in.
She is an amazing example of how meditation can change a person and their life.

I for one can say that most all of my growth has come from times of meditation and spirit journey.

reply to post by colloredbrothers

People should all seek for God all the time, for man holds on to the physical as long as he can, and when the physical betrays him so deeply only then does he look for God.

I'm a novice at meditation, so is there a particular god that you have in mind or will anyone do ?