13 Nov Interesting Facts about Mind and Mindfulness

Mindfulness is no longer an unfamiliar term. An increasing number of people have adopted this practice for better health, a better mind, and eventually a better life. Mindful meditation has surely got huge popularity over the years and is recommended by many. But do you know that there are a lot of proven scientific facts about mindfulness which has contributed to its popularity? Some of these facts are listed below-

Top 10 facts about Guided Meditation

• Fact 1: After an eight-week course of mindfulness, the Amygdala part of the brain that is responsible for initiating a response to stress seems to contract. As this part of the brain shrinks, the another part which is the pre-frontal cortex becomes thicker. This part of the brain is responsible for higher-order brain functions such as concertation, decision-making, awareness etc. This has been proved by MRI scans.

Note: If you stay too stressed in life or find it difficult to make decisions, start practicing mindfulness today.

• Fact 2: On an average, a human brain experiences 70,000 events each day.

Note: If you keep getting frustrated about your mind wandering around, then stay calm because it is a natural thing for humans.

• Fact 3: Our mind has the ability to process 126 pieces of information each second.

Note: Out of these 126 pieces, most of the pieces are of sensory information which may or may not obstruct us.

• Fact 4: Mindful meditation is found to help practitioners perform better in divergent thinking and also enable their mind to generate an increased number of new ideas. In other words, practicing mindfulness regularly gives a boost to creative thinking. It has been proved by a study conducted by a few researchers at Leiden University.

Note:  There are different types of meditation techniques but not all promote creative thinking. So, to polish your creative side of the brain, make sure to practice mindfulness daily.

• Fact 5: The practice of mindfulness has increased drastically over the years and 20 fold since the start of this millennium. It has become very popular in schools, rehabilitation centers, treatment centers and even research labs all over the world.

Note: Mindful meditation can bring positive results to both your mental as well as physical well-being.

• Fact 6: Practicing guided meditation and other relaxation exercises regularly for a long time results in an increased amount of active genes. These genes help the body to fight serious diseases and disorders like autism, cancer, insomnia etc.

Note: Mindfulness is a medicine without any dangerous side effects. In many cases, it is found to be as effective as drug treatments.

• Fact 7: Our brain does not have the ability to concentrate regularly for a longer time. The best it can do is to focus continuously for about 90 minutes or so and then we will have to take a short break and clear our head.

Note: Do not pressurize your brain to work on something continuously for more than one and half hours. Take short breaks in between which are absolutely needed for effective results.

• Fact 8: According to recent findings, regular practice of mindfulness can rewire the circuitry of your brain and help you learn and remember things. There is physical evidence obtained from MRI scans which prove that regular practice of mindful meditation increases gray matter in the hippocampus. This part of your brain is associated with your learning and memory powers.

Note: Practice mindfulness daily for at least 10-15 minutes and enhance abilities to learn and remember things. It can also help students in improving their grades.

• Fact 9: For a long time, scientists believed that brain is the only part of your body which does not generate any new cells. But this was proved wrong by various researches done on mindfulness. It was proved that with regular practice of mindful meditation, the brain produces new cells which help people to fight their stress and helps them live a happy life.
• Fact 10: Regular practice of mindful meditation helps people develop a positive and healthy outlook towards their life. This has been proven by various studies and researches conducted by scientists and health experts.

Note: Practice mindfulness daily to fight negativity and live a positive life.