Meditation.
How Meditation Affects the Brain – Exploring the Science Behind …
Meditation positively impacts the cerebellum, a brain region crucial for motor control, balance, and cognitive functions like attention, with studies showing experienced meditators have increased gray matter density and altered connectivity in the cerebellum, suggesting meditation enhances coordination, focus, and potentially slows age-related decline, improving executive functions and emotional regulation overall.
How Meditation Affects the Cerebellum & Brain
Increased Gray Matter: Long-term meditators often show greater gray matter volume in the cerebellum and other areas, which is linked to better learning, flexibility, and attention.
Enhanced Connectivity: Meditation strengthens fiber tracts connecting brain regions, including those within the cerebellum, improving communication between areas.
Cognitive Benefits: These changes translate to better executive functions, such as focus, working memory, and emotional regulation, as the cerebellum supports these processes alongside other brain areas like the prefrontal cortex.
Slowing Aging: Meditation may protect against age-related gray matter loss, helping maintain attentiveness and cognitive sharpness later in life, with the cerebellum showing evidence of this protective effect.
Broader Brain Changes with Meditation
Amygdala: Decreases in size and activity, reducing stress and emotional reactivity. Prefrontal Cortex: Strengthens, improving decision-making, focus, and impulse control.
Hippocampus: Increases in size, enhancing learning, memory, and emotional regulation.
Meditation isn't just relaxing; it physically changes your brain, including the cerebellum, making it a form of mental "exercise" that builds stronger, more efficient neural circuits for improved attention, memory, and emotional balance.
Simple ways to start Meditation
Focus on breath: sitting comfortably and simply noticing the feeling of each inhale and exhale, returning to the breath when thoughts wander.
Use guided meditation: I used 8 Minute Meditation by Victor Davich.